WVAN-TV
Encyclopedia
WVAN-TV channel 9 is a non-commercial educational
television station
located in Savannah, Georgia
, USA
. WVAN-TV is part of the Georgia Public Broadcasting
public television network and carries programming from PBS
, GPB and other sources. The station's transmitter is co-located with sister radio station WSVH (91.1 FM) on a broadcast tower in Pembroke
, west of Savannah and just north of Fort Stewart
.
The station's signal travels in about a 45-mile (75 km) radius
from the TV antenna site. Like most stations in the Savannah media market
, it also serves the extreme southern tip of South Carolina
including Beaufort
and Hilton Head Island
.
. In 2000, WVAN's temporary digital signal on channel 13 was activated, making it one of the first for GPB TV. In 2009, its last analog TV transmission was turned off on February 17 at midnight (11:59PM), and its digital signal was moved permanently back to channel 9, requiring viewers to re-scan ATSC tuner
s to find the station's channels again. GPB did the same with at least two other stations.
In station IDs for GPB's television stations, each station lists two cities in its legal ID -- the smaller community where the station is licensed (usually the transmitter location), and the larger city it serves. However, WVAN is actually licensed to serve
Savannah. To conform to the pattern, WVAN's second city is Pembroke, where its transmitter is located. A similar situation exists for WJSP-TV
, which is licensed to Columbus, Georgia
with transmitter in Warm Springs
.
Non-commercial educational
The term non-commercial educational applies to a radio station or TV station that does not accept on air advertisements , as defined in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission . NCE stations do not pay broadcast license fees for their non-profit uses of the radio spectrum...
television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
located in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. WVAN-TV is part of the Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting is the public broadcasting radio and television state network in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission....
public television network and carries programming from PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, GPB and other sources. The station's transmitter is co-located with sister radio station WSVH (91.1 FM) on a broadcast tower in Pembroke
Pembroke, Georgia
Pembroke is a small city in Bryan County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,379 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Bryan County.Pembroke is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, west of Savannah and just north of Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily in Liberty County and Bryan County, but also extending into smaller portions of Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties in Georgia, USA. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census...
.
The station's signal travels in about a 45-mile (75 km) radius
Radius
In classical geometry, a radius of a circle or sphere is any line segment from its center to its perimeter. By extension, the radius of a circle or sphere is the length of any such segment, which is half the diameter. If the object does not have an obvious center, the term may refer to its...
from the TV antenna site. Like most stations in the Savannah media market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
, it also serves the extreme southern tip of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
including Beaufort
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
and Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island or Hilton Head is a resort town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is north of Savannah, Georgia, and south of Charleston. The island gets its name from Captain William Hilton...
.
History
WVAN-TV began broadcasting on September 17, 1963 as the fourth educational TV station in the state of GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. In 2000, WVAN's temporary digital signal on channel 13 was activated, making it one of the first for GPB TV. In 2009, its last analog TV transmission was turned off on February 17 at midnight (11:59PM), and its digital signal was moved permanently back to channel 9, requiring viewers to re-scan ATSC tuner
ATSC tuner
An ATSC tuner, often called an ATSC receiver or HDTV tuner is a type of television tuner that allows reception of digital television television channels transmitted by television stations in North America, parts of Central America and South Korea that use ATSC standards...
s to find the station's channels again. GPB did the same with at least two other stations.
Station ID
In station IDs for GPB's television stations, each station lists two cities in its legal ID -- the smaller community where the station is licensed (usually the transmitter location), and the larger city it serves. However, WVAN is actually licensed to serve
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
Savannah. To conform to the pattern, WVAN's second city is Pembroke, where its transmitter is located. A similar situation exists for WJSP-TV
WJSP-TV
WJSP-TV 23 , part of the Georgia Public Broadcasting Public Broadcasting Service member Public broadcasting network, serves Columbus, Georgia and the surrounding west-central Georgia and far east-central Alabama region. The transmitter and radio antenna are located just south of Warm Springs on...
, which is licensed to Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
with transmitter in Warm Springs
Warm Springs, Georgia
Warm Springs is a city in Meriwether County, Georgia, United States. The population was 478 at the 2010 census.-History:Warm Springs first came to prominence in the 19th century as a spa town, due to its mineral springs which flow constantly at nearly 32 °C...
.
External links
- GPB website
- GPB stations map — includes WVAN coverage area