WTVS
Encyclopedia
WTVS, branded as Detroit Public TV, is the Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS) member Public television station in Detroit, Michigan
. Broadcasting since 1955, its vision statement is "educate, entertain and inspire — in partnership with our community." The viewer supported station produces many local programs including Get Up! Get Out, In the Frame: Exploring the DIA, Leaders on Leadership American Black Journal, and Am I Right among others. It is also a leading producer of fundraising programs for PBS. Detroit Public TV partners with Detroit Public Schools
by managing WRCJ-FM with a classical and jazz music format. The station is located inside the Detroit School of Arts. The station's President and General Manager is Rich Homberg and Richard Rassel presides as Chairman, Board of Trustees. WTVS is also one of only three stations that mention Windsor and London as among their primary viewing areas, with the other two being WDIV, and WMYD
.
Its transmitters are located in suburban Oakland County
with its studios and offices in Detroit and Wixom
. It is one of five local Detroit TV stations seen in Canada
on Shaw Broadcast Services and the Shaw Direct satellite provider. WTVS broadcasts its digital signal from the same tower as WMYD
Channel 20 and WWJ-TV
Channel 62 at 8 Mile and Meyers Road in Oak Park, Michigan
at a height of 1073 feet (327 m). Prior to the digital TV switchover, WTVS transmitted its signal from a 1000 feet (304.8 m) tower located near the intersection of 11 Mile and Inkster Roads in Southfield
along with WMYD (channel 20) and WKBD (channel 50). Today, only WKBD broadcasts from that tower.
as 56. it is multiplexed into the following digital subchannel
s.
Digital channels>
Channel
Name
Video
Aspect
Programming
56.1
WTVS-DT
1080i
16:9
Main WTVS programming / PBS HD
56.2
WTVS-DT2
480i
16:9
DPTV Plus (PBS Satellite Service)
56.3
WTVS-DT3
480i
4:3
Create
WTVS permanently turned off its analog signal on April 16, 2009, at 12:05 p.m. eastern time, after presenting the national anthems of Canada and the USA. WTVS had cited repeated failures of their 28 year old transmitter as a reason for ending the analog transmissions on April 16 rather than June 12 (the analog had failed seven times just since January 1, 2009 alone).
On October 12, 2009 WTVS upgraded to a new 600 kW transmitter, tripling its old power and vastly increasing its coverage area.
WTVS also has plans for a Mobile DTV feed of subchannel 56.1.
, Southwestern Ontario
and parts of the British Columbia Southern Interior.
WTVS was carried by the Cancom system since 1983 as the PBS signal for Canadian cable television systems too distant to receive a border station over-the-air. It developed a strong base of Canadian viewer support in all provinces and territories.
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....
(PBS) member Public television station in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Broadcasting since 1955, its vision statement is "educate, entertain and inspire — in partnership with our community." The viewer supported station produces many local programs including Get Up! Get Out, In the Frame: Exploring the DIA, Leaders on Leadership American Black Journal, and Am I Right among others. It is also a leading producer of fundraising programs for PBS. Detroit Public TV partners with Detroit Public Schools
Detroit Public Schools
Detroit Public Schools is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The student population of the Detroit Public Schools is about 65,971 , which is down about 9.7% from the previous school year. Detroit Public Charter Schools educate an additional 56,000...
by managing WRCJ-FM with a classical and jazz music format. The station is located inside the Detroit School of Arts. The station's President and General Manager is Rich Homberg and Richard Rassel presides as Chairman, Board of Trustees. WTVS is also one of only three stations that mention Windsor and London as among their primary viewing areas, with the other two being WDIV, and WMYD
WMYD
WMYD is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southeast Michigan licensed to Detroit. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park along the Oakland and Wayne County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
.
Its transmitters are located in suburban Oakland County
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
with its studios and offices in Detroit and Wixom
Wixom, Michigan
Wixom is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 13,498 at the 2010 census. The city was home to the former Wixom Assembly Plant, which produced the Lincoln LS, the Ford Thunderbird, the Ford GT, and the Lincoln Town Car...
. It is one of five local Detroit TV stations seen in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on Shaw Broadcast Services and the Shaw Direct satellite provider. WTVS broadcasts its digital signal from the same tower as WMYD
WMYD
WMYD is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southeast Michigan licensed to Detroit. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park along the Oakland and Wayne County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
Channel 20 and WWJ-TV
WWJ-TV
WWJ-TV, virtual channel 62 , is the CBS-owned and operated television station in Detroit, Michigan. It is co-owned with Detroit's CW station, WKBD-TV , and the two stations share a studio in Southfield, Michigan, a Detroit suburb....
Channel 62 at 8 Mile and Meyers Road in Oak Park, Michigan
Oak Park, Michigan
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,793 people, 11,104 households, and 7,595 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,863.8 persons per square mile . There were 11,370 housing units at an average density of 2,263.9 per square mile...
at a height of 1073 feet (327 m). Prior to the digital TV switchover, WTVS transmitted its signal from a 1000 feet (304.8 m) tower located near the intersection of 11 Mile and Inkster Roads in Southfield
Southfield, Michigan
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.04% is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road, its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road...
along with WMYD (channel 20) and WKBD (channel 50). Today, only WKBD broadcasts from that tower.
Digital channels
WTVS's digital channel is 43, using PSIP to display its virtual channelVirtual 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 56. it is multiplexed into the following digital 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...
s.
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
480i
480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
480i
480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...
WTVS permanently turned off its analog signal on April 16, 2009, at 12:05 p.m. eastern time, after presenting the national anthems of Canada and the USA. WTVS had cited repeated failures of their 28 year old transmitter as a reason for ending the analog transmissions on April 16 rather than June 12 (the analog had failed seven times just since January 1, 2009 alone).
On October 12, 2009 WTVS upgraded to a new 600 kW transmitter, tripling its old power and vastly increasing its coverage area.
WTVS also has plans for a Mobile DTV feed of subchannel 56.1.
- The Whole Child: A Caregiver's Guide to the First Five Years (1998) PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe 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....
Coverage
WTVS is carried on most cable systems in Southeast MichiganSoutheast Michigan
Southeast Michigan, also called Southeastern Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries as well as slightly over half of the state's population, most of whom are concentrated in Metro...
, Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...
and parts of the British Columbia Southern Interior.
WTVS was carried by the Cancom system since 1983 as the PBS signal for Canadian cable television systems too distant to receive a border station over-the-air. It developed a strong base of Canadian viewer support in all provinces and territories.