WYIN
Encyclopedia
WYIN, virtual channel
56, is a public television station in Gary, Indiana
, serving the Indiana side of the Chicago, Illinois market
on channel 17 as a Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS) member television station. Transmitting from Cedar Lake, Indiana
, and with studios and offices in Merrillville, Indiana
, the station offers educational programs, sports and local news. The station's main competition in the market are WTTW
and WYCC
, public broadcasters in the city of Chicago.
and airing on channel 50. That station made its debut in 1967. The school system was unable to maintain broadcast operations and the station went dark in 1984. The station's license was swapped with Metrowest Corporation's WGMI, a construction permit on channel 56 licensed to Gary that had never been built. Metrowest eventually took the channel 50 signal to air as commercial station WPWR-TV
.
The non-commercial license (now reassigned to channel 56) was secured by the founding group of WYIN, who took it on the air on November 15, 1987. One of the first shows to be produced was a show called "Limelight", hosted by Mark Edward Wilows. The show was a local/celebrity type of program. It boasted such Hollywood greats like Loretta Swit, Cloris Leachman, and Ann Jillian to name a few. The show lasted a year and a half and then Mark Edward Wilows was hired by Fox-TV in Chicago to appear on the new "Nine-Thirty show along with Dan Dobrolowski and Bruce Wolf
.
In June 2010, WYIN laid off 30 percent of their staff due funding cuts that have affected the Public Broadcasting Service nationwide.
In 2010, WYIN began airing children's programming on digital subchannel
56.3 under the name "Lakeshore Kids". The programming primarily comes from PBS Kids GO!
.
As of September 2010, digital subchannels 56.2 and 56.4 duplicate the main programming on 56.1. Digital subchannel 56.2 broadcasts in high definition
and subchannel 56.4 is broadcast in standard definition. 56.3 and 56.4, despite being SD, are in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen
and may require a TV to be put in fullscreen or widescreen mode to be viewed properly.
on June 12, 2009, with the "WYIN-DT" callsign being officially retired.
WYIN continued to broadcast on its pre-transition digital channel 17. However, through the use of PSIP
, digital television receivers display its virtual channel
as 56.
or John Hancock Center
, where most of the major Chicago stations have their transmitters. This was opposed by WTTW
and WYCC
, as it would have made WYIN a full competitor in the Chicago market while allowing them to pay less for PBS programming. WTTW also claimed this would take pledges from the station. WYIN eventually dropped its attempt to move, but did purchase a new transmitter.
In 2003, WYIN began broadcasting a digital signal on channel 17. A lightning strike to a power transformer feeding WYIN's transmitter temporarily knocked the station off the air on June 18, 2007. There have been several instances in which the WYIN transmitter has been affected by lightning. A direct lightning strike to the analog antenna in December 2002 left the station off the air for nearly a month while a new antenna was installed atop the 1000' tower, which also houses antennas for several cellular phone suppliers including NEXTEL, wireless internet, and other clients.
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
56, is a public television station in Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, serving the Indiana side of the Chicago, Illinois 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...
on channel 17 as a Public Broadcasting Service
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....
(PBS) member television station. Transmitting from Cedar Lake, Indiana
Cedar Lake, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,279 people, 3,394 households, and 2,450 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,366.3 people per square mile . There were 3,681 housing units at an average density of 542.0 per square mile...
, and with studios and offices in Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 35,246 at the 2010 census. Merrillville is located in the east-central portion of Lake County.-Geography:Merrillville is located at ....
, the station offers educational programs, sports and local news. The station's main competition in the market are WTTW
WTTW
WTTW channel 11 is one of three Public Broadcasting Service member public television stations serving the Chicago, Illinois market; the others are WYCC and WYIN. WTTW began broadcasting on September 6, 1955 and it is owned and operated by Window to the World Communications, Inc., a not-for-profit...
and WYCC
WYCC
WYCC is a Public Broadcasting Service memebr public television in Chicago, Illinois which broadcasts over digital channel 21, also reached as 20.1, and two other digital channels, 20.2 and 20.3...
, public broadcasters in the city of Chicago.
History
WYIN evolved from non-commercial station WCAE, originally licensed to the Lake Central School Corporation in St. JohnSt. John, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 14,850 people and 5,047 households in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 93.50% White, 1.30% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.30% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 2.40% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races...
and airing on channel 50. That station made its debut in 1967. The school system was unable to maintain broadcast operations and the station went dark in 1984. The station's license was swapped with Metrowest Corporation's WGMI, a construction permit on channel 56 licensed to Gary that had never been built. Metrowest eventually took the channel 50 signal to air as commercial station WPWR-TV
WPWR-TV
WPWR-TV, channel 50, is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Gary, Indiana, and serving the Chicago, Illinois area. WPWR-TV is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network outlet WFLD-TV...
.
Bruce Wolf
Bruce Wolf is a veteran Chicago broadcaster and sports anchor who has been on both TV and radio for more than 20 years. He currently hosts a politics-themed talk show every weekday morning on WLS radio in Chicago and also fills in as a sportscaster on WMAQ-TV in Chicago...
.
In June 2010, WYIN laid off 30 percent of their staff due funding cuts that have affected the Public Broadcasting Service nationwide.
Programming
Aside from airing PBS shows, the station produces Lakeshore News Tonight, a nightly newscast that debuted on September 14, 1990, that focuses on local issues. The newscast was previously titled 56 Nightly News. WYIN also produces Lakeshore News in Review, a newscast focusing on recalling the local news stories for each week on Sunday.Digital programming
This station's digital signal is multiplexed.| Channel | Video Resolution Display resolution The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection... |
Aspect Ratio Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56.1 | 720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... |
16:9 | WYIN-D1 | Main WYIN Programming /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.... HD High-definition television High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD... |
| 56.2 | 720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... |
16:9 | WYIN-D2 | Duplicate of 56.1 |
| 56.3 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
16:9 | WYIN-D3 | PBS Kids PBS Kids PBS Kids is the brand for children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States founded in 1993. As with all PBS programming, PBS Kids programming is non-commercial. It is aimed at children ages 2 to 10... |
| 56.4 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
16:9 | WYIN-D4 | SD simulcast of 56.1 in 16:9 |
In 2010, WYIN began airing children's programming on digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
56.3 under the name "Lakeshore Kids". The programming primarily comes from PBS Kids GO!
PBS Kids GO!
PBS Kids GO! is an educational television brand used by PBS for programs intended for older children, rather than the original PBS Kids. It is primarily broadcast on PBS stations during the afternoons...
.
As of September 2010, digital subchannels 56.2 and 56.4 duplicate the main programming on 56.1. Digital subchannel 56.2 broadcasts in high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
and subchannel 56.4 is broadcast in standard definition. 56.3 and 56.4, despite being SD, are in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen
Anamorphic widescreen
Anamorphic widescreen, when applied to DVD manufacture, is a video process that horizontally squeezes a widescreen image so that it can be stored in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio DVD image frame. Compatible playback equipment can then re-expand the horizontal dimension to show the original widescreen...
and may require a TV to be put in fullscreen or widescreen mode to be viewed properly.
Analog-to-digital transition
The "WYIN" callsign was legally transferred from the former analog channel 56 to digital channel 17 upon completion of the DTV transitionDTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
on June 12, 2009, with the "WYIN-DT" callsign being officially retired.
WYIN continued to broadcast on its pre-transition digital channel 17. However, through the use of PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
, digital television receivers display its virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 56.
Transmitter
For many years, WYIN fought to move its transmitter to the Sears TowerSears Tower
Sears' optimistic growth projections were not met. Competition from its traditional rivals continued, with new competition by retailing giants such as Kmart, Kohl's, and Wal-Mart. The fortunes of Sears & Roebuck declined in the 1970s as the company lost market share; its management grew more...
or John Hancock Center
John Hancock Center
John Hancock Center at 875 North Michigan Avenue in the Streeterville area of Chicago, Illinois, is a 100-story, 1,127-foot tall skyscraper, constructed under the supervision of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, with chief designer Bruce Graham and structural engineer Fazlur Khan...
, where most of the major Chicago stations have their transmitters. This was opposed by WTTW
WTTW
WTTW channel 11 is one of three Public Broadcasting Service member public television stations serving the Chicago, Illinois market; the others are WYCC and WYIN. WTTW began broadcasting on September 6, 1955 and it is owned and operated by Window to the World Communications, Inc., a not-for-profit...
and WYCC
WYCC
WYCC is a Public Broadcasting Service memebr public television in Chicago, Illinois which broadcasts over digital channel 21, also reached as 20.1, and two other digital channels, 20.2 and 20.3...
, as it would have made WYIN a full competitor in the Chicago market while allowing them to pay less for PBS programming. WTTW also claimed this would take pledges from the station. WYIN eventually dropped its attempt to move, but did purchase a new transmitter.
In 2003, WYIN began broadcasting a digital signal on channel 17. A lightning strike to a power transformer feeding WYIN's transmitter temporarily knocked the station off the air on June 18, 2007. There have been several instances in which the WYIN transmitter has been affected by lightning. A direct lightning strike to the analog antenna in December 2002 left the station off the air for nearly a month while a new antenna was installed atop the 1000' tower, which also houses antennas for several cellular phone suppliers including NEXTEL, wireless internet, and other clients.
Newscast titles
- Indiana Nightly Report (1990-199?)
- 56 News
- 56 Nightly News (?-2006)
- Lakeshore News Tonight (2006–present)