The stations’ bootstrap stories
as they tell it
Most histories of the field shortchange the stories of the hundreds of grassroots struggles — often as ingenious as they were persistent — to create public TV and radio institutions around the country.
Alabama Public Television — one of the first public TV operations licensed to a state government
Boise State Radio — a multistream network that serves Idaho from Boise State University
Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ-FM) — a former School Board unit that became a strong national producer and started Vocalo, an innovative experiment in broadcasting its audience
Georgia Public Broadcasting as described in the New Georgia Encyclopedia, Georgia Humanities Council
ideastream in Cleveland — a nonprofit combination of WCPN-FM and WVIZ-TV and owner of classical WCLV-FM
Idaho Public Television, based in Boise — the state-owned network that is Idaho's only interconnected, universally available medium
Iowa Public Radio, now based in Des Moines — a relatively recent combination of university stations, as reported in Current
Jefferson Public Radio (KSOR) in Ashland, Ore. — uses pubradio's largest translator network to serve sparsely populated southern Oregon and northern California (an area once proposed to become the State of Jefferson)
KCET-TV in Los Angeles — until 2011 a major PBS outlet, which had a falling out with the network in 2010
KCTS-TV in Seattle — which (like other border stations in the Plains, Detroit, Buffalo, Vermont and elswhere, also serves major nearby cities in Canada, got its start at the University of Washington
KERA-FM/TV in Dallas/Ft. Worth, which celebrated its 50th anniversary recently and acquired a second FM station, KXT-FM
KUAR-FM— University of Arkansas, Little Rock
KLRN-TV in San Antonio, Texas, began as the station for both Austin and San Antonio in 1962 and split into two separate licensees in the 1980s
KNME-TV in Albuquerque, N.M., looks back on its first 50 years
KPFA in Berkeley — first listener-funded noncommercial station, flagship of the politically progressive Pacifica chain
KPLU-FM — serves Seattle, Tacoma and Puget Sound with "NPR News and All That Jazz"
KQED in San Francisco — a fertile producer in public TV's early days, now one of its most-watched stations
KUHT (HoustonPBS) — the country's first public TV station, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2003
KUNM-FM in Albuquerque, N.M.— a sometimes-volatile mix of university/community station, whose history page is found on a separate site
KSMQ-TV, established as a teaching tool in Austin, Minn.
KWCM/KSMN serving western Minnesota from Appleton
Louisiana Public Broadcasting, a state-operated network, brought public TV to the rest of the state in 1975, 18 years after the nonprofit WYES started in New Orleans
Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media, a powerhouse hybrid of a statewide broadcaster and public radio's No. 2 national producer/distributor.
Nebraska Educational Telecommunications based in Lincoln — a leader in comprehensive state services via radio and new media as well as television, with plenty of vision, mission, values and goals
New Hampshire Public Radio, based in Concord — serves the Granite State through seven transmitters and four translators
New Jersey Network, based in Trenton, a state agency that was closed and its responsibilities outsourced in 2011 to NJTV (Public Media NJ), an affiliate of WNET
OETA: The Oklahoma Network — created in 1953 by the first state law instituting a public TV network
Ozarks Public Television at Missouri State University in Springfield, also serving Joplin
Pacifica Radio — a chain of five pubradio stations historically dedicated to peace and freedom
Prairie Public, based in Fargo, N.D. — North Dakota's nonprofit statewide public TV and radio network
South Carolina ETV, based in Columbia — a strong state-owned public TV network known locally as "ETV," where even the radio service is called ETV Radio
South Dakota Public Broadcasting, based in Vermillion, the state-operated public TV and radio network
WAMU-FM at American University, Washington, D.C.
WBUR-FM at Boston University — a strong news/information station with a growing stable of national productions
WETA-TV serving Washington, D.C. — a major production house for public TV with a showpiece role in the nation's capital, founded by Elizabeth Campbell
WGBH-FM/TV(timeline) in Boston — the most prolific producer for PBS and an active producer for public radio, with the largest staff in public media and outlying stations from Springfield, Mass., to Cape Cod and Rhode Island. Its alumni site written by retirees is a great resource.
WFIU at Indiana University in Bloomington — recently celebrated its 50th anniversary
WGBH in Boston — the most prolific producer of national programming for PBS. There's also a site by and about the stations' many distinguished alumni.
WHA in Madison and Wisconsin Public Radio — WHA being probably the oldest public broadcasting station in the country, as described by Wisconsin Public Radio. A separate article by WPR's Randall Davidson is posted on Portal Wisconsin.
WHYY in Philadelphia
WILL at the University of Illinois — one of the earliest educational radio stations, and longtime home of NAEB, predecessor of NPR and PBS
WITF in Harrisburg, Pa., which has celebrated its 40th anniversary
WKSU-FM at Kent State University — a nationally prominent station serving the Cleveland area
WLRH-FM, Huntsville, Alabama,the only radio station co-owned with Alabama Public Television
WMHT-TV/FM in Albany/Schenctady
WNET in New York City, a flagship station of public TV that celebrated its 40th in 2002
WNYC (New York Public Radio), whose AM station goes back more than 90 years and itsFM, more than 60, bought its freedom from City Hall and later acquired the New York Times' classical station, WQXR (slideshow)
WNYC in New York City — the giant AM/FM duo, which bought their freedom from the city government
WOI at Iowa State University — an early radio station with roots going back to 1912, shaped by the populist spirit of extension education
WOSU at Ohio State University, Columbus
WOUB at Ohio University, Athens
WPFW, Pacifica's outpost in Washington, D.C.
WPLN in Nashville — Nashville Public Radio, a rare station that originated in a city library system
WQED in Pittsburgh — one of the earliest freestanding community stations, with a history of high-quality program production
WRKF in Baton Rouge, La. — a latecomer to public radio, founded by the community in 1975
WRTI-FM in Philadelphia — Temple University's station, 50 years old in 2003
WSKG-FM/TV in Binghamton, N.Y.
WMVS/WMVT in Milwaukee
WSVH in Savannah, Ga.
WTTW in Chicago, a strong producer of local programs that also operates a leading classical music station, WFMT-FM, with a mixed commercial/public identity
WTVP in Peoria, Ill.
WUFT in Gainesville, Fla.
WVIA in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
WVIZ in Cleveland
WVPT in Harrisonburg, Va.
WVXU in Cincinnati — operator of X-Star, one of the few public radio networks operating across state lines
WYEP, community radio station in Pittsburgh
WYES-TV in New Orleans
Do you know of other extensive station histories
on the web? Please suggest link addresses to the web
current.org.
Web page partially updated November 2011
