BCCβs television station, WBCC, will broadcast Central Floridaβs primary PBS channel, WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV, in high definition beginning July 1, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ President John C. Hitt and BCC President James A. Drake announced today. WBCC also will continue broadcasting both partnersβ institutional channels, WBCC and ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½TV.
βIn April, when WMFE-TV announced its affiliation with PBS would end as of June 30, we at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ knew that Central Florida stood to lose a treasured community resource,β Hitt said. βHowever, as Americaβs leading partnership university, we also know that great turnarounds can happen for the common good through the power of partnerships. I look forward to July 1 and enjoying some of my favorite shows on the new WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV.β
WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV will broadcast PBSβ Emmy-award winning news and public affairs, history, drama and performing arts programming, including the PBS NEWSHOUR, MASTERPIECE and NOVA. The channel also will feature first-class local content about the Central Florida community.
WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV also will broadcast seven hours of PBS KIDS programming each weekday. PBS KIDS is the nationβs most trusted educational media brand and has been proven to help children succeed in the classroom and in life. The schedule will include such curriculum-based series as SESAME STREET, CURIOUS GEORGE, DINOSAUR TRAIN and many others.
βWeβre thankful that the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and Brevard Community College are partnering to ensure that the people of Orlando continue to benefit from the full range of high-quality PBS content and services,β Kerger said. βWe look forward to working with WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV to offer the very best of national and locally produced content to the people of Orlando.β
WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV will be seen over the air on digital channel 68.1, the current position of WBCC.Β The ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½-BCC partnership is working with cable and satellite providers to determine the channels that will carry the new channel.
More information about the partnership and its new high-definition channel is available on the WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV website β – which launched today. The site will become a more robust source of information and news about WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV in the coming weeks, as more details about the new channel are set.Β Public broadcasting supporters can make donations through the website beginning today. A membership plan is under development.
WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV can be contacted at wucftv@ucf.edu or 1-855-423-9823 (WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½).
βServing our communities is a key component of our institution and our partnershipβs mission,β Drake said. βWe believe our new partnership channel, WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV, will fulfill our mission by delivering programming to viewers that will educate, enlighten and inspire.β
BCC and ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ have a long history of working together and operating and producing programming for television channels. BCC has owned and operated a non-commercial television channel — WBCC — for more than two decades. WBCC broadcasts the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½TV channel.
WBCC first started airing PBS programming in January 2002 as one of the secondary channels in the Orlando market. WBCC and ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½TV will continue to provide high-quality local and PBS programming, remaining separate from the new WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV channel.
Just a few days after WΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ TV launches, viewers will be able to watch Americaβs biggest and brightest birthday party at 8 p.m. July 4. A CAPITOL FOURTH will feature unrivaled musical performances by some of the countryβs best-known artists and the National Symphony Orchestra live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
PBSβ summer season also will feature MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! on Sunday evenings. HISTORY DETECTIVES, a show that proves once again that an object found in an attic or backyard might be anything, will air Tuesday evenings. GREAT PERFORMANCES will air a production of Verdiβs βRigolettoβ starring tenor Placido Domingo at 9:30 p.m. July 15.
For images, video and additional up-to-date information on the PBS Summer 2011 season, go to .