| Revision as of 01:29, 22 June 2005 editPentawing (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users9,749 edits Cleanup, PBS category← Previous edit | Revision as of 01:36, 22 June 2005 edit undoPentawing (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users9,749 edits →History: Is this article talking about the station or Benjamin Spiller?Next edit → | ||
| Line 4: | Line 4: | ||
| The community-owned public broadcasting company was established in ] by ] (Chairman of the Richmond School Board and an officer of the Bank of Virginia) and a group of concerned citizens to employ television for educational purposes. The patron saints of public broadcasting in central Virginia were Boushall, ], ], and ]. Mrs. Franklin first approached Boushall and ], then Superintendent of Richmond City Schools, with the idea of establishing an educational television station. Boushall and Franklin then recruited Spiller, who was hired in December ] and began working for them in January ]. | The community-owned public broadcasting company was established in ] by ] (Chairman of the Richmond School Board and an officer of the Bank of Virginia) and a group of concerned citizens to employ television for educational purposes. The patron saints of public broadcasting in central Virginia were Boushall, ], ], and ]. Mrs. Franklin first approached Boushall and ], then Superintendent of Richmond City Schools, with the idea of establishing an educational television station. Boushall and Franklin then recruited Spiller, who was hired in December ] and began working for them in January ]. | ||
| ⚫ | WVCE's sister station, WCVW-TV (channel 57) signed on in ]. Richmond became the first community in Virginia to have dual stations, and only the eighth in the nation to do so, doubling the amount of instructional programming provided to schools in central Virginia. Almost forty years later, both WVCE and WCVW are still in operation. | ||
| A native of ], Mr. Spiller had been was working as an engineer for an ] TV network station in ]. Beginning in January 1964, he worked to construct and establish the new public ]. In the 27 years that followed, Mr. Spiller spearheaded the establishment of three additional public television stations in central and northern Virginia, saved a financially troubled station, and stepped in to prevent public radio from disappearing from Richmond. | |||
| ⚫ | In ], Commonwealth Public Broadcasting took over WNVT-TV, a ] public TV station on the verge of financial insolvency, in order to protect instructional television and educational services for schools in northern Virginia. In ], a second ] station, ], was established. Today, those two stations continue to provide services to schools as well as international programming tailored to the needs of the ] area’s culturally diverse population. | ||
| ⚫ | WVCE's sister station, WCVW-TV (channel 57) signed on in ] |
||
| ⚫ | When ] announced its plans to give up its public radio license for ], which had assumed a fine music format from ]. To ensure public radio would remain in Richmond, ] radio went on the air as a ] affiliate in ]. The following year the company established ]'s only community-licensed PBS station, ]. | ||
| ⚫ | In ], Commonwealth Public Broadcasting took over WNVT-TV, a ] public TV station on the verge of financial insolvency, in order to protect instructional television and educational services for schools in northern Virginia. In ], |
||
| A 25,000 square foot (2,300 m²) TV and radio studio-office complex was added in ]. | |||
| ⚫ | When ] announced its plans to give up its public radio license for ], which had assumed a fine music format from ] |
||
| Benjamin Spiller’s final contribution to the growth and development of public broadcasting in central Virginia occurred just before his retirement, with the addition of a 25,000 square foot (2,300 m²) TV and radio studio-office complex in ]. | |||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 01:36, 22 June 2005
WCVE (WCVE-TV since WCVE-FM was added in 1988) is a public television station licensed to Richmond, Virginia. It broadcasts on televisions channel 23 and is owned by Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Company. The station is an affiliate of the PBS, of which WCVE-TV became a charter member. The station signed on for the first time on September 14, 1964. It is considered "the mothership" for a group of public radio and television stations in Virginia. Offices are at 23 Sesame Street in Bon Air, a suburb of Richmond.
History
The community-owned public broadcasting company was established in 1961 by Thomas Boushall (Chairman of the Richmond School Board and an officer of the Bank of Virginia) and a group of concerned citizens to employ television for educational purposes. The patron saints of public broadcasting in central Virginia were Boushall, E. Claiborne Robins Sr., Mary Ann Franklin, and Benjamin W. Spiller. Mrs. Franklin first approached Boushall and Henry I. Willett, then Superintendent of Richmond City Schools, with the idea of establishing an educational television station. Boushall and Franklin then recruited Spiller, who was hired in December 1963 and began working for them in January 1964.
WVCE's sister station, WCVW-TV (channel 57) signed on in 1967. Richmond became the first community in Virginia to have dual stations, and only the eighth in the nation to do so, doubling the amount of instructional programming provided to schools in central Virginia. Almost forty years later, both WVCE and WCVW are still in operation.
In 1974, Commonwealth Public Broadcasting took over WNVT-TV, a Fairfax public TV station on the verge of financial insolvency, in order to protect instructional television and educational services for schools in northern Virginia. In 1981, a second Northern Virginia station, WNVC-TV, was established. Today, those two stations continue to provide services to schools as well as international programming tailored to the needs of the Washington, DC area’s culturally diverse population.
When Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education announced its plans to give up its public radio license for WRFK, which had assumed a fine music format from WFMV. To ensure public radio would remain in Richmond, WCVE-FM radio went on the air as a NPR affiliate in 1988. The following year the company established Charlottesville's only community-licensed PBS station, WHTJ-TV.
A 25,000 square foot (2,300 m²) TV and radio studio-office complex was added in 1991.
See also
- WCVE-FM
- Benjamin W. Spiller (1926-2004)
Sources
- Fisher, Mark D. (2005) A Brief History of WFMV: Virginia's first stereophonic good music station, Richmond Radio Group on Yahoo; Richmond, VA
External links
| Broadcast television in Central Virginia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Full-power |
|
| Low-power |
|
| ATSC 3.0 | |
| Defunct |
|