WNIT (TV) explained

Callsign:WNIT
Branding:PBS Michiana
Digital:31 (UHF)
Virtual:34
Owner:Michiana Public Broadcasting Corporation
Location:South Bend, Indiana
Country:United States
Founded:December 1972
Callsign Meaning:Northern Indiana Television
Former Callsigns:WNIT (CP, 1972–1974)[1]
WNIT-TV (1974–1989)
Erp:78.3 kW
Haat:332.90NaN0
Facility Id:41671
Coordinates:41.6137°N -86.1889°W
Licensing Authority:FCC

WNIT (channel 34) is a PBS member television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, owned by the Michiana Public Broadcasting Corporation. The station's studios are located at the corner of Lafayette and Jefferson Boulevards in downtown South Bend, and its transmitter is located just off of the St. Joseph Valley Parkway in the southern portion of South Bend.

History

WNIT's antenna and transmitter were purchased from KFIZ-TV in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin,[2] after that station went dark in November 1972. The station first signed on the air in February 1974 (the "-TV" suffix was used in the call letters from 1974 to 1989). Prior to the station's launch, PBS programs had been offered to the market's commercial stations on a per-program basis, while Chicago member station WTTW was available over-the-air in the extreme western portions of the market. Channel 34's original studio facilities were located at the Elkhart Area Career Center on California Road in Elkhart.

On February 26, 2008, the klystron tube that powered WNIT's transmitter failed,[3] which reduced WNIT's analog signal strength to only 15 percent of its normal 1.38 million-watt effective radiated power. The transmitter's major signal amplifiers subsequently failed on March 25, completely disabling the station's analog signal. With analog broadcasting due to end in the United States in 2009, the station opted to broadcast solely in digital. Most viewers did not lose access to WNIT programming due to the high penetration of cable and satellite television in the area.

On January 11, 2009, a fire severely damaged WNIT's administrative offices in Elkhart; there were no injuries resulting from the fire and the station's broadcast facilities and programming were unaffected. Local program production continued at the Elkhart Area Career Center and the station's administrative offices moved to a temporary location in the Tower Building on West Franklin Street in downtown Elkhart.

This arrangement continued until May 11, 2010, when WNIT moved to CBS affiliate WSBT-TV (channel 22)'s former studio on Lafayette and Jefferson streets in downtown South Bend.[4] On December 17, 2008, WNIT had acquired and taken possession of the 30000square feet facility with the assistance of an in-kind donation by WSBT's owner, Schurz Communications; that station had moved to new facilities in Mishawaka in September 2008.[5]

In December 2020, the station re-branded as PBS Michiana and adopted the current PBS logo.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:[6]

Channel! scope = "col"
Res.AspectShort nameProgramming
34.1 WNIT-HD PBS
34.2 WNIT-SD PBS Michiana WNIT 2
34.3 1080i WNIT-KC PBS Kids
34.4 480i WNIT-WX Weather Michiana WNIT 4
34.5 MLC Michigan Learning Channel
480i 16:9 CRIME True Crime Network (WSJV-DT2)
MYSTERY Ion Mystery (WSJV-DT3)
Quest Quest (WSJV-DT5)

Analog-to-digital conversion

WNIT's analog signal, over UHF channel 34, shut down on March 25, 2008, due to the problems with its analog transmitter. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 35,[7] using virtual channel 34.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FCC History Cards for WNIT.
  2. News: December 23, 1973. Delay WNIT Opening 'til Jan 6. 4. The South Bend Tribune. July 19, 2020.
  3. http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101239421&formid=910&fac_num=41671 Request for Silent STA for analogue WNIT TV 34
  4. http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?ID=512838 Etruth.com
  5. Web site: History. WNIT. August 10, 2016.
  6. Web site: Channel Guide. WNIT. August 10, 2016.
  7. Web site: DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds . March 24, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf . August 29, 2013 .