WPTD
Encyclopedia
WPTD is a television station in Dayton, Ohio
that is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service
. It broadcasts in digital on channel 16, and is relayed by W32DS-D in Maplewood, Ohio
.
WPTO, WPTD's sister station
, is a member of PBS
, licensed to Oxford, Ohio
. It broadcasts digitally on channel 28 but is displayed on-screen as channel 14, its former analog and present virtual channel
, via the PSIP
protocol. Oxford is located in the Cincinnati market, and WPTO's digital transmitter is on the same tower as WXIX-TV
, Cincinnati's Fox
affiliate.
WPTD brands itself ThinkTV16, while WPTO brands itself ThinkTV14. Together, the two stations are known on-air as the ThinkTV Network and operate as a subsidiary of Public Media Connect
, a regional non-profit company that also owns Cincinnati's PBS member station, WCET
.
Neither WPTD nor WPTO is a satellite of the other: Master control
operations for both stations are performed at ThinkTV facilities in Dayton. Individual programs may be shared between the two stations. However, each station is separately programmed and scheduled; there is virtually no overlap, except during pledge drives
.
Both stations' signals are multiplex
ed, each broadcasting one high-definition
channel, and several standard definition channels.
WPTD's broadcast coverage includes much of southwestern Ohio, including Dayton and Cincinnati, as well as portions of eastern Indiana. WPTO's smaller coverage area largely overlaps that of WPTD, but is more concentrated in the extreme southwest corner of Ohio, providing a stronger signal to Cincinnati, weaker to the Dayton area. Both stations are available on Time Warner Cable
throughout southwestern Ohio, though some systems may offer only WPTD's set of multiplexed channels or WPTO's, depending on their location.
-affiliated station, WKTR-TV. That station was owned by Kitty Hawk Television Corporation and licensed to Kettering
when it began broadcasting in April 1967. It went dark in 1970, but returned to the air briefly in 1971 before giving up its license to the Federal Communications Commission
, which reallocated the frequency as non-commercial.
WPTD's sister station, WPTO, began in 1959 as WMUB-TV, which was operated by Miami University
. The call letters matched those of then co-owned WMUB (FM)
radio, and stood for Miami University Broadcasting.
The stations joined forces in 1975 under the banner of University Regional Broadcasting, a consortium of Miami, Wright State
and Central State
universities. WMUB-TV was the primary station for a year until 1976, when WOET-TV became the primary station. In 1977, the stations were transferred to a new community organization, Greater Dayton Public Television, and received their current callsigns.
From the creation of University Regional Broadcasting onward, the secondary station operated as a semi-satellite of the primary station, only rarely airing different, usually local public-affairs type, programs. This situation existed until cable television began to become widely available in the community. Both stations were carried on Dayton-area cable systems. As cable availability rose, the stations' programming was increasingly differentiated by Greater Dayton Public Television, and the stations eventually achieved separate programming and scheduling.
The stations rebranded themselves as the ThinkTV Network in 1998, though the legal name remained Greater Dayton Public Television.
On October 31, 2008, Greater Dayton Public Television and the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation, owner of WCET
, announced plans to merge their resources into one non-profit organization serving all of Southwest Ohio, while maintaining separate identities. The merger completed on May 8, 2009 with the formation of Public Media Connect
, Inc. Both ThinkTV and CET operate as subsidiaries under the new organization. The merger resulted in the July 2010 transfer of WCET's master control
operations to ThinkTV facilities in Dayton.
channel 58. One year later in May of 2004, ThinkTV entered phase two of its digital conversion with the installation of new digital Master Control equipment and the introduction of new digital channels for ThinkTV14/WPTO. ThinkTV14's digital channel was UHF
channel 28.
During this period, the digital channels were 16.2 - ThinkTV 16 DT, 16.3 - ThinkTV 16 Again, 16.4 - ThinkTV 16 Create, 16.5 - ThinkTV 16 Ohio, 16.6 - ThinkTV HD; 14.2 - ThinkTV 14 DT, 14.3 - ThinkTV 14 Prime, 14.4 - ThinkTV 14 Learn, 14.5 - ThinkTV 14 World and 14.6 - ThinkTV HD. Note that neither WPTD nor WPTO had an X.1 subchannel
; the X.2 subchannels matched their respective analog channels; also, 16.6 and 14.6 carried identical PBS HD programming, which was distinct from the separate analog programming on WPTD and on WPTO.
ThinkTV switched to an all digital service on May 1, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States
. On this date, ThinkTV16 ended its digital broadcast on channel 58 and switched channel 16 from an analog broadcast to a digital one. ThinkTV14 ended its analog broadcast on channel 14. It remained on its digital channel, 28, using the PSIP
protocol to display its virtual channel
as 14.
Digital channels >
Channel
Name
Programming
16.1
ThinkTV 16 HD
Main WPTD programming / PBS
16.2
ThinkTV 16 Again
Repeat broadcasts of WPTD primetime shows
16.3
ThinkTV 16 Life
Lifestyle and how-to programming
16.4
ThinkTV 16 Ohio
The Ohio Channel
16.5
ThinkTV 16 DT
SD simulcast of 16.1
Digital channels >
Channel
Name
Programming
14.1
ThinkTV 14 HD
Main WPTO programming / PBS
14.2
ThinkTV 14 Prime
Repeat broadcasts of WPTO primetime shows
14.3
ThinkTV 14 Learn
PBS Kids
programming and college telecourses
14.4
ThinkTV 14 World
PBS World
The Ohio Channel
14.5
ThinkTV 14 DT
SD simulcast of 14.1
Note that while the "DT" designation on 16.5 and 14.5 appears on the ThinkTV website and displays on-screen via PSIP
, it is omitted from ThinkTV's advertising and on-screen "bugs"
.
filings, WPTD's translator station W17AA in Celina had authorization in 2009 to flash-cut
to digital operations on channel 17, at a tower site near its existing analog tower. However, before this conversion could be completed, W17AA suspended operations on January 5, 2011 due to circumstances beyond Greater Dayton Public Television’s control, namely a loss of site. The tower owner, the State of Ohio, has plans to dismantle the tower utilized by W17AA, and in anticipation has disconnected power to the tower site location. As a result, GDPTV was forced to suspend operations on W17AA. On January 14, 2011, GDPTV requested a six month authorization to maintain silent
(off-air) status. GDPTV then began the process of considering its options for modification of the W17AA license to allow for its resumption of service. On July 26, 2011, the FCC accepted GDPTV's surrender for cancellation of W17AA's license.
WPTD's other translator station, W63AH channel 63 in Maplewood, also had authorization in 2009 to switch to digital operations, on channel 32. However, W63AH suspended operations on March 30, 2010, also due to a loss of site, following a change in ownership for the translator station’s licensed tower location. On April 5, 2010, GDPTV requested a six month authorization to maintain silent status. On September 9, 2010, GDPTV was granted authorization to relocate its approved digital broadcast facility to a tower near Celina, with the community of license remaining Maplewood. On January 18, 2011, the station was granted "license to cover", allowing it to resume broadcasting. The station now operates digitally on channel 32, as W32DS-D (it officially took the W32DS callsign in May, 2009).
W32DS-D covers both Celina and the Maplewood, Ohio, area and operates with a directional antenna towards the southeast.
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
that is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
. It broadcasts in digital on channel 16, and is relayed by W32DS-D in Maplewood, Ohio
Maplewood, Ohio
Maplewood is an unincorporated community in northern Salem Township, Shelby County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45340...
.
WPTO, WPTD's sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
, is a member of PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, licensed to Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
. It broadcasts digitally on channel 28 but is displayed on-screen as channel 14, its former analog and present virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
, via the PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
protocol. Oxford is located in the Cincinnati market, and WPTO's digital transmitter is on the same tower as WXIX-TV
WXIX-TV
WXIX-TV channel 19 is the Fox Broadcasting Company affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio. The station's city of license is Newport, Kentucky, across the Ohio River...
, Cincinnati's Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate.
WPTD brands itself ThinkTV16, while WPTO brands itself ThinkTV14. Together, the two stations are known on-air as the ThinkTV Network and operate as a subsidiary of Public Media Connect
Public Media Connect
Public Media Connect, Inc. is a non-profit organization that owns southwest Ohio's largest PBS member television stations. It was formed in 2009 from the merger of the Greater Cincinnati Educational Television Foundation, which operates WCET in Cincinnati under the "CET" brand, and Greater Dayton...
, a regional non-profit company that also owns Cincinnati's PBS member station, WCET
WCET (TV)
WCET is the PBS member public television station serving Cincinnati, Ohio. It broadcasts digitally on channel 34 but is displayed on-screen as channel 48, its former analog and present virtual channel, via the PSIP protocol. Its signal is multiplexed, broadcasting one high-definition channel, CET...
.
Neither WPTD nor WPTO is a satellite of the other: Master control
Master control
Master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations and television networks. It is distinct from a production control room in television studios where the activities such as switching from camera to camera are coordinated...
operations for both stations are performed at ThinkTV facilities in Dayton. Individual programs may be shared between the two stations. However, each station is separately programmed and scheduled; there is virtually no overlap, except during pledge drives
Pledge drive
A pledge drive is an extended period of fundraising activities, generally used by public broadcasting stations to increase contributions. The term "pledge" originates from the promise a contributor makes to send in funding at regular intervals for a certain amount of time...
.
Both stations' signals are multiplex
Multiplexing
The multiplexed signal is transmitted over a communication channel, which may be a physical transmission medium. The multiplexing divides the capacity of the low-level communication channel into several higher-level logical channels, one for each message signal or data stream to be transferred...
ed, each broadcasting one high-definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
channel, and several standard definition channels.
WPTD's broadcast coverage includes much of southwestern Ohio, including Dayton and Cincinnati, as well as portions of eastern Indiana. WPTO's smaller coverage area largely overlaps that of WPTD, but is more concentrated in the extreme southwest corner of Ohio, providing a stronger signal to Cincinnati, weaker to the Dayton area. Both stations are available on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
throughout southwestern Ohio, though some systems may offer only WPTD's set of multiplexed channels or WPTO's, depending on their location.
History
WPTD began in 1972 as WOET-TV (for Ohio Educational Television), operated by the Ohio Educational Broadcasting Network Commission (OEB). Prior to that, Channel 16 was occupied by a commercial independent and sometime ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
-affiliated station, WKTR-TV. That station was owned by Kitty Hawk Television Corporation and licensed to Kettering
Kettering, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 57,502 people, 25,657 households, and 15,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,077.4 people per square mile . There were 26,936 housing units at an average density of 1,441.6 per square mile...
when it began broadcasting in April 1967. It went dark in 1970, but returned to the air briefly in 1971 before giving up its license to the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
, which reallocated the frequency as non-commercial.
WPTD's sister station, WPTO, began in 1959 as WMUB-TV, which was operated by Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
. The call letters matched those of then co-owned WMUB (FM)
WMUB
WMUB is a public radio station licensed to Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio. It produced local programming for 59 years until March 1, 2009 when it became a part of Cincinnati Public Radio. The station serves Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana. WMUB started as a student-operated station the...
radio, and stood for Miami University Broadcasting.
The stations joined forces in 1975 under the banner of University Regional Broadcasting, a consortium of Miami, Wright State
Wright State University
Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
and Central State
Central State University
Central State University, commonly referred to as "C-State", is a historically black university located in Wilberforce, Ohio, United States. It is the only public HBCU in Ohio.-History:...
universities. WMUB-TV was the primary station for a year until 1976, when WOET-TV became the primary station. In 1977, the stations were transferred to a new community organization, Greater Dayton Public Television, and received their current callsigns.
From the creation of University Regional Broadcasting onward, the secondary station operated as a semi-satellite of the primary station, only rarely airing different, usually local public-affairs type, programs. This situation existed until cable television began to become widely available in the community. Both stations were carried on Dayton-area cable systems. As cable availability rose, the stations' programming was increasingly differentiated by Greater Dayton Public Television, and the stations eventually achieved separate programming and scheduling.
The stations rebranded themselves as the ThinkTV Network in 1998, though the legal name remained Greater Dayton Public Television.
On October 31, 2008, Greater Dayton Public Television and the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation, owner of WCET
WCET (TV)
WCET is the PBS member public television station serving Cincinnati, Ohio. It broadcasts digitally on channel 34 but is displayed on-screen as channel 48, its former analog and present virtual channel, via the PSIP protocol. Its signal is multiplexed, broadcasting one high-definition channel, CET...
, announced plans to merge their resources into one non-profit organization serving all of Southwest Ohio, while maintaining separate identities. The merger completed on May 8, 2009 with the formation of Public Media Connect
Public Media Connect
Public Media Connect, Inc. is a non-profit organization that owns southwest Ohio's largest PBS member television stations. It was formed in 2009 from the merger of the Greater Cincinnati Educational Television Foundation, which operates WCET in Cincinnati under the "CET" brand, and Greater Dayton...
, Inc. Both ThinkTV and CET operate as subsidiaries under the new organization. The merger resulted in the July 2010 transfer of WCET's master control
Master control
Master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations and television networks. It is distinct from a production control room in television studios where the activities such as switching from camera to camera are coordinated...
operations to ThinkTV facilities in Dayton.
Digital television
On May 1, 2003, ThinkTV marked the beginning of its conversion to digital technology with the introduction of four new digital program services and a digital simulcast channel for ThinkTV16/WPTD. ThinkTV16's digital channel was UHFUltra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 58. One year later in May of 2004, ThinkTV entered phase two of its digital conversion with the installation of new digital Master Control equipment and the introduction of new digital channels for ThinkTV14/WPTO. ThinkTV14's digital channel was UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 28.
During this period, the digital channels were 16.2 - ThinkTV 16 DT, 16.3 - ThinkTV 16 Again, 16.4 - ThinkTV 16 Create, 16.5 - ThinkTV 16 Ohio, 16.6 - ThinkTV HD; 14.2 - ThinkTV 14 DT, 14.3 - ThinkTV 14 Prime, 14.4 - ThinkTV 14 Learn, 14.5 - ThinkTV 14 World and 14.6 - ThinkTV HD. Note that neither WPTD nor WPTO had an X.1 subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
; the X.2 subchannels matched their respective analog channels; also, 16.6 and 14.6 carried identical PBS HD programming, which was distinct from the separate analog programming on WPTD and on WPTO.
ThinkTV switched to an all digital service on May 1, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
. On this date, ThinkTV16 ended its digital broadcast on channel 58 and switched channel 16 from an analog broadcast to a digital one. ThinkTV14 ended its analog broadcast on channel 14. It remained on its digital channel, 28, using the PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
protocol to display its virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 14.
The subchannels were realigned as shown below. Note that 16.3 was changed from ThinkTV 16 Create to ThinkTV 16 Life later in 2009.
The digital signals of WPTD and WPTO are both multiplexedMultiplexingThe multiplexed signal is transmitted over a communication channel, which may be a physical transmission medium. The multiplexing divides the capacity of the low-level communication channel into several higher-level logical channels, one for each message signal or data stream to be transferred...
:
WPTD
The Ohio Channel
The Ohio Channel is a Public television channel in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is produced by a consortium of the state's public broadcasting stations, and carried on the digital subchannels of many of those stations...
WPTO
PBS Kids
PBS Kids is the brand for children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States founded in 1993. As with all PBS programming, PBS Kids programming is non-commercial. It is aimed at children ages 2 to 10...
programming and college telecourses
PBS World
PBS World is a 24-hour United States over-the-air digital subchannel showing public TV non-fiction, science, nature, news, public affairs and documentaries...
The Ohio Channel
The Ohio Channel
The Ohio Channel is a Public television channel in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is produced by a consortium of the state's public broadcasting stations, and carried on the digital subchannels of many of those stations...
Note that while the "DT" designation on 16.5 and 14.5 appears on the ThinkTV website and displays on-screen via PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
, it is omitted from ThinkTV's advertising and on-screen "bugs"
Digital on-screen graphic
A digital on-screen graphic is a watermark-like station logo that many television broadcasters overlay over a portion of the screen-area of their programs to identify the channel...
.
Translators
Per FCCFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
filings, WPTD's translator station W17AA in Celina had authorization in 2009 to flash-cut
Flash-cut
A flash-cut, also called flash-cutover, is an immediate change in a complex system, with no phase-in period.Some telephone area codes were split immediately, rather than being phased in with a permissive dialing period. An example is telephone area code 213, which was split into 213 and 714 all at...
to digital operations on channel 17, at a tower site near its existing analog tower. However, before this conversion could be completed, W17AA suspended operations on January 5, 2011 due to circumstances beyond Greater Dayton Public Television’s control, namely a loss of site. The tower owner, the State of Ohio, has plans to dismantle the tower utilized by W17AA, and in anticipation has disconnected power to the tower site location. As a result, GDPTV was forced to suspend operations on W17AA. On January 14, 2011, GDPTV requested a six month authorization to maintain silent
Dark (broadcasting)
In the broadcasting industry, dark is a term used to describe a radio station or television station that has gone off-the-air for an indefinite period of time, or as defined by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission , a "silent" station...
(off-air) status. GDPTV then began the process of considering its options for modification of the W17AA license to allow for its resumption of service. On July 26, 2011, the FCC accepted GDPTV's surrender for cancellation of W17AA's license.
WPTD's other translator station, W63AH channel 63 in Maplewood, also had authorization in 2009 to switch to digital operations, on channel 32. However, W63AH suspended operations on March 30, 2010, also due to a loss of site, following a change in ownership for the translator station’s licensed tower location. On April 5, 2010, GDPTV requested a six month authorization to maintain silent status. On September 9, 2010, GDPTV was granted authorization to relocate its approved digital broadcast facility to a tower near Celina, with the community of license remaining Maplewood. On January 18, 2011, the station was granted "license to cover", allowing it to resume broadcasting. The station now operates digitally on channel 32, as W32DS-D (it officially took the W32DS callsign in May, 2009).
W32DS-D covers both Celina and the Maplewood, Ohio, area and operates with a directional antenna towards the southeast.