WSBE-TV

WSBE-TV (channel 36) is a PBS member television station licensed to Providence, Rhode Island, United States, serving the entire state as well as Southeastern Massachusetts. The station is owned by Ocean State Media, a non-profit organization, which also operates a similarly-named radio network based out of WPVD and WNPN. WSBE-TV's studios are located on Park Lane in Providence, and its transmitter is located on Pine Street in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.

History

The station began broadcasting on June 8, 1967, from the campus of Rhode Island College. In 1974, WSBE moved to the former WPRO-TV (now WPRI-TV) facilities at 24 Mason Street in Providence. In January 1991, WSBE moved to new studios on 50 Park Lane in Providence, near the Cranston city line. Its analog transmitter was located on Neutaconkanut Hill in Johnston, until the FCC-mandated digital conversion in 2009. From 1973 to 2000, WSBE-TV's programming was relayed in Westerly on translator W62AB. This translator was turned off in 2000, largely because of the high penetration of cable in the state. On May 1, 2003, WSBE rebranded itself as Rhode Island PBS.

WSBE-TV's license was originally held by the Rhode Island State Board of Education (from which the call letters are derived). In 1981, what had become the Board of Regents for Education transferred the station to the Rhode Island Public Telecommunications Authority, a quasi-state agency.

Programming

WSBE airs well-known PBS series (Nature, Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow) on a schedule typically delayed by eight or more days from full-carriage public television stations such as Boston's WGBH-TV. WSBE has differentiated its on-air schedule by including independent local and national productions, and content from program distributors American Public Television (APT), National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), and Executive Program Services. WSBE's former second digital subchannel, WSBE Learn, aired similar programming to the main channel, but on a different time schedule.

WSBE co-produced the nationally distributed Italian cooking show, Ciao Italia, since 2002, with production on-site through 2015.

Local content currently produced by WSBE includes:

Recent series no longer in production:

A Lively Experiment, WSBE's flagship political affairs show, discusses Rhode Island (and occasionally national) politics among a revolving panel of news makers, journalists, and opinion leaders. From its premiere episode until September 15, 2005, the show's moderator was radio broadcaster Steve Kass, until Kass resigned to join Governor Donald Carcieri's administration. James Hagan, former president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, moderated the show from 2006 until Dyana Koelsch took over in 2011. A public relations consultant, Koelsch was a former television journalist. On September 23, 2016, Jim Hummel became the program's fourth permanent moderator. Hummel is executive director and senior investigator of The Hummel Report. Known for his WLNE-TV/ABC6 You Paid for It segments, Jim Hummel spent 13 years as chief reporter for ABC6, and 13 years at The Providence Journal. In his career, Hummel earned the Radio and Television News Directors Association’s Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting.

Animal Talk features animal adoption, health, training, and other considerations when owning a pet.

Art Inc. is a series of short stories about various forms of local and regional art and the artists who create it.

Generation Rising focuses on the issues affecting people of color, including women, Black, Indigenous, Asian, Hispanic, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Our Town, a Rhode Island PBS community project. The purpose is to share the charm and character of Rhode Island towns and their villages. The stories are selected, written, filmed, and narrated by residents and volunteers; Rhode Island PBS edits the independent stories together into a documentary for broadcast.

Rhode Island PBS Weekly is a news magazine featuring long-form stories about local and regional issues.

Story in the Public Square is a weekly interview series examining issues expressed in print, film, journalism, music, social media, and technology.

Rhode Island Classroom explores the technology, lessons, and people of note in Rhode Island's K-12 classrooms. The half-hour quarterly series featured stand-out teachers, break-through courses, and innovative programs that motivate students to succeed.

The Thirteenth State, a public affairs show that covered topics of local interest from airport expansion to zoo exhibits. The show title honors Rhode Island's position as the first of the 13 colonies to call for independence from England, and the last of the 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution.

BestSellers, a book review and author interview program.

Justice Matters, a monthly show on Rhode Island law with the Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court.

New England Portrait, a series about people and places of local interest.

Costantino's Round Table featured chefs, restaurateurs, vintners, and other professionals and experts from the Rhode Island food and tourism industry.

callsign	WSBE-TV
city	Providence, Rhode Island
branding	Ocean State Media
digital	2 (VHF), shared with WRIW-CD‡R1R‡
virtual	36
affiliations	36.1: PBS
country	United States
airdate	June 8, 1967
location	Providence, Rhode Island New Bedford, Massachusetts
callsign meaning	Rhode Island State Board of Education (original licensee)
former channel numbers	Analog: 36 (UHF, 1967–2009) Digital: 21 (UHF, 2005–2019)
owner	Ocean State Media
licensee	Ocean State Media Group
sister stations	WNPE · WNPH · WNPN · WPVD
former affiliations	NET (1967–1970)
erp	13.6 kW
haat	273.4 m
facility id	56092
coordinates	41.86539°N, -71.28686°W
licensing authority	FCC
website	https://www.oceanstatemedia.org/

History

Programming

Technical information

Subchannels

Analog-to-digital conversion

External links

References