Editing WPBT

{{Short description|Television station in Miami}}
{{For|one of the ACPI protocol called Windows Platform Binary Table (WPBT)|ACPI}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = WPBT
| city = Miami, Florida
| logo = WPBT South Florida PBS logo (2021).png
| branding = South Florida PBS WPBT
| digital = 29 ([[UHF]]), shared with [[WXEL-TV]] and [[WURH-LD]]<ref>[https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/25076ff35f98b5de015fc724ca9a0d72 SFPBS channel sharing resolution]</ref>
| virtual = 2
| translators = W31DC-D 31 [[Fort Pierce]]
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''2.1:''' [[PBS]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| owner = [[South Florida PBS, Inc.]]
| location = {{ubl|[[Miami]]–[[Fort Lauderdale]]–|[[Palm Beach County, Florida|Palm Beaches, Florida]]}}
| country = United States
| founded = November 1953
| airdate = {{start date and age|1955|8|12|p=y}}
| last_airdate = 
| callsign_meaning = "Public Broadcasting Television"
| sister_stations = [[WXEL-TV]], [[WURH-LD]]
| former_callsigns = WTHS-TV (shared operation, 1955–1979)
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 2 ([[VHF]], 1955–2009)|'''Digital:''' 18 (UHF, 2001–2019)}}
| former_affiliations = [[National Educational Television|NET]] (1955–1970)
| erp = 1,000 [[Watt|kW]]
| haat = {{convert|306|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 13456
| coordinates = {{coord|25|57|31|N|80|12|43|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|display=inline, title}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.wpbt2.org/}}
}}
'''WPBT''' (channel 2) is a [[PBS]] member [[television station]] in [[Miami]], Florida, United States. It serves as the [[flagship station]] of [[South Florida PBS]], which also owns [[Boynton Beach, Florida|Boynton Beach]]–licensed fellow PBS member [[WXEL-TV]] (channel 42, serving the [[West Palm Beach]] [[media market|market]]) and Miami-licensed [[low-power broadcasting#Television|low-power]] station [[WURH-LD]] (channel 13). The three stations share transmitter facilities on Northwest 199th Street in [[Andover, Florida|Andover]]; WPBT's studios are located on Northeast 20th Avenue in [[North Miami]]. In addition to serving the Miami–[[Fort Lauderdale]] market, the station has significant viewership in much of the West Palm Beach market (alongside WXEL-TV), and is the only Miami area television station to serve the entire [[South Florida metropolitan area|South Florida metropolis]].

WPBT is one of two PBS member stations serving the Miami–Fort Lauderdale market, alongside [[WLRN-TV]] (channel 17), owned by [[Miami-Dade County Public Schools]].

==History==
The Community Television Foundation of South Florida was formed in November 1953. It immediately jumped into the bidding for Florida's first non-commercial educational television station. The only major competition came from the [[Miami-Dade County Public Schools|Dade County School Board]]. Ultimately, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) awarded licenses to both groups in a time-share arrangement. They signed on channel 2 as a shared operation on August 12, 1955, operating as a member station of [[National Educational Television]] (NET) under the call letters WTHS-TV.

Under the arrangement, the school board and the foundation alternated airtime on channel 2 airing their programming from separate studios. The school board would air five hours of educational programming during the day, while Community Television Foundation was responsible for evening programming.

Gradually, Community Television Foundation expanded nighttime broadcasting hours, especially after the school board began WSEC-TV (channel 17) as a secondary station. WTHS-TV's broadcast day increased further after the formation of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 1969. At that time, the foundation began using the WPBT call letters for its programming. WTHS-TV continued to share the channel with WPBT until the Dade County Schools moved all instructional programming to WSEC-TV.

As both PBS and South Florida grew during the 1970s, it became apparent that a time-share arrangement was no longer feasible for what had become a major market. Finally, in 1979, the Dade County School Board relinquished its share of channel 2 and returned the WTHS license to the FCC. The board moved WTHS' programming inventory to channel 17, which changed its calls to [[WLRN-TV]].

Until [[WXEL-TV]] signed on as the PBS member for West Palm Beach in 1982, WPBT served as the default PBS member for the [[Palm Beach County, Florida|Palm Beaches]] and [[Treasure Coast]]. For some time after WXEL signed on, WPBT continued to claim the Palm Beaches as part of its primary coverage area, going as far as to identify as "Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Palm Beaches" in 1986. The analog channel 2 signal [[Sporadic E propagation|traveled a very long distance]] under normal conditions.

In 1990, WPBT expanded upon its popularity of the ''[[Nightly Business Report]]'' program, by launching NBR Enterprises to sell videotapes and newsletters centered around the show.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 11, 1990 |title=Expanding horizons |pages=58 |work=[[The Miami Herald]]}}</ref>

WPBT partners with [[WFOR-TV]] to provide hurricane coverage with open captioning for those without TV sets that can show closed captioning when a hurricane warning is issued.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/05/01/cbs4-hurricane-network/ |title = CBS4 Hurricane Network – CBS Miami}}</ref>

In 2010, WPBT rebranded as "2 [[High-definition television|HD]]" along with its children's program block ''KidVision''.

On July 15, 2015, the Community Television Foundation announced an agreement with the WXEL Public Broadcasting Corporation, owner of WXEL, to merge the two stations' operations into a new entity, to be known as "South Florida PBS". The merger, which was formally filed with the FCC on July 16, would enable the two stations to pool resources and fundraising efforts to offer more program content.<ref>{{cite news|title=South Florida TV stations announce merger|url=http://current.org/2015/07/south-florida-tv-stations-announce-merger/|first=Mike|last=Janssen|website=[[Current.org]]|publisher=Current LLC|date=July 15, 2015|access-date=July 16, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Two PBS television stations to merge|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-pbs-merger-20150715-story.html|first=Donna|last=Gehrke-White|first2=Johnny|last2=Diaz|newspaper=[[Sun Sentinel]]|publisher=Tribune Publishing|date=July 16, 2015}}</ref> However, the two stations have separate governing boards and conduct separate fundraising efforts. With the FCC's repack program, WXEL-TV would relocate its signal to WPBT's transmitter after relinquishing its digital channel 27 license to the FCC. WXEL will continue to broadcast as a digital subchannel on WPBT's signal.

==Original programming==
Some of WPBT's notable national programs include the science program ''[[Star Gazers]]'', the bilingual sitcom ''[[¿Qué Pasa, USA?]]'', the film show ''film-maker'' and its most well known program, the business news and analysis program ''Nightly Business Report'' (which was widely distributed by public television stations, mainly those that are members of PBS and had its production responsibilities assumed by [[CNBC]] in 2013, and ended its run in December 2019{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}). Locally produced programs that are seen exclusively on the station include ''[[Check, Please!]] South Florida'', a restaurant review show based on the series ''Check, Please!'' that originated on fellow PBS station [[WTTW]] in [[Chicago]].

The station also produces ''Your South Florida'', a weekly half-hour [[public affairs (broadcasting)|public affairs]] and news program hosted by Pam Giganti that addresses issues in the local community.

WPBT has also produced two nature series, ''Wild Florida'' (hosted by Hunter Reno, which explored Florida's ecosystems and wildlife) and ''[[Changing Seas]]'' (which was narrated by [[Peter Thomas (announcer)|Peter Thomas]] and explores the world's oceans along with leading experts who study the Earth's "last frontier").<ref>''Changing Seas'' Media Kit</ref> It also produces several documentaries about the South Florida area; projects in development include ''[[Stranahan House]]'', ''Florida’s State Parks'', ''Into the Wild'' and ''Lost in Florida''.

Since October 5, 1992 (one month before the 24th season of ''[[Sesame Street]]'', six months after the debut of ''[[Barney & Friends]]'' and nine months after the debut of ''[[Lamb Chop's Play-Along]]''), WPBT has had its very own children's programming block called ''KidVision'' which was a local version of PBS' children's strand (and later as PTV) until 2004 when it was turned into a local version of [[PBS Kids]].

==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[multiplexed]]:
<section begin=subs />
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WPBT, WXEL-TV, and WURH-LD<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WPBT#station|title=RabbitEars TV Query for WPBT|website=[[RabbitEars]]|accessdate=December 31, 2024}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | License
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! rowspan = "4" scope = "row" style="border-right: 4px solid #8B0000;" | WPBT
! scope = "row" | 2.1 
| [[1080i]] || rowspan="6" | [[16:9]] || WPBT-HD || [[PBS]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 2.2 
| rowspan="3" | [[480i]] || Create || [[Create (TV network)|Create]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 2.3 
| WPBTHC || The Health Channel
|-
! scope = "row" | 2.4 
| KIDS360 || [[PBS Kids]]
|-
! rowspan = "row" scope = "row" style="border-right: 4px solid #FFD700;" | WXEL-TV
! scope = "row" | 42.1
| 1080i || WXEL-DT || [[PBS]] 
|-
! rowspan = "row" scope = "row" style="border-right: 4px solid #228B22;" | WURH-LD
! scope = "row" | 13.1
| 480i || WURH || The Health Channel
|}
<section end=subs />
===Analog-to-digital conversion===
WPBT ended regular programming on its analog signal, over [[VHF]] channel 2, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate. The station's digital signal continued to broadcast on its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 18, using [[virtual channel]] 2.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |format=PDF |access-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref>

As part of the [[SAFER Act]], WPBT kept its analog signal on the air until July 12 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of [[public service announcement]]s from the [[National Association of Broadcasters]].<ref name="FCC Nightlight">{{cite web|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-291375A1.pdf|title=UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=May 28, 2024}}</ref>

===Translator===
*'''{{FCC-LMS-Facility|167891|3=W31DC-D}}''' [[Fort Pierce]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.wpbt2.org/}}

{{Miami TV}}
{{WPB TV}}
{{PBS Florida}}
{{PBSTV}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wpbt}}
[[Category:1955 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:PBS member stations]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1955]]
[[Category:Television stations in Miami|PBT]]