WTTW

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WTTW (channel 11) is a

During the 1960s, WTTW aired educational programming during the daytime hours, showing programs produced under the auspices of Chicago Area Schools Television (CAST). Programs from "TV College", covering college subjects, were also shown on weekdays. Other afternoon shows included a locally produced series titled The Storyteller, which featured a children's story presented weekdays at 5:30 p.m., and was sponsored by the locally based

In 1962, WTTW's owner, then known as the Chicago Educational Television Association (CETA) began efforts for a second educational station. ^[2][3] to air additional classroom instructional courses, especially those displaced as more and more of its own broadcast day was filled first with programming from National Educational Television (NET). ^[4][5][6][7] On September 20, 1965, sister station WXXW signed on as Chicago's second UHF television station on channel 20.^[8]

On October 5, 1970, WTTW became a charter member station of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

WTTW did not air shows on Saturdays until the summer of 1972. At first, it only had a limited schedule until 2 p.m. Then, in 1974, it expanded to a full day. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, WTTW was used to test stereo sound^[9] for TV broadcasts overnight.

WTTW's sister station WXXW quietly went dark in 1974 when the transmitter broke down.^[10] It had been one of the last in Chicago to transmit in black-and-white and by then its schedule was filled with what former WTTW station manager Edward Morris called "talking heads and a blackboard"^[11] In 1977, WTTW sold the long-dark WXXW license a to consortium led by City Colleges of Chicago; the station ultimately became WYCC.^[2]

In 1981, the Chicago Educational Television Association created Chicago magazine as WTTW and WFMT's program guide. It was sold for $17 million^[12] in 1986 to a joint venture between Metropolitan Detroit Magazine and Adams Communications.

On August 7, 1984, WTTW became the first U.S. TV station to broadcast its entire schedule in stereo.^{[citation needed]}

On November 22, 1987, WTTW's signal was

On June 4, 2010, Window to the World Communications announced that it would lay off around 12% of WTTW and WFMT's employee base and extend a salary freeze instituted in 2009 for one additional year, in an effort to cut $3 million in operating costs due to declining revenue, effects from the economic downturn and the loss of $1.25 million in grant money from the Illinois General Assembly.^[15] Among the employees exiting WTTW in that layoff were Randy Chandler, Amy Christenson, Andy Fontana, Marc Glick, Susan Godfrey, Andrea Guthmann, Kari Hurley, Andre Jones, Shaunese Teamer, Sarah Warner and Tom Wuellner.^[16]

In 2012, WTTW eliminated the position of 16-year company veteran Joanie Bayhack, who had been senior vice president of communications and corporate partnerships.^[17] In 2014, WTTW eliminated the position of Holly Gilson, a 13-year veteran of the company who most recently had been director of strategic partnerships and special projects.^[17]

On April 15, 2014, Window to the World Communications renamed the broadcasting facilities for WTTW and WFMT-FM as the Renée Crown Public Media Center, following a monetary gift of an undisclosed amount by the family of Renée Crown (wife of Lester), who has served as a trustee for Window to the World since 1981).^[18][19]

In September 2017, WTTW offered former fellow PBS member station WYCC (the descendant of former sister station WXXW) with a channel-sharing agreement to stay on the air after an announcement that WYCC would shut down October 25, 2017.^{[20] [21]} (WYCC had sold its spectrum in the April 2017 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auction.)^[22]

On December 7, 2017, Window to the World Communications announced its intent to purchase the WYCC license outright, reuniting the stations under one organization.^[23][24] An application to the FCC in January 2018 disclosed that WTTW would acquire the WYCC license from the City Colleges of Chicago for $100,000, with the two stations sharing WTTW's frequency allocation.^[25] The sale was approved by the FCC on March 13, 2018,^[26] and was completed on April 20.^[27]

Window to the World Communications relinquished the WYCC license, effective June 1, 2022, advising viewers the same shows were available on its multiplexed channels and the PBS app.^{[28] [29]}

Technical achievements

WTTW has been recognized as a pioneer in technical aspects of television broadcasting, particularly in broadcast audio transmission. The station, in particular, participated in the trend of pop music-focused programs on television during the early 1970s (a few of which were also simulcast on local FM radio stations). When WTTW began production on Made in Chicago, the station made the decision to transition from

Further refinements to this system resulted in improvements to both frequency response and

In 1975, WTTW management was approached by a startup company called Telesonics with an idea to develop an audio system for television broadcasts that used a mono-compatible, stereo audio channel. Around this time, the Sears Tower had been completed and WTTW became one of the first broadcasters to move its transmitter facilities atop the new building; WTTW had broadcast from a temporary antenna as the now familiar twin towers that adorn the top of the building had not yet been completed.[30]

Programming

WTTW carries programs distributed by PBS, American Public Television and other sources, along with airing several locally produced programs. WTTW also distributes several programs to public television stations independently of PBS, such as via American Public Television. In addition, WTTW is one of the few public television stations that regularly produce or present national public television programming. Its most prominent productions include political discussion program The McLaughlin Group and the music program Soundstage. WTTW has produced over 110 SoundStage episodes from its Chicago studios, the first of which featured Chicago blues legend Muddy Waters surrounded by his young proteges: Dr. John, Junior Wells, Michael Bloomfield, Koko Taylor, Rollo Radford, Buddy Guy, Nick Gravenites, Buddy Miles and his long-time collaborator, pianist Otis Spann among others.

WTTW also produced the popular cooking series

Among its local programs, WTTW also produces the newsmagazine and analysis program Chicago Tonight, hosted by Paris Schutz and Brandis Friedman. The program began in 1984 as a half-hour panel interview program with local broadcast journalist John Callaway, but was later expanded to an hour-long show with the addition of various feature segments including arts and restaurant reviews. The show is accompanied by two pre-recorded programs highlighting issues affecting Black and Latino communities, Chicago Tonight: Black Voices and Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices.

The station has produced hundreds of significant arts programs, highlighting the

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is

In May 2015, WTTW downgraded the resolution of its main channel from 1080i to 720p, which the station had previously transmitted its high definition content in prior to September 2009, during which time it downconverted HD content provided by PBS from their native 1080i format.

WTTW-DT2

From the sign-on of its digital signal in 2002 until 2008, WTTW branded its main digital channel on 11.1 as "WTTW-Digital", featuring a full schedule of programs available in high definition, while digital subchannel 11.2 rebroadcast the main programming schedule of analog channel 11. In September 2008, digital channel 11.1 was converted into a simulcast of the analog signal's programming, resulting in it carrying the same programming schedule as 11.2. On March 30, 2009, 11.2 was relaunched with a separate schedule as "WTTW Prime", which features a mix of PBS prime time programs and WTTW's locally produced programming—particularly during the period from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., when children's programming airs on the main channel. WTTW Prime carries some PBS programs in their traditional timeslots (most notably, a block of the service's public affairs programs that run on Friday evenings and a daily airing of the Nightly Business Report at 5:30 p.m.) WTTW Prime is also available on Comcast digital channel 370.^[37][38]

Analog-to-digital conversion

WTTW shut down its analog signal, over