Maryland Public Television

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Maryland Public Television
File:MPTlogo.png
statewide Maryland
United States
Branding MPT
Channels Digital: see table below
Affiliations PBS (1970-present)
Owner Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission
First air date October 5, 1969 (1969-10-05)
Call letters' meaning see table below
Former affiliations NET (1969–1970)
Transmitter power see table below
Height see table below
Facility ID see table below
Transmitter coordinates see table below
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Public Television Profile
Public Television CDBS
Website www.mpt.org

Maryland Public Television (MPT) is the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member state network for the U.S. state of Maryland. Its six transmitters cover nearly all of the state, plus Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. It operates under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission, an agency of the Maryland state government. It benefits from the support of an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization, the MPT Foundation, Inc. (formerly known as the Maryland Public Broadcasting Foundation, Inc.) Studios are located in the unincorporated community of Owings Mills.

The network first signed on in 1969 as the Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting, and adopted its current name in 1984. Maryland Instructional Television (Maryland ITV), a division of the State Department of Education, was also housed at the station until 1991.

MPT's local and regional television credits include several state-focused programs on civic and public affairs, as well as a variety of original performance, documentary, and entertainment offerings for the citizens of Maryland. Beyond broadcasting, MPT creates instructional videos, develops training, and builds Internet sites that serve tens of thousands of students, teachers, and child-care providers annually. The centerpiece of MPT's service to Maryland educators, students, and families is Thinkport, a Web site that offers online teaching resources, professional development opportunities and digital technology tools to assist educators.

Maryland Public Television has earned awards ranging from television Emmys for its quality productions to government citations for its volunteerism and educational accomplishments. MPT has been led by Larry Unger, president and chief executive officer, since 2011.

In September 2015, as part of budget cuts, MPT outsourced its master control operations to Public Media Management—a joint venture of Boston PBS station WGBH and Sony Corporation.[1]

Productions

Inside MPT's Studio A during the taping of "Chesapeake Collectibles" in June 2010

Current Regional Productions

  • MPT Salutes Vietnam Veterans:[2] Maryland Public Television salutes the men and women who served in the Vietnam era
  • Chesapeake Collectibles:[3] weekly series featuring people and their collectibles
  • Maryland Farm and Harvest:[4] weekly series helping Marylanders learn more about agriculture
  • Chesapeake Bay Week:[5] week long series of programs in April dedicated to the Chesapeake Bay
  • Direct Connection:[6] public affairs call-in show focusing on discussion and analysis of politics and the news
  • Outdoors Maryland:[7] outdoors show highlighting the Mid-Atlantic region's diversity and beauty
  • State Circle:[8] news and analysis program detailing Maryland's General Assembly proceedings
  • You Can Afford College:[9] annual special on finding money for higher education
  • Your Money & Business:[10] consumer-oriented business magazine
  • ArtWorks:[11] regional arts updates and specials highlighting Maryland's culture and history
  • Our Town:[12] a collection of documentaries showcasing different towns across Maryland
File:Project Smoke outdoor set.jpg
On location in Tucson, Arizona shooting Steven Raichlen's Project Smoke at the Marriott Starr Pass Resort in February 2015

Nationally Distributed Productions

Past productions

Stations

The MPT television stations are:

Station City of license Channels TV/RF First air date Callsign meaning ERP HAAT Transmitter coordinates Facility ID Public license information
WMPB Baltimore 67 (PSIP)
29 (UHF)		 October 5, 1969; 54 years ago (1969-10-05) Maryland
Public
Broadcasting
(or Baltimore)		 42.6 kW 309 m Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 65944 Profile
CDBS
WMPT1 Annapolis 22 (PSIP)
42 (UHF)		 September 22, 1975; 48 years ago (1975-09-22) Maryland
Public
Television		 516 kW 289 m Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 65942 Profile
CDBS
WCPB Salisbury 28 (PSIP)
28 (UHF)		 March 18, 1971; 53 years ago (1971-03-18) Coastal
Public
Broadcasting
(or: Corporation for
Public
Broadcasting)		 132 kW 155 m Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 40618 Profile
CDBS
WWPB Hagerstown 31 (PSIP)
44 (UHF)		 October 5, 1974; 49 years ago (1974-10-05) Western Maryland
Public
Broadcasting		 500 kW 369 m Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 65943 Profile
CDBS
WGPT Oakland 36 (PSIP)
36 (UHF)		 July 4, 1987; 36 years ago (1987-07-04) Garrett County
Public
Television		 100 kW 285 m Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 40619 Profile
CDBS
WFPT Frederick 62 (PSIP)
28 (UHF)		 July 4, 1987; 36 years ago (1987-07-04) Frederick
Public
Television		 41.2 kW 158 m Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 40626 Profile
CDBS

Notes:

  • WMPT used the callsign WAPB (the "A" standing for Annapolis) from its 1975 sign-on to July 4, 1984.

Cable and satellite coverage

MPT is available on all Maryland cable systems. Additionally, WMPB is available on the Baltimore DirecTV and Dish Network feeds. WMPT is available on nearly all cable systems in the Washington area, as well as the Washington DirecTV and Dish Network feeds. WCPB is available on the Salisbury DirecTV and Dish Network feeds.

Digital television

Digital channels

The stations' digital channels are multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[15][16][17][18][19][20]
xx.1 1080i 16:9 MPT-HD Main MPT programming / PBS
xx.2 480i 4:3 MPT2 PBS Encore
xx.3 V-me V-me

Analog-to-digital conversion

MPT's stations shut down their analog signals on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital channel allocations post-transition are as follows:[21]

  • WMPB shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 67; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 29,[22] using PSIP to display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 67, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition.
  • WMPT shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 22; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 42,[23] using PSIP to display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 22.
  • WCPB shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 28; the station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 56, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to its analog-era UHF channel 28.[24]
  • WWPB shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 31; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 44,[25] using PSIP to display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 31.
  • WGPT shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 36; the station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 54, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to its analog-era UHF channel 36.[26]
  • WFPT shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 62; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 28,[27] using PSIP to display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 62, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition.

Awards

For 2008, MPT received 14 Emmy Award nominations from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). MPT received Emmys for Eatin’ Crabs Chesapeake Style, two awards for Bob the Vid Tech: The Mystery of the Missing Pizza and one for ArtWorks: Manuel Barrueco Special.

MPT received two 2008 CINE Golden Eagle Awards for The Transformation Age: Surviving a Technology Revolution with Robert X. Cringely, a coproduction of MPT/University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, and Lethal Landscapes: Canvases of the Combat Artist.

For 2007, the station received 11 nominations and won 1 National Capitol Emmy including 3 nominations for their regional "The War" series and 5 nominations for Outdoors Maryland. Motorweek also received the Board of Governors Award.[28]


References

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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WMPB
  16. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WMPT
  17. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WCPB
  18. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WWPB
  19. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WGPT
  20. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WFPT
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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