WGVU-TV

WGVU-TV / WGVK
WGVU: Grand Rapids, Michigan WGVK: Kalamazoo, Michigan United States

Branding	WGVU
Slogan	West Michigan Public Broadcasting
Channels	Digital: WGVU: 11 (VHF) WGVK: 5 (VHF) Virtual: WGVU: 35 (PSIP) WGVK: 52 (PSIP)
Affiliations	.1: PBS .2: Create .3: MHz Worldview
Owner	Grand Valley State University
First air date	WGVU: December 17, 1972 (1972-12-17) WGVK: October 1, 1984 (1984-10-01)
Call letters' meaning	WGVU: Grand Valley State University WGVK: WGVU Kalamazoo
Former callsigns	WGVU: WGVC (1972–1987) WGVK: none
Former channel number(s)	Analog: WGVU: 35 (UHF, 1972–2009) WGVK: 52 (UHF, 1984–2009)
Transmitter power	WGVU: 50 kW (digital) WGVK: 10 kW (digital)
Height	WGVU: 238 m (digital) WGVK: 169 m (digital)
Facility ID	WGVU: 24784 WGVK: 24783
Transmitter coordinates	WGVU: 42°57′35″N 85°53′45″W / 42.95972°N 85.89583°W / 42.95972; -85.89583 WGVK: 42°18′23″N 85°39′25″W / 42.30639°N 85.65694°W / 42.30639; -85.65694 (WGVK)
Licensing authority	FCC
Public license information:	/ WGVK Profile / WGVK CDBS
Website	www.wgvu.org/television

WGVU-TV, virtual channel 35 (VHF digital channel 11), is a PBS member television station located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. WGVU operates a full-time satellite station, WGVK (virtual channel 52, VHF digital channel 5) in Kalamazoo. The two stations are owned by Grand Valley State University. WGVU's studios are located in the Meijer Public Broadcast Center, located in the Eberhard Center on the GVSU Pew Campus; WGVU's transmitter is located near the GVSU Campus in Allendale Charter Township, WGVK's transmitter is located in Kalamazoo's Westwood neighborhood.

History

The station signed on the air on December 17, 1972 as WGVC-TV, owned by what was then Grand Valley State College. Channel 35 originally operated from the basement of Manitou Hall on GVSC's Allendale campus.

WGVC-TV's signal was somewhat marginal in the southern portion of the vast West Michigan market (Kalamazoo and Battle Creek). It must conform its signal to protect fellow PBS member WNIT in South Bend, on adjacent channel 34. In much of this area, WGVC-TV could only be seen on cable. This was very similar to what the area's main ABC affiliate, WZZM-TV (channel 13), faced due to the presence of WTVG in Toledo, Ohio. To make up for this shortfall in coverage, Grand Valley State signed on WGVK as a satellite station in 1984. In 1986, the station relocated to its current studio facility at the Meijer Public Broadcast Center. The station's callsign was changed to WGVU in 1987, when Grand Valley State was elevated to university status.

Programming

Weekly

Ask The... – a live call-in show about a specific topic, hosted by Shelley Irwin; it airs Thursdays at 6:00 p.m.
Grand Valley State Sports Report (formerly GV Sports) – hosted by WZZM-TV sports anchor Brent Ashcroft, this program covers Grand Valley State University athletics. During the athletic season, it airs Mondays at 6 and 11 p.m., and does not air during the summer months.
West Michigan Week – a program discussing the week's news headlines, hosted by Patrick Center; it airs Fridays at 9:30 p.m.
WGVU Newsmakers – a program profiling people and issues, hosted by Patrick Center; it airs Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m.

Specials

WGVU Community Connection – a monthly program hosted by Shelley Irwin. It spotlights non-profit agencies in West Michigan.
WGVU Family Health Matters – a program covering health issues.

Documentaries

WGVU produces documentaries. Notable documentaries are LZ Michigan (A “Landing Zone” to Remember, Honor, and Celebrate our Community’s Veterans and their Families), Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment with History, Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah and Defying Hitler.

Digital television

Digital channels

WGVU and WGVK's digital channels are multiplexed:

Channel	Video	Aspect	PSIP Short Name	Programming^[1]^[2]
xx.1	1080i	16:9	WGVU-DT WGVK-DT	Main programming / PBS
xx.2	480i	4:3	WGVU-DT2 WGVKDT2	Create
xx.3			WGVU-DT3 WGVKDT3	MHz Worldview
xx.4			WGVU-DT4 WGVKDT4	Schedule & radio

WGVU/WGVK's main channel offers programming in 1080i high definition; standard definition programs are shown with pillarboxing. WGVU/WGVK's fourth digital subchannel offers a scrolling still screen featuring schedule information for the station's three other subchannels, along with background audio from oldies radio sister station WGVU/WGVS (AM). WGVU-FM is available through the SAP channel.

Analog-to-digital conversion

Both stations shut down their analog signals respectively, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television:^[3]

WGVU-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 35; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 11, using PSIP to display WGVU-TV's virtual channel as 35 on digital television receivers.
WGVK shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 52; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 5, using PSIP to display WGVK's virtual channel as 52 on digital television receivers, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition.

References

External links

Grand Valley State University

Academics	Annis Water Resources Institute Grand Rapids Medical Mile Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center Seidman College of Business

Athletics	Football Golf Course Grand Valley State Lakers GVSU Fieldhouse GVSU Victory Louie the Laker Lubbers Stadium

Campus	Allendale Beckering Family Carillon Tower Cook Carillon Tower Grand Rapids Kirkhof Center

People	L. William Seidman List of Grand Valley State University people

Presidents	James Zumberge Arend Lubbers Mark Murray Thomas J. Haas

Student life	Grand Valley Lanthorn JAFAX WCKS WGVU AM FM TV

Broadcast television in West Michigan, including Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek

Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television

Local stations

Grand Rapids	WOOD 8 (.1 NBC, .2 Bounce TV, .3 Laff) WZZM 13 (.1 ABC, .2 AccuWX, .3 Justice Network) WXSP-CD 15 (.1 MNTV, .2 COZI, .3 Escape) WOLP-CD 15 (.3 MNTV, .4 COZI) WXMI 17 (.1 Fox, .2 Antenna, .3 This) WUHQ-LD 29 (.1 Daystar) WGVU 35 (.1 PBS, .2 Create, .3 MHz, .4 schedules/WGVU-AM audio) W48CL 48 (3ABN)

Kalamazoo	WWMT 3 (.1 CBS, .2 The CW, .3 Comet) WUHO-LP 36 (Ind.) WOKZ-CD 50 (.1 MNTV, .2 COZI, .3 Escape) WGVK 52 (.1 PBS, .2 Create, .3 MHz, .4 schedules/WGVU-AM audio) WJGP-LD (54.1 TCT, 54.2 TCT HD, 54.3 TCT Kids) WLLA 64 (.1 The Family Channel, .2 MeTV, 6.3 RTV)

Battle Creek	WOBC-CD 14 (.1 MNTV, .2 COZI, .3 Escape) WOTV 41 (.1 ABC, .2 GetTV, .3 Grit, .4 WX radar) WZPX 43 (.1 ION, .2 qubo, .3 Ion Life, .4 Shop, .5 QVC, .6 HSN)

Muskegon	W17DF-D / W42CB-D 17 (.1 Fox, .2 Antenna TV, .3 This TV) WOMS-CD 29 (.1 MNTV, .2 COZI, .3 Escape) WMKG-CD 38 (.1 Launch TV) WTLJ 54 (.1 TCT, .2 TCT HD, .3 TCT Family)

Holland	WOGC-CD 25 (.1 NBC, .2 Bounce TV, .3 Laff) WOHO-CD 33 (.1 MNTV, .2 COZI, .3 Escape)

Cable Channels

Fox Sports Detroit

MGTV

Comcast Television

Michigan broadcast television areas by city: Alpena; Detroit; Duluth, MN; Flint–Saginaw–Bay City; Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo; Green Bay, WI; Lansing/Jackson; Marquette; Northern Michigan; South Bend, IN; Toledo, OH

See also: Milwaukee TV

PBS Member Stations in the state of Michigan

CMU Public Television	WCML 6 (Alpena) WCMU 14 (Mt. Pleasant) WCMW 21 (Manistee) WCMV 27 (Cadillac) WCMZ 28 (Flint)

Other stations	Michigan Channel (Ann Arbor) WNMU 13 (Marquette) WDCQ 19 (Bad Axe) WKAR 23 (East Lansing) WGVU 35 / WGVK 52 (Grand Rapids / Kalamazoo) WTVS 56 (Detroit)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox Ion MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Michigan

Meijer

People	Frederik Meijer Mark Murray

Related places	Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park Memorial Mall

Races	Meijer 300

Related organizations	WGVU-TV

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