WGTV

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Coordinates: 33°48′18″N 84°8′40″W / 33.80500°N 84.14444°W / 33.80500; -84.14444
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
WGTV (TV)
)

Not to be confused with KGTV.
For the television station in Melbourne, Australia, see GTV (Australian TV station).
For other uses of "GTV", see GTV (disambiguation).
WGTV
CityAthens, Georgia
Channels
BrandingGPB PBS
Programming
NetworkGeorgia Public Broadcasting
Affiliations8.1: GPB/PBS
8.2: Create
8.3: GPB Knowledge
8.4: PBS Kids
Ownership
Owner
  • Georgia Public Broadcasting
  • (Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission)
WABW-TV, WACS-TV, WCES-TV, WJSP-TV, WMUM-TV, WNGH-TV, WVAN-TV, WXGA-TV
History
First air date
May 23, 1960 (63 years ago) (1960-05-23)
Former call signs
WPBS (March 2–22, 1984)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 8 (VHF, 1960–2009)
  • Digital: 12 (VHF, 2007–2009)
  • 8 (VHF, 2009–2020)
NET (1960–1970)
Call sign meaning
We're Georgia Television
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID23948
ERP62 kW
HAAT327.2 m (1,073.5 ft)
Transmitter coordinates33°48′18″N 84°8′40″W / 33.80500°N 84.14444°W / 33.80500; -84.14444
Translator(s)
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.gpb.org

WGTV (channel 8) is a

Atlanta metropolitan area from a transmitter atop Stone Mountain just east of Atlanta
.

WGTV has been part of GPB proper since January 1, 1982, after the state government ordered the consolidation of the two broadcasting entities. It was a separate entity owned by UGA for its first 22 years, though it supplied much of the non-instructional programming seen on the state's educational network.

History

WGTV began broadcasting on May 23, 1960. It was licensed to the University of Georgia and operated out of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education.[2] Channel 8 had been placed in Athens by the 1952 Sixth Report and Order, which ended the TV freeze of 1948 and revised the table of television station allotments nationally; it had previously been in Atlanta, used by WSB-TV on channel 8 and then by its facility successor WLTV, which moved to channel 11 as a result of the order in 1953.

While WGTV was a separate station from the Atlanta-based Georgia Educational TV Network, which had transmitters in the rest of the state, WGTV provided all of the non-instructional evening programming that aired on its transmitters.[3] WGTV moved its transmitter to Stone Mountain in 1969, adding Atlanta to its coverage area;[4] the university had desired for channel 8 to be receivable in the state capital since 1958.[5]

In November 1980, Governor George Busbee proposed the consolidation of WGTV with the state's network of transmitters into a new Georgia Public Telecommunications Council and also called for said body to negotiate to buy Atlanta's public television station, WETV, from the Atlanta Board of Education.[6] The Georgia state senate approved the bill, but it stalled in the House of Representatives due to the objections of Athens-area members and those involved with the UGA station.[7][8] After the legislative session ended, Governor Busbee revived the proposal by executive order.[9] On January 1, 1982, the new council took operational control of WGTV, and the combined service rebranded as Georgia Public Television; by June 1982, after the expiration of remaining program contracts, WGTV was fully incorporated into the network, and UGA's role was reduced to program supplier.[10]

Technical information

Subchannels

Main article: Georgia Public Broadcasting § Subchannels

Analog-to-digital conversion

WGTV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 8, on February 17, 2009, at 11:59 p.m., to conclude the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television.[11] The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition VHF channel 12 to channel 8. The station played the original sign-off video with outdoor scenes around Georgia set to the tune of "Georgia On My Mind" before permanently ceasing transmission. A final message at the end of the video read "In fond remembrance of the era of analog television broadcasting on Georgia Public Television." The transition to digital ended nearly 49 years of analog broadcasting by WGTV.

WGTV's

frequency allotment
change to channel 12 by the FCC.

The analog station had an

WCIQ TV 7) and toward the east. Despite the channel change at noon on July 3, the station is still difficult to receive, as it has actually dropped to 17.3 kW under special temporary authority
(STA), which expires at the end of 2020. The temporary antenna model listed is different from both the old channel 8 antenna and the channel 7 model listed in its permit, but all are at the same height, indicating that the old antenna must be removed before the new permanent one can be installed, tested, and switched over to for full-power operation.

Translator

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WGTV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ FCC History Cards for WGTV
  3. ^ "State's Fifth Educational Tower Opens". Atlanta Constitution. September 13, 1966. p. 14. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  4. ^ "Station Closed for Summer: Channel 8 Moving to Stone Mountain". Atlanta Constitution. May 17, 1969. p. 15-A. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "FCC Approval Asked: University Seeks Channel For Educational TV Here". The Atlanta Constitution. April 16, 1958. p. 17. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  6. ^ Hesser, Fran (November 20, 1980). "Busbee Asks Statewide Public TV". Atlanta Constitution. p. 2-C. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  7. ^ King, Bill (March 20, 1981). "State ETV Merger Bill Short-Circuited". Atlanta Constitution. p. 13-B. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  8. ^ Zoglin, Richard (January 29, 1981). "Ch. 8 Battles Consolidation Of State's Public TV Outlets". Atlanta Constitution. pp. 1-B, 10-B. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  9. ^ Tome, William O. (May 15, 1981). "Educational TV Board Gets OK". Atlanta Constitution. United Press International. p. 4-C. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  10. ^ Massara, Jim (January 29, 1982). "State network takes control of WGTV". The Red and Black. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  11. ^ "List of Digital Full-Power Stations" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2014.

External links

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