View source for WFSU-TV

{{Short description|Television station in Tallahassee, Florida}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox television station dual
| name1 = WFSU-TV
| city1 = [[Tallahassee, Florida]]
| logo = WFSU - 2019.svg
| logo_size = 220px
| branding = WFSU Public Media PBS
| digital1 = 32 ([[UHF]])
| virtual1 = 11 
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''11.1/56.1:''' [[PBS]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| country = United States
| airdate1 = {{start date and age|1960|9|20|p=y}}
| callsign_meaning1 = Florida State University
| former_channel_numbers1 = '''Analog:''' 11 (VHF, 1960–2009)
| owner = [[Florida State University]]
| sister_stations = [[WFSU-FM]], [[WFSQ]], [[WVFS]], [[WFSW]]
| former_affiliations1 = [[National Educational Television|NET]] (1960–1970)
| erp1 = 937.8 [[kW]]
| haat1 = {{convert|237|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id1 = 21801
| coordinates1 = {{coord|30|21|31.7|N|84|36|37.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{URL|https://wfsu.org/}} 
| name2 = WFSG
| city2 = [[Panama City, Florida]]
| digital2 = 28 (UHF)
| virtual2 = 56
| airdate2 = {{start date and age|1988|7|22|p=y}}
| callsign_meaning2 = WFSU Gulf Coast
| former_channel_numbers2 = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 56 (UHF, 1988–2009)|'''Digital:''' 38 (UHF, 2003–2019)}}
| erp2 = 110 kW
| haat2 = {{convert|151.7|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id2 = 6093
| coordinates2 = {{coord|30|22|3|N|85|55|28|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=WFSG}}
}}
'''WFSU-TV''' (channel 11) is a [[PBS]] member [[television station]] in [[Tallahassee, Florida]], United States. It is owned by [[Florida State University]] alongside [[NPR]] members [[WFSU-FM]] (88.9) and WFSQ (91.5 FM). The three stations share studios at the Public Broadcast Center on the Florida State campus; WFSU-TV's transmitter is located near [[Bloxham, Florida]].

'''WFSG''' (channel 56) in [[Panama City, Florida|Panama City]] operates as a full-time [[broadcast relay station#Satellite stations|satellite]] of WFSU-TV; this station's transmitter is located near [[Ebro, Florida|Ebro]]. WFSG covers areas of northwest Florida that receive a marginal to non-existent [[terrestrial television|over-the-air]] signal from WFSU-TV, although there is significant overlap between the two stations' [[broadcast range|contours]] otherwise. WFSG is a straight [[simulcast]] of WFSU-TV; on-air references to WFSG are limited to [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC)-mandated hourly [[station identification]]s during programming. Aside from the transmitter, WFSG does not maintain any physical presence locally in Panama City. Although Panama City is in the [[Central Time Zone]], all schedules are listed in [[Eastern Time]].

==History==
WFSU-TV went on the air for the first time on September 20, 1960, on channel 11. The FCC had allocated only one VHF channel (channels 2-13) to the Tallahassee marketplace.<ref name="Frequency">{{cite web|url= https://otadtv.com/frequency/index.html|title=Television Broadcast Frequencies|website=Over-the-Air Digital TV|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref> After the Tallahassee market was expanded to include a large portion of southwest Georgia, Florida State persuaded the FCC to make channel 11 a noncommercial license. Channels 14-69 in the [[UHF]] spectrum were available, but were not as easily accessible to television viewers, and were not seen as viable at the time.<ref name="Frequency" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-history-of-uhf-tv.html|title=The History of UHF TV|website=History's Dumpster|date=March 15, 2014|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref> While this move assured north-central Florida and southwest Georgia of PBS service, it also meant that Tallahassee would have a long wait for full service from all three major commercial networks, since the VHF channel was already allocated, and the available UHF channels were seen as undesirable. A commercial station wouldn't sign on in the Tallahassee market until WECA-TV (now [[WTXL-TV]]) opened in 1976.

WFSG signed on July 22, 1988, replacing a low-powered translator on channel 22 that had served Panama City since the late 1970s.

===''Today in the Legislature''===
{{main|Today in the Legislature}}
In 1973, "Florida Public Broadcasting" (FPB), a joint venture between WFSU-TV and [[WJCT (TV)|WJCT]] in [[Jacksonville]], and under the aegis of the [[Florida Public Broadcasting Service]], began program coverage of the Florida Legislature, which was transmitted to and broadcast by the eight affiliated PBS television stations in Florida, from a mobile facility located on the grounds of the State Capitol. The program was called ''Today in the Legislature'', and was the first of its kind in the United States, preceding legislative programs in other states, and [[United States Congress|U.S. Congressional]] coverage by C-SPAN.<ref name="LeRoy">{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1460-2466.1974.tb00395.x | volume=24 | title="Today in the Legislature" The Florida Story | year=1974 | journal=Journal of Communication | pages=92–98 | last1 = LeRoy | first1 = David J.}}</ref>

Reaction to the first year of the program was positive.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/5265617|title=Reaction and Evaluation of "Today in the Legislature" by Legislators, Capital Press and the Public [microform] / David J. LeRoy and C. Edward Wotring|publisher=National Library of Australia|date=1974|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Association1974">{{cite journal|title=ABA Journal|journal=American Bar Association Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zBaPA43ZH9UC&pg=PA1585|date=December 1974|publisher=American Bar Association|page=1585|issn=0747-0088}}</ref> The state legislature dedicated funds to expand the program, managed exclusively by WJCT.<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/74-OCR/1974-08-19-BC-OCR-Page-0068.pdf#search=%22wjct%20today%20in%20the%20legislature%22 Public affairs become more and more public], ''[[Broadcasting Magazine]]'', August 18, 1974.</ref> Production facilities migrated into the (old) Capitol building, with engineering and studio facilities constructed on the third floor. The first broadcast from the new facility was on April 2, 1974. ''Today in the Legislature'' expanded into an hour-long weekday program during the legislative session, with a one-hour Spanish language summary, ''Hoy en la Legislatura'' produced on Fridays as well as a [[sign language]] program. It was hosted by veteran broadcaster Jim Lewis, with additional commentary by Elizabeth "Bib" Willis.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19840623&id=BvojAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DWkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5294,1930152 Network Meets in Sarasota], ''[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]'', June 23, 1984.</ref> Research, engineering, and production crews were composed chiefly of recent graduates from the [[Florida State University]] Department of Communications (now the [[Florida State University College of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts]]), nearly all under the age of 25, including producer Elliott C. Mitchell and director John P. Leu, as well as future Georgia legislator [[Chesley V. Morton]], who worked as a still photographer and camera operator for the program.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tallahassee/obituary.aspx?n=john-patrick-leu&pid=103712179#fbLoggedOut|title=(Obituary) John Patrick Leu|newspaper=[[Tallahassee Democrat]]|date=February 18, 2008|access-date=June 19, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tennessean/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=155793783#fbLoggedOut|title=(Obituary) Elliott C. Mitchell III|newspaper=[[The Tennessean]]|date=February 2, 2012|access-date=June 19, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20012002/14801.pdf|title=House Resolution 1285|publisher=Georgia House of Representatives|access-date=June 19, 2019}}</ref> ''Today in the Legislature'' was described as a "unique blend of television of record and more conventional news coverage."<ref name="LeRoy" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19740331&id=DSUxAAAAIBAJ&pg=5403,4767955|title=Today in the Legislature Keeps Viewers Informed of Happenings in Tallahassee|date=March 31, 1974|access-date=June 19, 2019}}</ref> A research study concluded that the program generated more positive attitudes about the legislature and increased political knowledge in adolescents who viewed the broadcast, although only 12% found the programming to be "interesting".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED121259|title=Public Television and Political Socialization; A Field Experiment on the Impact of a Public Television Series on the Political Knowledge, Attitudes and Communication Behaviors of Adolescents|publisher=ERIC|first1=Charles K.|last1=Atkin|first2=Bradley S.|last2=Greenberg|date=March 1974|access-date=June 19, 2019}}</ref>

==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The stations' signals are [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]: 
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WFSU-TV<ref>[http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WFSU-TV#station RabbitEars TV Query for WFSU-TV]</ref> and WFSG<ref>[http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WFSG#station RabbitEars TV Query for WFSG]</ref>
! scope = "col" colspan="2"|[[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" rowspan="2"|[[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" rowspan="2"|[[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" colspan="2"|Short name
! scope = "col" rowspan="2"|Programming
|-
! scope = "col" | {{small|WFSU-TV}}||{{small|WFSG}} || scope = "col" | {{small|WFSU-TV}}||{{small|WFSG}}
|-
! scope = "row" | 11.1 || 56.1 
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=4| [[16:9]] || WFSU-HD || WFSG-HD || [[PBS]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 11.2 || 56.2 
| rowspan=3| [[480i]] || WFSU-FL || WFSG-D2 || [[The Florida Channel]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 11.3 || 56.3 
| Create || WFSG-D3 || [[Create (TV network)|Create]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 11.4 || 56.4 
| KIDS360 || WFSG-D4 || [[PBS Kids]]
|-
|}

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
WFSU-TV and WFSG shut down their analog signals on February 17, 2009, the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to [[Digital television transition in the United States|transition from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital channel allocations post-transition are as follows:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref>
* WFSU-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 11; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 32, using [[virtual channel]] 11.
* WFSG shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 56; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 38, using virtual channel 56.

==Other services==
WFSU-TV operates a statewide public affairs network, [[The Florida Channel]], that covers the state legislature, a local version of [[C-SPAN]]. This network is seen on selected [[cable TV]] systems and [[government-access television]] (GATV) channels throughout the state of Florida.

===4FSU===
WFSU-TV also operated "4FSU", which carried simulcasts of The Florida Channel and programming related to the university community, including a half-hour weather-focused program produced by students; it also provided a training ground for students studying for careers in the broadcasting field.

The channel began on [[Comcast]] cable channel 47 in 1995, then as "FSU6" on channel 6 in 2000 before finally settling down on channel 4 as "4FSU" in 2002. After 28 years in operation, WFSU shut down the channel on March 31, 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wfsu.org/television/4fsu|title=4FSU|publisher=WFSU Public Media|accessdate=September 5, 2023}}</ref>

==Controversy==
In June 2011, it was revealed that WFSU-TV would receive $2.8 million in funding for various services related to Florida government, including The Florida Channel. This is despite the $4.8 million of funding to other public radio and television stations vetoed by Governor [[Rick Scott]] in May 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/gov-rick-scotts-veto-of-public-tv-and-radio-funds-spares-capitals-wfsu/1173819 |title=St. Petersburg Times: "Gov. Rick Scott's veto of public TV and radio funds spares capital's WFSU", June 6, 2011. |access-date=June 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609052219/http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/gov-rick-scotts-veto-of-public-tv-and-radio-funds-spares-capitals-wfsu/1173819 |archive-date=June 9, 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://wfsu.org/}}

{{Florida State University}}

{{Tallahassee TV}}
{{Panama City TV}}
{{Macon TV}}
{{PBS Florida}}

[[Category:1960 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Florida State University]]
[[Category:PBS member stations]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1960]]
[[Category:Television stations in Tallahassee, Florida|FSU-TV]]