South Carolina Educational Television

South Carolina Educational Television (branded as South Carolina ETV, SCETV or simply ETV) is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television stations serving the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is owned and operated by the South Carolina Educational Television Commission, an agency of the state government which holds the licenses for all of the PBS member stations licensed in the state. The broadcast signals of the eleven television stations cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of North Carolina and Georgia.

South Carolina Educational Television
statewide South Carolina
United States
BrandingSCETV
ChannelsDigital: see table below
Affiliations
OwnerSouth Carolina Educational Television Commission
First air dateSeptember 29, 1963 (1963-09-29)
Sister station(s)South Carolina Public Radio
Former affiliationsNET (1963–1970)
Transmitter powersee table below
Heightsee table below
Facility IDsee table below
Transmitter coordinatessee table below
Websitewww.scetv.org

The network's primary operations are located on George Rogers Boulevard in Columbia, across from Williams-Brice Stadium on the campus of the University of South Carolina; SCETV operates satellite studios in Spartanburg, Sumter and Rock Hill.

History
SCETV's first telecast in 1958, from Dreher High School.

The state network began in 1957, after the South Carolina General Assembly authorized a study in the use of instructional television in the state's public schools. A studio was opened in the library of Dreher High School in Columbia. The first telecourses (a French course taught by Madame Lucille Turney-High and a geometry course taught by Cornelia Turnbull) aired on September 8, 1958 via closed circuit television.[1] By action of the South Carolina General Assembly, The South Carolina ETV Commission was created as a state agency and began operations on July 1, 1960, and by 1962 it extended closed-circuit, classroom television service to all 46 South Carolina counties.

In 1963, the Commission launched the first open-circuit (broadcast) educational station in South Carolina, WNTV in Greenville. One year later, WITV in Charleston signed on. Two years later, WRLK-TV in Columbia, made its debut. The network grew to eleven television transmitters covering all of the state. After years of receiving NET and PBS programs on tape delay, it entered PBS' satellite network in 1978. In 2000, SCETV broadcast the first digital television program in the state. Since 2003, the state network identifies on-air as simply "ETV."

Station identification for ETV HD (circa 2009).

The Commission entered public radio in 1972, when WEPR in Clemson signed on the air (WEPR later moved its city of license to Greenville). The state radio network eventually expanded to eight stations and was called the South Carolina Educational Radio Network (SCERN) until 2003, when it was renamed ETV Radio. While "ETV" generally refers to television, SCETV viewed "ETV" as a general brand name for both its radio and television properties. In 2015, however, the radio network rebranded as South Carolina Public Radio.

R. Lynn Kalmbach was selected as the network's project director in 1958 and led it until his death in 1965. Henry J. Cauthen became ETV's president and general manager and served in numerous leadership roles developing American public broadcasting, including chair of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Cauthen retired in 1997. Paul Amos took the helm as ETV's third president in 1998 until his death in 2000. Maurice "Moss" Bresnahan joined ETV as president and CEO from 2001 to 2008. David Crouch served as interim president in 2009. Linda O'Bryon served as president from 2010 to 2017. Anthony Padgett is the current president and CEO.[2]

Digital TV era

Despite the DTV Delay Act national transition extension to June 12, 2009, SCETV discontinued the analog signals of its 11 full-power stations February 18, 2009.

Each station's post-transition digital allocations and the FCC Repack Plan (2017) are as follows:

Call LettersInitial Analog
Channel		Pre-Transition
Digital Channel[3]		Post-Transition
Digital Channel		FCC Repack
Plan (2017)[4]
WNTV29998
WITV74979 (24)
WRLK35323233
WJPM33454516
WEBA14333321
WJWJ16444432
WRJA27282829
WNSC30151534
WHMC239911 (28)
WRET494343off-the-air
WNEH38181826

On April 13, 2017, the FCC identified SCETV will be compensated $43.2 million to have WRET-TV go off-the-air as part of the Spectrum auction.[5] WRET will relinquish RF 43 and go into a channel sharing arrangement with WNTV, starting on January 23, 2018. On August 30, 2017, PBS Kids was added on new subchannel .4 and online.[6][7]

On October 31, 2017, SCETV submitted an application to change the digital terrestrial signal of WITV from channel 7 (VHF) to channel 24 (UHF); the changeover is scheduled to take place between May and July 2020.[8][9]

Commission

There are nine members of the ETV Commission. Eight are appointed by the Governor for six-year terms—one from each Congressional District and one from the State at-large who serves as Chairman. The ninth member is the State Superintendent of Education who is ex-officio.[10]

Network

SCETV's television network consists of 11 digital transmitters that cover almost all of South Carolina, as well as eastern portions of Georgia (including Augusta and Savannah) and southern portions of North Carolina (including Charlotte and Asheville). SCETV's headquarters and main production facility is located in Columbia, with production facilities in Rock Hill, Spartanburg and Sumter.

Regional television stations

SCETV initially planned to make all eleven of its television stations capable of airing local programming. Four full-fledged stations were built and staffed in Beaufort, Rock Hill, Spartanburg and Sumter before the idea was abandoned in the early 1980s. After a massive reduction in force in 2004, the stations were downgraded to production facilities. In 2012, WJWJ-TV in Beaufort was converted into a repeater of the network.[11]

The original plan was for each station to carry callsigns of the form WxTV, but after WNTV and WITV signed on it was determined that there were not enough such callsigns available.[12] Beginning with the third station, WRLK-TV in Columbia, most of the remaining callsigns represent prominent officials who either supported SCETV or represented the station's coverage area.

The SCETV stations are:

Station City of license
(other cities served)		 Channels
(VC / RF)		 First air date Call letters' meaning ERP HAAT Transmitter coordinates Facility ID Public license information
WNTV Greenville 29 (PSIP)
9 (VHF)
(shared with WRET-TV; to move to 8 (VHF))		 September 29, 1963 (1963-09-29) 65 kW 377.8 m (1,240 ft) 34°56′28.6″N 82°24′37.6″W 61010 Profile
CDBS
WITV Charleston 7 (PSIP)
7 (VHF); to move to 24 (UHF)		 January 19, 1964 (1964-01-19) 20 kW 521 m (1,709 ft) 32°55′28.6″N 79°41′55.2″W 61005 Profile
CDBS
WRLK-TV1
"ETV Headquarters"		 Columbia 35 (PSIP)
33 (UHF)		 September 6, 1966 (1966-09-06) R. Lynn Kalmbach (first general manager of ETV Commission)[12] 62 kW 315.7 m (1,036 ft) 34°7′7″N 80°56′12.7″W 61013 Profile
CDBS
WJPM-TV Florence 33 (PSIP)
16 (UHF)		 September 3, 1967 (1967-09-03) James Pierce Mozingo III[13] (state legislator, 1935–72) 45 kW 242.4 m (795 ft) 34°16′48.1″N 79°44′34.4″W 61008 Profile
CDBS
WEBA-TV Allendale
(Aiken–Barnwell–Augusta, GA)		 14 (PSIP)
21 (UHF)		 September 5, 1967 (1967-09-05) Edgar Brown Allendale[13] 427 kW 241.3 m (792 ft) 33°11′15.7″N 81°23′49.2″W 61003 Profile
CDBS
WJWJ-TV2
"ETV Lowcountry"		 Beaufort
(Hilton Head–Hardeeville–Savannah, GA)		 16 (PSIP)
32 (UHF)		 September 6, 1975 (1975-09-06) James M. Waddell, Jr.[13] (state legislator, 1954–58, 1960–92)[14] 117 kW (STA)
385 kW (CP)		 76.5 m (251 ft) (STA)
366.1 m (1,201 ft) (CP)		 32°42′42.5″N 80°40′53.8″W 61007 Profile
CDBS
WRJA-TV1
"ETV Sumter"		 Sumter 27 (PSIP)
29 (UHF)		 September 7, 1975 (1975-09-07) R. J. Aycock[13] (state legislator, 1935–36, 1949–74)[15] 98.4 kW 364 m (1,194 ft) 33°52′51.9″N 80°16′15.7″W 61012 Profile
CDBS
WNSC-TV1
"ETV Carolinas"		 Rock Hill
(Charlotte, NC)		 30 (PSIP)
34 (UHF)		 January 3, 1978 (1978-01-03) North and South Carolina 403 kW 211.6 m (694 ft) 34°50′23.7″N 81°1′6.3″W 61009 Profile
CDBS
WHMC4 Conway
(Myrtle Beach)		 23 (PSIP)
28 (UHF)		 September 2, 1980 (1980-09-02) Horry County, Myrtle Beach, Conway 950 kW 229.6 m (753 ft) 33°57′2.5″N 79°6′30.5″W 61004 Profile
CDBS
WRET-TV1,3
"ETV Upstate"		 Spartanburg 49 (PSIP)
9 (VHF)
(shared with WNTV; to move to 8 (VHF))		 September 8, 1980 (1980-09-08) Richard E. Tukey[16] (director, Spartanburg County Chamber of Commerce, 1951–79)[17] 50 kW 302.1 m (991 ft) 34°53′11.3″N 81°49′15.3″W 61011 Profile
CDBS
WNEH Greenwood
(Anderson)		 38 (PSIP)
26 (UHF)		 September 10, 1984 (1984-09-10) 49 kW 229.8 m (754 ft) 34°22′20.3″N 82°10′4″W 60931 Profile
CDBS

Notes:

  • 1. WNSC-TV (branded as "ETV Carolinas"), WRJA-TV (branded as "ETV Sumter"), and WRET-TV (branded as "ETV Upstate") are regional production facilities. The other six transmitters are full-time relays of WRLK (branded as "ETV Headquarters").
  • 2. WJWJ-TV (branded as "ETV Lowcountry") previously maintained a regional production facility which was closed down in 2012.[11]
  • 3. WRET-TV used the callsign WRTS-TV before sign-on.[16]
  • 4. WHMC used the callsign WIIB before sign-on.[18]

Digital television

SCETV offers four digital television services available over-the-air, and through the digital tiers of some cable television providers. ETV HD is the primary feed with high definition content from PBS and SCETV broadcast in the 1080i resolution format. The South Carolina Channel (SCC) carries the national Create service daily, with regionally produced documentary programs focusing on the Carolinas airing during the evening hours. ETV World (ETVW) provides live newscasts from Europe, notably from Germany's Deutsche Welle and the United Kingdom's BBC television networks, along with live coverage from the South Carolina State House. SCETV PBS Kids is the fourth channel, a 24/7 service also available online. SCC, ETVW and ETVK are transmitted in 480i standard definition.

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming
xx.11080i16:9ETVMain SCETV programming / PBS
xx.2480iSCCSouth Carolina Channel (local documentaries / Create from 12 midnight to 8 p.m.)
xx.3ETVWETV World (PBS West Coast feed and block programming from BBC, DW-TV and NHK World)
xx.4ETVKPBS Kids Channel

Cable and satellite availability

SCETV's television network is carried on nearly every cable television provider in South Carolina. Additionally, Rock Hill's WNSC-TV is carried on Charter Spectrum's systems on the North Carolina side of the Charlotte market.

On DirecTV and Dish Network, WRLK-TV, WNTV, WITV, WNSC-TV, WJWJ-TV, WEBA-TV and WJPM-TV are respectively carried on the Columbia, Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville, Charleston, Charlotte, Savannah, Augusta and Florence/Myrtle Beach local feeds. The South Carolina Channel, ETV World and SCETV PBS Kids have yet to be offered by satellite services.

Logos
  • South Carolina Educational Television logo, 1963
  • South Carolina ETV Network, first color logo, 1967
  • South Carolina ETV logo, 2016

SCETV original programming (current and past)

Television programming
  • By the River[19]
  • Carolina Business Review (in conjunction with UNC-TV and WTVI in Charlotte)
  • Carolina Classrooms [20]
  • A Chef's Life (with Markay Media, Peabody 2013),[21] Emmy for Outstanding Directing Lifestyle/Culinary/Travel, 2014)[22]
  • ETV Classics
  • Expeditions with Patrick McMillan [23]
  • For Your Home[24]
  • Live at the Charleston Music Hall
  • Live coverage of the South Carolina State House
  • Making it Grow [25]
  • Palmetto Scene [26]
  • Reel South (in conjunction with UNC-TV and The Southern Documentary Fund) [27]

Historical: (partial)

  • Action Packed Cliffhangers (1980s series on the serials from the golden age of cinemas)
  • American Playhouse: Roanoak (mini-series, 1986) PBS
  • At Home Southern Style
  • Carolina Journal
  • Crucible of Empire: The Spanish American War (1999) Great Projects Film Company Inc. for PBS
  • The Day the Universe Changed (BBC series, presented by SCETV in the U.S., 1986) PBS
  • The Dooley and Pals Show (SCETV distributed the secular version of this children's series to PBS stations)
  • Enemies of War (2001) ITVS / PBS
  • Firing Line (produced by SCETV for PBS from 1971 to 1999)
  • Germans in America (four-part history series 2008) public TV (syndicated)[28]
  • Great Performances: The Consul (opera, 1977) PBS
  • Great Performances: Vanessa (opera, 1978) PBS
  • Great Projects: The Building of America (2002) Great Projects Film Company Inc. for PBS
  • Jobman Caravan
  • The Magic School Bus (Animated Nelvana/Ellipse production based on the children's book series; presented by SCETV and aired on PBS from 1994–1998), later moved to the Fox network.
  • Mary Long's Yesteryear (Mary Long died in 1998, but reruns continue on The South Carolina Channel)
  • NatureScene (nature walk series with hosts Rudy Mancke and Jim Welch, videography by Allen Sharpe, 1978–2003) syndicated, public television [29]
  • Palmetto Places
  • Piedmont Quiz Bowl - 1980s and 1990s (WRET-TV in Spartanburg)
  • Primary Colors: The Story of Corita (documentary on Corita Kent, 1990) PBS [30]
  • Priscilla's Yoga Stretches
  • Profile
  • Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey (2001) Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture/William Greaves/PBS
  • Stateline
  • Sandlapper's Corner (Late 1970s children's educational show focused on South Carolina culture and history)
  • Six Gun Heroes (1980s series on the western stars from the golden age of cinema)
  • Studio See (SCETV's magazine-style children's show, seen nationwide on PBS in the late 1970s and early 1980s)
  • Under The Blue Umbrella (In-school program from the 1970s that dealt with a single-subject; nationally syndicated to PBS stations)
  • Under The Yellow Balloon (Similar to Blue Umbrella; from the early 1980s)
  • Voices and Visions (13-part poetry series, 2004) PBS [31]

References
  1. ""In Our Schools" Features Finalists in Teacher of the Year Program". SCETV. April 9, 2013. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  2. https://www.scetv.org/blog/etv/2017/scetv-names-new-president?page=&ref=blogs/tags/press-release
  3. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  4. "RabbitEars.Info: Repack Plan for South Carolina ETC". April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  5. "FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. April 13, 2017. p. 1. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  6. "Stations for Owner - South Carolina Educational Television Commission". RabbitEars.Info. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  7. "SCETV Kids Goes 24/7". August 31, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  8. "Modification of a DTV Station Construction, Permit Application #0000034488". Federal Communications Commission. October 31, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  9. https://www.scetv.org/about/repack. Retrieved May 21, 2020. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. http://www.scetv.org/about/leadership/etv-commission
  11. http://www.islandpacket.com/2012/02/02/1950600/wjwj-studios-close-for-financial.html
  12. "A selection from a decade of visits to tower and studio sites in the Northeast and beyond". Fybush.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  13. "South Carolina Educational Television Commission Program Evaluation Report [July 2018]" (PDF). South Carolina House of Representatives.
  14. "James Madison Waddell". The Greenville News. January 17, 2003.
  15. "South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography". South Carolina Legislature.
  16. "About ETV Upstate". South Carolina ETV. April 30, 2018.
  17. Davis, Kathleen (April 30, 1998). "S.C.'s 'secret weapon' lures industry to area". Spartanburg Herald-Journal.
  18. "WHMC Facility Data". FCCData.
  19. "ETV Lowcountry". South Carolina ETV. June 15, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  20. http://www.scetv.org/television/programs/carolina-classrooms
  21. http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/a-chefs-life-pbs
  22. https://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2015/daytime-emmy-awards/
  23. http://www.scetv.org/media-kit-expeditions-patrick-mcmillan
  24. SCETV Presents
  25. http://www.scetv.org/television/programs/making-it-grow
  26. http://www.scetv.org/television/programs/palmetto-scene
  27. https://www.scetv.org/program/reel-south
  28. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  29. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1063572C27BEE8D3
  30. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/470740/Primary-Colors-The-Story-of-Corita/
  31. https://www.learner.org/catalog/producers/vvcreators%5B%5D
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