Maryland Public Television Explained

Callsign:Maryland Public Television
Logo Upright:.8
Affiliations:PBS
Owner:Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission

Maryland Public Television (MPT) is the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member state network for the U.S. state of Maryland. It operates under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission, an agency of the Maryland state government that holds the licenses for all PBS member stations licensed in the state.

Studios are located in the unincorporated community of Owings Mills in northwestern Baltimore County. MPT operates six full-power transmitters that cover nearly all of the state, plus Washington, D.C., and parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

History

WMPB (licensed to Baltimore) first signed on in 1969 as the first station of the Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting; it gained satellite stations in Salisbury, Hagerstown, and Annapolis between 1971 and 1975, resulting in a formation of a statewide public television network. The network adopted its current name in 1984. Maryland Instructional Television (Maryland ITV), a division of the State Department of Education, was also housed at the network until 1991. On July 4, 1987, WFPT (licensed to Frederick) signed on to fill coverage gaps in the outer Washington market, while WGPT in Oakland began operations to cover the extreme west of the state, much of which previously had no local television service at all.

About 1999, the network launched an afternoon Britcom programming block, Afternoon Tea, replacing children's programming. By 2009, MPT was airing kids' programming during the day on its MPT Select channel.[1]

In September 2015, as part of budget cuts, MPT outsourced its master control operations to Public Media Management—a joint venture of Boston PBS member WGBH and Sony Corporation.[2]

Productions

Current regional productions

Nationally distributed productions

(2019–2020) a weekly political affairs round table

(1981–present) automotive magazine featuring new automotive technology and model reviews

A special on energy, climate, and sustainability

an animated children's television series about space and science

Regional documentaries and specials

Past productions

sailing race around the world with host Gary Jobson

Stations

The MPT stations are:

Station! scope = "col"
City of licenseFacility IDERPHAATTransmitter coordinatesFirst air datePublic license information
WMPTAnnapolis22 (21)659421000 kW2840NaN039.0102°N -76.6088°W
WMPBBaltimore67 (22)6594490 kW3070NaN039.4472°N -76.7798°W
WFPTFrederick62 (28)4062671.3 kW1560NaN039.2606°N -77.3121°W
WWPBHagerstown31 (29)65943700 kW3750NaN039.6511°N -77.9706°W
WGPTOakland36 (26)40619200 kW2830NaN039.404°N -79.2934°W
WCPBSalisbury28 (16)40618320 kW1540NaN038.3858°N -75.5919°W

WGPT is assigned to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania market and elects must-carry status on satellite providers there. For the purposes of pay-television carriage, WMPT and WMPB are assigned to the Baltimore market, while WFPT and WWPB are assigned to Washington–Hagerstown and WCPB to Salisbury.[18]

Technical information

The stations' signals are multiplexed:

Channel! scope = "col" rowspan="2"
Res.AspectShort nameProgramming
22.1 67.1 MPT-HD Main MPT programming / PBS
22.2 67.2 MPT-2 MPT2 (7:30 p.m.–11:30 p.m.) / Create
22.3 67.3 MPTKIDS
22.4 67.4 NHK-WLD NHK World
720p 16.9 CWWNUV The CW (WNUV)
Channel! scope = "col"
Res.AspectShort nameProgramming
xx.1 MPT-HD Main MPT programming / PBS
xx.2 MPT-2 MPT2 (7:30 p.m.–11:30 p.m.) / Create
xx.3 MPTKIDS
xx.4 NHK-WLD NHK World

Analog-to-digital conversion

MPT's stations ended regular programming on their analog signals on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The stations' digital channel allocations post-transition are as follows:[19]

Spectrum reallocation

As a part of the repacking process following the 2016–2017 FCC incentive auction, channels 38 through 51 were removed from television broadcasting. None of MPT's stations sold their allocations, but five of them moved channels within the UHF band: WMPT moved to channel 21, WMPB to channel 22, WWPB to channel 29, WGPT to channel 26, and WCPT to channel 16.[27]

ATSC 3.0

MPT joined the Baltimore market's ATSC 3.0 lighthouse station, hosted at WNUV, on June 24, 2021.[28] In return, WMPT and WMPB hosts WNUV's main channel (54.1) to preserve coverage for existing ATSC 1.0 TV sets.[29]

Awards

For 2022, MPT earned four Capital Emmy Awards out of 20 nominations across 13 categories in the region's 65th newly renamed Capital Emmy Awards ceremony held in June 2023. [30] Winners included Outdoors Maryland, Maryland Farm & Harvest, and Artworks.

MPT earned seven regional Emmys at National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for 2021 out of 22 nominations across 16 categories. [31] Winners included Destination Maryland, Creatures of the Chesapeake, Maryland Farm & Harvest, Outdoors Maryland, and Artesanas.

For 2020 MPT won seven regional Emmys at National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Winners included Chesapeake Beacons, Maryland Farm & Harvest, and Maryland Mystery Lady. [31]

For 2008, MPT received 14 Emmy Award nominations from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). MPT received Emmys for Eatin' Crabs Chesapeake Style, two awards for Bob the Vid Tech: The Mystery of the Missing Pizza and one for ArtWorks: Manuel Barrueco Special. [31]

For 2007, the station received 11 nominations and won 1 National Capitol Emmy including 3 nominations for their regional The War series and 5 nominations for Outdoors Maryland. Motorweek also received the Board of Governors Award.[31]

MPT received two 2008 CINE Golden Eagle Awards for The Transformation Age: Surviving a Technology Revolution with Robert X. Cringely, a coproduction of MPT/University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, and Lethal Landscapes: Canvases of the Combat Artist.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Many stations packaging their own kids' channels . Current . January 12, 2009 . Katy June-Friesen . December 9, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160123125842/http://current.org/2009/01/many-stations-packaging-their-own-kids-channels/ . January 23, 2016 . dead .
  2. Web site: More downsizing at MPT as master control function shifts to Boston. The Baltimore Sun. September 8, 2015.
  3. Web site: Welcome to Chesapeake Collectibles. Maryland Public Television. January 10, 2013. August 11, 2013.
  4. Web site: Maryland Farm and Harvest. Maryland Public Television. January 10, 2013. August 11, 2013.
  5. Web site: Chesapeake Bay Week. Maryland Public Television. September 4, 2013.
  6. Web site: About Direct Connection. Maryland Public Television. September 4, 2013.
  7. Web site: Outdoors Maryland. Maryland Public Television. September 4, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130825085311/http://www.mpt.org/outdoorsmd. August 25, 2013. dead.
  8. Web site: State Circle. Maryland Public Television. September 4, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130907185510/http://www.mpt.org/sc. September 7, 2013. dead.
  9. Web site: Ways to Pay for College. Maryland Public Television. September 4, 2013.
  10. Web site: Artworks. Maryland Public Television. September 4, 2013.
  11. Web site: Destination Maryland. Maryland Public Television.
  12. Web site: Made in Maryland. Maryland Public Television.
  13. Web site: About Lynn Fischer.
  14. Web site: Vietnam Veterans. Maryland Public Television. September 4, 2013.
  15. Web site: Our Town. Maryland Public Television. September 4, 2013.
  16. Web site: The Transformation Age. Robert H. Smith School of Business.
  17. Web site: Your Money & Business. Maryland Public Television. September 4, 2013.
  18. Web site: Must-Carry or Retransmission Consent Election . FCC OPIF.
  19. Web site: DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds . March 24, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf . August 29, 2013 . dead .
  20. Web site: CDBS Print. Federal Communications Commission.
  21. Web site: CDBS Print. Federal Communications Commission.
  22. Web site: UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program. Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2009. June 14, 2024.
  23. Web site: CDBS Print. Federal Communications Commission.
  24. Web site: CDBS Print. Federal Communications Commission.
  25. Web site: CDBS Print. Federal Communications Commission.
  26. Web site: CDBS Print. Federal Communications Commission.
  27. Web site: Repack Channel Assignments . RabbitEars.
  28. Web site: Modification of a License for DTV Application (NextGen) (LMS File No. 136496) . FCC LMS.
  29. Web site: DTV Legal STA Application (File No. 136473) . FCC LMS.
  30. Web site: Congratulations to the 65th Capital Emmy Awards Recipients!. Capital. Emmys. June 27, 2023. Capital Emmys.
  31. Web site: Emmy Archive | National Captial Emmys. Capital Emmys.

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