WXXI-TV
WXXI-TV, virtual channel 21 (UHF digital channel 22), is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Rochester, New York, United States. Owned by the WXXI Public Broadcasting Council, it is a sister station of National Public Radio (NPR) members WXXI (1370 AM) and WXXI-FM (91.5). The three outlets share studios at 280 State Street near downtown Rochester; WXXI-TV's transmitter is located on Pinnacle Hill on the border between Rochester and Brighton.
Rochester, New York United States | |
---|---|
Channels | Digital: 22 (UHF) Virtual: 21 (PSIP) |
Branding | WXXI |
Slogan | Go public. |
Programming | |
Affiliations | 21.1: PBS (1970–present) 21.2: World 21.3: Create 21.4: PBS Kids 22.7: Classical 91.5 (WXXI Readout Radio on SAP) |
Ownership | |
Owner | WXXI Public Broadcasting Council |
WXXI (AM), WXXI-FM | |
History | |
Founded | 1966 |
First air date | September 6, 1966 |
Former call signs | WXXI (1966-1984) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 21 (UHF, 1966–2009) Digital: 16 (UHF, 2003–2019) |
NET (1966–1970) | |
Call sign meaning | XXI = Roman numeral 21 (virtual channel) |
Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 57274 |
Class | NCE DT |
ERP | 195 kW (STA) 273 kW (CP) |
HAAT | 132.7 m (435 ft) (STA) 152 m (499 ft) (CP) |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°8′7″N 77°35′2″W |
Links | |
Public license information | Profile LMS |
Website | www |
Digital television
Digital channels
WXXI-TV entered the digital era in September 2003 when it signed on with Rochester's first full-power digital television signal.
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[1] |
---|---|---|---|---|
21.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WXXI-HD | Main WXXI-TV programming / PBS |
21.2 | 480i | 4:3 | WXXI-W | World |
21.3 | WXXI-C | Create | ||
21.4 | WXXI-K | PBS Kids | ||
22.7 | WXXI-FM | Classical 91.5 (WXXI Readout Radio is on the subchannel's SAP) | ||
Channel 21-4, now PBS Kids since February 1, 2016, was originally a digital standard definition simulcast of WXXI-TV's analog signal but is not currently transmitting, as 21-1 is identical.
Analog-to-digital conversion
WXXI-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 21, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 16.[2] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 21.
As part of the SAFER Act,[3] WXXI-TV kept its analog signal on the air until July 10 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of public service announcements from the National Association of Broadcasters. WXXI-TV had been awarded a $202,498 federal contract for an outreach initiative to help Rochester's over-the-air viewers prepare for the digital transition.[4]
Programming
National productions
WXXI-TV's national public television productions include A Warrior in Two Worlds, Echoes from the Ancients, Out of the Fire, Albert Paley: Man of Steel and Flight to Freedom. WXXI-TV also produced Assignment: The World, a weekly current-events program for schools, which aired on approximately 100 public television stations nationwide, and was the nation's longest-running instructional television program. Due to funding cuts, it was canceled and its last episode aired on May 23, 2013.
Former programming
ThinkBright, broadcast from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. on 21-3 until the digital transition.
References
- RabbitEars TV Query for WXXI
- "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- "UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- http://interactive.wxxi.org/highlights/wxxi-awarded-digital-television-grant
External links
- Official website
- WXXI in the FCC's TV station database
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WXXI-TV
- John S. Porter papers, at the University of Maryland libraries. Porter served as the president and general manager from 1966 to 1969.