WSIU-TV

WSIU-TV, virtual and VHF digital channel 8, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Owned by Southern Illinois University, it is a sister station to National Public Radio (NPR) member and Public Radio International (PRI) affiliate WSIU (91.9 FM), also licensed to Carbondale. The two stations share studios on the university's campus in Carbondale; WSIU-TV's transmitter is located along US 51 near Tamaroa, Illinois.

WSIU-TV
Carbondale, Illinois
United States
BrandingWSIU-TV
SloganPowered by You
ChannelsDigital: 8 (VHF)
Virtual: 8 (PSIP)
Affiliations8.1: PBS (1970–present)
8.2: World
8.3: Create
8.4: PBS Kids
8.5: WSIU-FM simulcast
OwnerSouthern Illinois University
LicenseeBoard of Trustees of Southern Illinois University
First air dateNovember 6, 1961 (1961-11-06)
Call sign meaningSouthern
Illinois
University
Sister station(s)TV: WSEC/WMEC/WQEC
Radio: WSIU/WUSI/WVSI
Former channel number(s)Analog:
8 (VHF, 1961–2009)
Digital:
40 (UHF, until 2009)
Former affiliationsNET (1961–1970)
Transmitter power53 kW
Height271.3 m (890 ft)
Facility ID4297
Transmitter coordinates38°6′11″N 89°14′40″W
Licensing authorityFCC
Public license informationProfile
CDBS
Websitewww.wsiu.org
WUSI-TV
(satellite of WSIU-TV)
Olney, Illinois
United States
Brandingsee WSIU-TV infobox
Slogansee WSIU-TV infobox
ChannelsDigital: 19 (UHF)
Virtual: 16 (PSIP)
Affiliations16.1: PBS (1970–present)
16.2: World
16.3: Create
16.4: PBS Kids
16.5: WSIU-FM
OwnerSouthern Illinois University
LicenseeBoard of Trustees of Southern Illinois University
First air dateAugust 19, 1968 (1968-08-19)
Call sign meaningUniversity of
Southern
Illinois
(anagram of WSIU)
Sister station(s)see WSIU-TV infobox
Former channel number(s)Analog:
16 (UHF, 1968–2009)
Former affiliationsNET (1968–1970)
Transmitter power46 kW
Height283.8 m (931 ft)
Facility ID4301
Transmitter coordinates38°50′19″N 88°7′47″W
Licensing authorityFCC
Public license information
(satellite of WSIU-TV) Profile

(satellite of WSIU-TV) CDBS

WUSI-TV (virtual channel 16, UHF digital channel 19) in Olney, Illinois operates as a full-time satellite of WSIU-TV; this station's transmitter is located on North Shipley Road (County Road 900 E) near Dundas. WUSI-TV covers areas of southeastern Illinois and southwest Indiana that receive a marginal to non-existent over-the-air signal from WSIU-TV, although there is significant overlap between the two stations' contours otherwise. WUSI-TV is a straight simulcast of WSIU-TV; on-air references to WUSI-TV are limited to Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-mandated hourly station identifications during programming. Aside from the transmitter, WUSI-TV does not maintain any physical presence locally in Olney. WUSI-TV is a sister station to WUSI (90.3 FM), also licensed to Olney, which simulcasts the programming of WSIU (FM). WUSI-TV also serves as the default PBS member station for the Illinois side of Terre Haute, Indiana market (where its city of license is located) and the Illinois side of the Evansville, Indiana market (served by fellow PBS members WNIN, Vincennes-based WVUT and Kentucky Educational Television satellite WKOH, respectively).

WSIU-TV operates several UHF translators at the edges of its main coverage area where the station's signal is hard to receive, although it also operates a translator that serves Carbondale. All of these translators map to virtual channel 8 and use the WSIU-TV callsign even though the translators broadcast on different channels. These translators are located in Carbondale (operating on UHF channel 40), Cape Girardeau, Missouri (operating on UHF channel 28), Edwardsville, Illinois (operating on UHF channel 41), and Vienna, Illinois (operating on UHF channel 43).[1]

History

WSIU-TV first signed on the air on November 6, 1961; WUSI-TV signed on as a satellite of WSIU-TV on August 19, 1968.

Digital television

Digital channels

The stations' digital signals are multiplexed:

WSIU-TV
Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[2]
8.1720p16:9WSIU HDMain WSIU-TV programming / PBS
8.2480iWORLDWorld
8.3CREATECreate
8.4KIDS247PBS Kids
8.5WSIU FMAudio simulcast of WSIU with DTV reception information

WUSI-TV
Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[3]
16.1720p16:9WUSI HDMain WUSI-TV programming / PBS
16.2480i4:3WORLDWorld
16.3CREATECreate
16.416:9KIDS247PBS Kids
16.516:9WSIU FMAudio simulcast of WSIU (FM)

Analog-to-digital conversion

WSIU-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 8, at 9 p.m. on January 29, 2009. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 40 to VHF channel 8 for post-transition operations.[4][5]

WUSI-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 16, at 9 p.m. on February 17, 2009, the original target date in which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 19.[4][6] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 16.

Programming

During Southern Illinois University's academic year, WSIU-TV broadcast a live student-produced newscast, River Region Evening Edition, which airs on Monday through Thursday evenings (on days when classes are held) at 5:00 p.m., with repeats of WSIU InFocus shown on Friday at 5:00 p.m. Three other student-produced programs also air on WSIU/WUSI, alt.news 26:46, Studio A, and Scholastic Hi-Q. Both alt.news 26:46 and Studio A occasionally air on the station on Sundays at 10:00 p.m. with Scholastic Hi-Q airing each Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Since WUSI-TV operates as a full-time satellite of WSIU-TV, it simulcasts the programs produced from WSIU-TV, with no local insertion.

References
  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20131229144717/http://jakesdtvblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/wsiu-tv-gets-approval-for-three-more.html. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. RabbitEars TV Query for WSIU
  3. RabbitEars TV Query for WUSI-TV
  4. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  5. WSIU sets digital conversion for later this month, PETE ROSENBERY, SIUC University, January 22, 2009 Archived January 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20090210171606/http://southernillinoisan.com/articles/2009/02/05/breaking_news/doc498b49384ba24582324724.txt. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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