WITF-TV
PBS member television station serving the Susquehanna Valley from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
WITF-TV is a noncommercial educational television station and PBS member serving south-central Pennsylvania. It operates on virtual channel 33 and is owned by WITF, Inc., a nonprofit public-media organization that also operates NPR member station WITF-FM 89.5. The stations share the WITF Public Media Center in Swatara Township, near Harrisburg, while WITF-TV's main transmitter is in Middle Paxton Township. Its television signal is also relayed through a low-power translator serving the Chambersburg area. The station originated in the expansion of Pennsylvania's educational television network during the early 1960s. The South Central Educational Broadcasting Council was formed to develop a public television service for the Harrisburg region, initially proposing channel 65 before acquiring an unused channel 33 permit and related equipment from Hudson Broadcasting Corporation. WITF-TV began broadcasting on November 22, 1964, initially from facilities in Hershey and at reduced power. Its call letters were selected to express the phrase "it's top flight." The station was designed to serve a broad, nine-county educational and cultural region rather than a single commercial market. WITF expanded beyond television when it launched WITF-FM in 1971. Community support became an important part of the operating model; by the late 1970s, viewer contributions represented a substantial portion of the television service's budget. Technical improvements included replacement of the original transmission equipment and construction of a taller tower in 1977. A translator serving Franklin County began operating in 1965, helping extend the station's reach westward. After eighteen years based in Hershey, WITF moved its operations to the Harrisburg area in 1982 and changed its community of license from Hershey to Harrisburg. The relocation followed the loss of its leased Hershey facilities and several unsuccessful proposals for a new headquarters. The station later outgrew the former school building used on Locust Road. In 2002, WITF began a capital campaign for a new public-media center; construction started in 2005 and staff moved into the Swatara Township facility in 2006. WITF-TV's output combines national PBS programming with locally produced news, educational, cultural, and public-affairs content. Local initiatives have included Transforming Health, the Central PA Spelling Bee, Pennsylvania Lottery drawings, and collaborative statewide reporting. WITF also produced or co-produced programs for wider distribution, including Computer Chronicles, made with KCSM-TV from 1983 through 1995. Fundraising and community engagement have historically included events such as the Gallery 33 art auction. The station has also used digital distribution and partnerships to address regional information and education needs. WITF launched PA Post as a statewide news service in 2018 and later folded it into Spotlight PA in 2020. In 2021, it joined other PBS stations in developing a datacasting initiative, first known as the Public Media Educational Platform and later as the Information Equity Initiative, to deliver educational material to students and other learners lacking reliable broadband access. Pilot work included K-12 education and correctional facilities. WITF-TV completed the transition from analog broadcasting to digital television in 2009. Following the federal spectrum incentive auction, it entered into a channel-sharing arrangement with Fox affiliate WPMT. The resulting proceeds were intended to strengthen WITF's endowment and support media-literacy work. In 2023, WITF also became the planned recipient of Steinman Communications' LNP Media Group, including the Lancaster-based LNP newspaper, as part of a broader nonprofit civic-engagement collaboration. The organization remains an active regional public-media provider, although staffing reductions announced in 2024 indicated continuing financial and operational pressures.
History
WITF-TV emerged from Pennsylvania's early-1960s effort to build a statewide network of noncommercial educational television stations. The South Central Educational Broadcasting Council was organized to apply for and operate a station serving the Harrisburg area. Its original proposal called for channel 65, with studios in Hershey on land made available by Hershey Estates. The project received financial support from the region's counties and a $200,000 federal education grant. The Federal Communications Commission granted a construction permit on June 30, 1964. The organization subsequently negotiated with Hudson Broadcasting Corporation, which held an unused construction permit and equipment associated with UHF channel 33 in Harrisburg. Moving the proposed station to channel 33 delayed the launch slightly but promised lower costs and better coverage. After technical problems, WITF-TV began broadcasting on November 22, 1964, initially at one-third of its authorized power. The call letters were chosen to represent the phrase "it's top flight." Because parts of the service area, particularly Franklin County, were expected to receive weak coverage, a translator entered service in 1965. WITF quickly developed a community-supported public-media model. Its original transmission plant was replaced in 1977, and a taller tower improved coverage while reducing failures associated with aging equipment. In 1971, the organization broadened its mission by launching WITF-FM at 89.5 MHz. By 1979, WITF-TV had one of the strongest membership-support ratios among American public television stations, with viewer contributions accounting for roughly one-third of its budget. The station's first eighteen years were based in Hershey. The loss of leased space at the Hershey Community Center prompted a prolonged search for a new headquarters. Proposals involving Derry Township, South Hanover Township, Harrisburg Area Community College, and other sites were considered or abandoned because of ownership, cost, funding, or location concerns. WITF eventually occupied the former Anna L. Carter Elementary School on Locust Road in the Harrisburg area. The television and radio operations moved in November 1982, and the community of license changed from Hershey to Harrisburg. Growth in staffing, production, and technology eventually made the Locust Road property inadequate. It was difficult to locate, lacked an elevator, and did not comply fully with accessibility requirements. WITF launched a $22.2 million capital campaign in 2002 for a new public-media center. Groundbreaking took place in 2005, and operations moved to the completed facility in Swatara Township in 2006. The television and radio stations continue to share that center, while the television transmitter remains in Middle Paxton Township. WITF's service has combined PBS's national schedule with regional programming and partnerships. Its local portfolio has included health coverage through Transforming Health, the Central PA Spelling Bee, Pennsylvania Lottery drawings, and programming addressing civic and educational issues. The organization also participated in national production: Computer Chronicles was co-produced with KCSM-TV between 1983 and 1995. Fundraising initiatives included Gallery 33, an art auction featuring work by Pennsylvania artists. The event became associated with a 1993 policy change after WITF prohibited erotically themed submissions. A painting connected to that episode later gained renewed public attention through comedian John Oliver's 2020 discussion of COVID-19 testing and a subsequent charitable exhibition plan. Digital technology reshaped both transmission and public service. WITF became Pennsylvania's first television station to broadcast a digital signal in 1998. It ended regular analog transmission in February 2009 while retaining virtual channel 33 on its digital service. In 2017, WITF agreed to share spectrum with WPMT after the FCC incentive auction. The arrangement was intended to preserve service while directing proceeds toward the station's endowment and media-literacy efforts. The organization expanded into statewide journalism with PA Post in 2018. That project was later integrated into Spotlight PA in 2020, aligning WITF's reporting resources with a broader nonprofit investigative-news structure. In 2021, WITF helped establish a datacasting program, initially called the Public Media Educational Platform and later the Information Equity Initiative. The project sought to transmit educational resources to students and other learners without dependable broadband, with pilots involving schools and incarcerated people. In 2023, WITF announced a planned donation of Steinman Communications' LNP Media Group, including the Lancaster newspaper LNP, to WITF. The transaction was paired with plans for a nonprofit civic-engagement venture and represented a significant extension from broadcasting into local news publishing. In October 2024, WITF and LNP eliminated 24 positions, reported as approximately 10 percent of the combined workforce. WITF-TV remains an active PBS member station and a central component of a broader nonprofit public-media organization serving central Pennsylvania.
- 2024
Staff reductions announced
[1]WITF and LNP eliminated 24 positions, approximately 10 percent of total staff according to the reference material.
- 2023
Planned acquisition of LNP Media Group announced
[1]Steinman Communications announced plans to donate LNP Media Group to WITF and collaborate on civic-engagement work.
- 2021
Information Equity Initiative develops
[1]WITF helped launch a PBS-associated datacasting effort to deliver educational content to people without reliable broadband access.
- 2020
PA Post joins Spotlight PA
[1]PA Post was folded into Spotlight PA, a collaborative nonprofit investigative-news platform.
- 2018
PA Post launches
[1]WITF created PA Post as a statewide Pennsylvania news outlet.
- 2017
Spectrum-sharing agreement reached
[1]WITF agreed to share spectrum with WPMT after the FCC incentive auction while maintaining its virtual channel 33 identity.
- 2009
Analog television service ends
[1]WITF-TV ended regular analog broadcasting on UHF channel 33 as part of the federally mandated transition to digital television.
- 2006
Swatara Township public-media center opens
[1]Following groundbreaking in 2005, WITF staff moved into the new shared television and radio facility in 2006.
- 2002
Capital campaign launched for new media center
[1]WITF began a campaign to fund a new public-media center capable of supporting its expanding operations and accessibility needs.
- 1998
Digital television transmission begins
[1]WITF-TV became the first Pennsylvania television station identified in the reference material to broadcast a digital signal.
Products and positioning
Regional nonprofit public media focused on PBS programming, education, journalism, civic information, and community service.
Public television broadcasting · 1964
WITF-TV PBS service
The station's core offering is a noncommercial PBS television service on virtual channel 33. It combines nationally distributed PBS programs with locally produced news, educational, cultural, and public-affairs content for the Susquehanna Valley. The broadcast footprint includes Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon, York, and surrounding communities, with additional low-power translator coverage in the Chambersburg area.
Television programming
Local educational and public-affairs programming
WITF produces and presents programs addressing regional health, education, culture, and civic life. Examples include Transforming Health and the Central PA Spelling Bee. The station also produces Pennsylvania Lottery drawings for statewide distribution and has participated in collaborative reporting and educational projects.
Digital journalism · 2018
PA Post
PA Post was a statewide Pennsylvania news outlet established by WITF in 2018. It extended the organization's public-service mission into digital reporting and was later folded into Spotlight PA in 2020.
Educational datacasting · 2021
Information Equity Initiative
The Information Equity Initiative, initially known as the Public Media Educational Platform, uses broadcast datacasting to deliver educational resources to learners who lack dependable broadband. WITF has participated in pilots serving K-12 students and incarcerated people.
Fundraising event
Gallery 33
Gallery 33 was a WITF art-auction fundraiser featuring works by local artists. It became a recognizable community-engagement and fundraising program, though WITF changed its submission rules in 1993 after controversy surrounding sexually suggestive artwork.
Technology television production · 1983
Computer Chronicles
Computer Chronicles was a nationally distributed technology program co-produced by WITF-TV and KCSM-TV from 1983 through 1995. The production demonstrated WITF's role beyond local broadcasting and its ability to contribute content for broader public-television distribution.
Controversies
1993
Gallery 33 erotically themed artwork controversy
Submissions by artist Brian Swords, including sexually suggestive anthropomorphic-rat imagery, led WITF to prohibit erotically themed works from its Gallery 33 art auction. The episode later received renewed attention after a 2020 television commentary by John Oliver.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020John Oliver and Gallery 33 painting fundraiser
United States · Central Pennsylvania
A Gallery 33 painting that had become associated with WITF's 1993 submission-policy controversy was discussed by John Oliver during a commentary on the difficulty of obtaining COVID-19 tests. Oliver said he would locate and purchase the work while supporting a local food bank.
Outcome. Oliver later said he had obtained the painting and planned to include it in a traveling exhibition intended to benefit museums affected by the pandemic.
- 2002New Public Media Center Capital Campaign
Central Pennsylvania
WITF launched a capital campaign to finance a new public-media center after outgrowing its former Harrisburg-area facility, which was difficult to access and lacked adequate accessibility features.
Outcome. Construction began in 2005 and WITF moved into the Swatara Township center in 2006.
Brand decisions
2023
Planned integration of LNP Media GroupM&ABackground
WITF and Steinman Communications sought to strengthen nonprofit journalism and civic engagement in Pennsylvania.
Action taken
Steinman announced plans to donate LNP Media Group, including LNP newspaper, to WITF and collaborate on a new civic-engagement nonprofit.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded WITF's activities from broadcasting into newspaper publishing and statewide civic information.
2021
Launch of public-media datacasting initiativeProduct launchBackground
Students and other learners without reliable broadband faced barriers to accessing digital educational material.
Action taken
WITF joined other PBS stations in creating the Public Media Educational Platform, later renamed the Information Equity Initiative, to transmit educational content through datacasting.
Aftermath
WITF conducted pilots involving K-12 students and prison inmates.
2018
Launch of PA PostProduct launchBackground
WITF identified a need for statewide public-interest reporting and considered using spectrum-auction-related resources to support a news operation.
Action taken
WITF launched PA Post as a statewide Pennsylvania news outlet.
Aftermath
PA Post was later integrated into Spotlight PA in 2020.
2017
Channel-sharing agreement after FCC incentive auctionStrategyBackground
The FCC incentive auction created an opportunity for television broadcasters to monetize or reorganize spectrum. WITF sought to preserve its public television service while using the proceeds to strengthen long-term public-media capacity.
Action taken
WITF agreed to share spectrum with Tribune Broadcasting-owned Fox affiliate WPMT while continuing to identify its service through virtual channel 33.
Aftermath
The proceeds were intended for WITF's endowment, with investment income supporting central Pennsylvania media-literacy work. A statewide news organization was also discussed as a possible use of the funds.
Spectrum-auction proceeds. $25 million (February 10, 2017)
Recent events
- 2024
WITF and LNP eliminate 24 positions[1]
Leadership change · Other
WITF and LNP announced the elimination of 24 positions, representing approximately one-tenth of total staff, amid organizational and financial pressures.
- 2023
WITF and Steinman Communications announce planned transfer of LNP Media Group[1]
M&A
WITF and Steinman Communications announced that Steinman planned to donate LNP Media Group, including the Lancaster-based LNP newspaper, to WITF. The organizations also described plans for a nonprofit civic-engagement partnership.
- 2021
WITF participates in datacasting education initiative[1]
Product launch
WITF joined other PBS stations in launching a public-media datacasting project intended to provide educational material to learners without adequate broadband access.
- 2020
WITF folds PA Post into Spotlight PA[1]
Other
The statewide PA Post news operation launched by WITF was folded into Spotlight PA, an investigative journalism project operated by major Pennsylvania newspapers.
- 2018
WITF launches PA Post statewide news service[1]
Product launch · Campaign
WITF created PA Post as a statewide Pennsylvania news organization, using an opportunity associated with the station's spectrum-auction proceeds.
- 2017
WITF enters channel-sharing arrangement after spectrum auction[1]
Other
Following the FCC incentive auction, WITF agreed to share spectrum with Fox affiliate WPMT while retaining virtual channel 33 service.
Sources2 sources
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