WXGA-TV digital channel 8, part of the GPB

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....

 network is licensed to Waycross

Waycross, Georgia

Waycross is the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Ware County in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 14,725 at the 2010 Census. A small portion of the city extends into Pierce County. According the U.S...

, Georgia

Georgia (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...

. It serves the southeastern corner of the state, including the lower portions of the Georgia Atlantic Coast

East Coast of the United States

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...

 and the Okefenokee Swamp

Okefenokee Swamp

The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000 acre , peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida border in the United States. A majority of the swamp is in Georgia and protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee Wilderness. The Okefenokee Swamp is considered to be...

, from a transmitter

Transmitter

In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...

 located south of Hasty; the signal travels in about a 50-mile (80-km) radius from the transmitter site.

History

On November 19, 1961, WXGA-TV channel 8 signed on as Georgia's third educational television station, following Atlanta's WETV (now WPBA-TV) and Athens

Athens, Georgia

Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...

' WGTV

WGTV

WGTV channel 8 is the metro Atlanta station and flagship for Georgia Public Broadcasting , Georgia's Public Broadcasting Service Public television network....

. It was the first in a group of three educational stations brought online by the state board of education in the early 1960s, along with WVAN-TV

WVAN-TV

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...

 in Savannah

Savannah

Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...

 and 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...

 in Columbus

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...

. In 1965, UGA and the board merged their efforts as Georgia Educational Television, which evolved into the present GPB Television network.

In 2001 WXGA began digital transmission on channel 9. However, since sister station WVAN broadcasts its analog signal on channel 9, WXGA-TV operated at only 20 kilowatts in digital at 286m HAAT. Following the 2009 digital conversion, the station relocated its digital signal to channel 8, broadcasting at 35.3kw, 353m HAAT.

External links

• GPB Website
  • GPB stations map — includes WXGA coverage area