WSIU-TV
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| Channels | |
| Branding | PBS WSIU |
| Programming | |
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| Ownership | |
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| History | |
First air date | November 6, 1961 |
Former call signs | WSIU (CP, 1959–1960)[1] |
Former channel number(s) |
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| NET(1961–1970) | |
Call signmeaning | Southern Illinois University |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 4297 |
| ERP | 53kW |
| HAAT | 271.3 m (890 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 38°6′11″N89°14′40″W/ 38.10306°N 89.24444°W |
| Translator(s) | 28 (DRT)Cape Girardeau, Missouri |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
| Satellite station | |
| WUSI-TV | |
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| Programming | |
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| History | |
First air date | August 19, 1968 |
Former channel number(s) |
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Call signmeaning | anagram of WSIU |
| Technical information[3] | |
| Facility ID | 4301 |
| ERP | 46 kW |
| HAAT | 283.8 m (931 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 38°50′19″N88°7′47″W/ 38.83861°N 88.12972°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
WSIU-TV(channel 8) is aPBSmembertelevision stationinCarbondale, Illinois,United States. It is owned bySouthern Illinois UniversityalongsideNPRmemberWSIU(91.9 FM). The two stations share studios on the university's campus in Carbondale; WSIU-TV's transmitter is located alongUS 51nearTamaroa, Illinois.
WSIU also operates full-time simulcastWUSI-TV(channel 16) inOlney, Illinois;from a transmitter on North Shipley Road (County Road 900 E) nearDundas,WUSI-TV serves the southeastern part of the state, including Olney andEffingham,and also coversVincennes, Indiana.A digital replacement translator of WSIU-TV is located inCape Girardeau, Missouri,on UHF channel 28. SIU also ownsWSEC,based inSpringfield,which leads a three-station network serving viewers in Springfield,Macomb,andQuincy.
History
[edit]SIU had been interested in educational television since 1950, but the educational television channel assigned to Carbondale—UHF channel 61—was deemed unsuitable as unable to cover a wide area. In 1958, theFederal Communications Commission(FCC) assigned VHF channel 8 in its stead, and the university announced it would file to use it.[4]The FCC granted the WSIU construction permit on November 18, 1959, and add the -TV suffix to its call sign on January 1, 1960.[1]Over the course of 1961, construction on the transmitter experienced a series of setbacks, but the station began broadcasting educational programs to 70 area schools on November 6, 1961.[5]
In 1966, SIU obtained a construction permit to build a UHF station in Olney to rebroadcast WSIU-TV and expand its coverage area.[6]WUSI-TV signed on August 19, 1968.[7]From 1980 to 1982, the Olney station produced limited opt-out programming from the Carbondale station after receiving a $420,000 grant for equipment; however, budget cuts at SIU and theCorporation for Public Broadcastingled to these programs being dropped.[8][9]
Programming
[edit]During Southern Illinois University's academic year, WSIU-TV broadcast a live student-produced newscast,River Region Evening Edition,which airs Monday through Thursday (on days when classes are held) at 5 p.m., with repeats ofWSIU InFocusshown on Friday at 5 p.m. Three other student-produced programs also air on WSIU/WUSI,alt.news 26:46,Studio A,andScholastic Hi-Q.Bothalt.news 26:46andStudio Aoccasionally air on the station on Sundays at 10 p.m. withScholastic Hi-Qairing each Sunday at 5 p.m. Since WUSI-TV operates as a full-time satellite of WSIU-TV, it simulcasts the programs produced from WSIU-TV, with nolocal insertion.
Technical information
[edit]Subchannels
[edit]The stations' signals aremultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSIU-TV | WUSI-TV | WSIU-TV | WUSI-TV | |||
| 8.1 | 16.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WSIU | WUSI HD | Main programming /PBS |
| 8.2 | 16.2 | 480i | WORLD | World | ||
| 8.3 | 16.3 | CREATE | Create | |||
| 8.4 | 16.4 | KIDS247 | PBS Kids | |||
| 8.5 | 16.5 | WSIU FM | Audio simulcast ofWSIUwith DTV reception information | |||
Translator
[edit]| Location | Call sign | Channel | ERP | HAAT | Facility ID | Transmitter coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Girardeau, Missouri | WSIU-TV (DRT) | 28 | 5 kW | 202 m (663 ft) | 4297 | 37°24′23″N89°33′44″W/ 37.40639°N 89.56222°W |
Analog-to-digital conversion
[edit]WSIU-TV shut down its analog signal, overVHFchannel 8, at 9 p.m. on January 29, 2009. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transitionUHFchannel 40 to VHF channel 8 for post-transition operations.[12][13]
WUSI-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 16, at 9 p.m. on February 17, 2009, the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were totransition from analog to digital broadcastsunder federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 19,[12][14]usingvirtual channel16.
References
[edit]- ^abFCC History Cards for WSIU-TV
- ^"Facility Technical Data for WSIU-TV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^"Facility Technical Data for WUSI-TV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^"Channel OK'd For Carbondale: SIU Eyes VHF TV Station".The Southern Illinoisan.March 23, 1958. p. 1.RetrievedJune 28,2021.
- ^"70 Schools Get Programs: WSIU-TV Goes On Air".The Southern Illinoisan.November 6, 1961. p. 3.RetrievedJune 28,2021.
- ^"SIU Olney Satellite: TV Station Airing Planned".The Herald and Review.September 22, 1968. p. 45.RetrievedJune 28,2021.
- ^"WUSI-TV Channel 16 Has Good Signal Reception".The Kinmundy Express.October 3, 1968. p. 4.RetrievedJune 28,2021.
- ^"SIU's Olney station gets $420,000 grant".Daily Republican-Register.Mount Carmel, Illinois. July 11, 1980. p. 7.RetrievedJune 18,2022– via Newspapers.com.
- ^Cvetan, Dana (April 15, 1982)."SIU will continue operating Olney TV station".Herald and Review.Decatur, Illinois. p. A6.RetrievedJune 18,2022– via Newspapers.com.
- ^RabbitEars TV Query for WSIU
- ^RabbitEars TV Query for WUSI
- ^ab"DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 29, 2013.RetrievedMarch 24,2012.
- ^WSIU sets digital conversion for later this month,PETE ROSENBERY, SIUC University, January 22, 2009ArchivedJanuary 25, 2009, at theWayback Machine
- ^Hale, Caleb (February 5, 2009)."DTV switch delay will keep some local stations on analog longer".The Southern. Archived fromthe originalon February 10, 2009.RetrievedMarch 24,2023.