World Channel
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNationwide
HeadquartersSherburne, New York
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
720p (HDTV)
480i (SDTV) 16:9 widescreen or 4:3 letterbox
Ownership
Owner
Sister channelsCreate
History
Launched2005 (2005)
(select cities)
2007 (2007)
(nationwide)
Links
WebsiteOfficial website
Availability
Terrestrial
Digital terrestrial televisionChannel slots vary in each city

World Channel, also branded as World (stylized as WORLD), is an American digital multicast public television network owned and operated by the WGBH Educational Foundation. It is distributed by American Public Television and the National Educational Telecommunications Association and features programming covering topics such as science, nature, news, and public affairs. Programming is supplied by the entities, as well as other partners such as WNET and WGBH. It is primarily carried on the digital subchannels of PBS member stations.

Background

In 2004, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation granted PBS funds to develop a public affairs network, Public Square, given the change in broadcasting to digital thus allowing stations to broadcast multiple channels. (Public Square was also a name previous given to a proposed civic series in early 2000s.) The Knight Foundation announced a challenge grant to PBS to launch this network on December 14, 2004 at the Digital Futures Initiative Summit. PBS would have to raise double the grant amount to get the foundation's grant. Additional, the foundation made a grant to PBS for the first program's pilot slated for the network. The program, Global Watch, was to be co-produced by KCET and KQED. The pilot aired on PBS' National Program Service, while the series would only continue on Public Square. PBS was also discussing with WGBH and WNET to fold Public Square and World together.[1]

History

Logo used from 2012 to 2023.

WGBH and WNET were developing World in 2004. By December 2005, Boston's WGBH and WNET started broadcasting World on a subchannel and added by April 2006's WETA. San Francisco's KQED started broadcasting its own nonfiction encore channel before April 2005 as well. Following WGBH and WNET teamed up with PBS to roll out a national version of the local channels as World. The stations applied to air programming and PBS was used to distribute the network. The network was launched nationally on August 15, 2007. For the first year, the Ford Foundation funded the company's investments' cost, and PBS contributed some funding from its own revenue-generating activities. By March 2009, the network lacked enough coverage to secure an underwriter.

On July 1, 2009, PBS withdrew from the channel. By September 2009, with the sole exception of ITVS Global Voices, all the other channels left network.

An overhaul of the network was in the works as of September 8, 2009. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funded R&D for the relaunch and covered costs so stations would not have to pay the license until June 2011. The network was relaunched in July 2010, with the revamped website slated for more of a roll-out on July 1. The relaunch would also draw in stations as digital tier channels and face more cable subscribers.

Nielsen ratings improved using more of the channel bandwidth so as to forestall any FCC attempts to reduce the existing allocated bandwidth.

The relaunched service planned to target more diverse audiences with a median age of 36. The revamped World had a monthly theme for coherence and personality to create online action and buzz. The channel expanded its scope of program offerings, such as reviewing archives, film festivals, indie producer hubs, public radio, Independent Television Service, Link TV, MiND TV, Minority Consortia, New American Media, the Sundance Institute, and Youth Media International.

The channel used a new low-cost collaborative model where the channel would offer distribution services, but in return for which producers would be individually responsible for securing funding.

In September 2011, a new general manager, Elizabeth Cheng, for the network was hired.

United States budget sequestration in 2013 led to a temporary reduction in CPB's budget. To help mitigate the cuts, CPB redirected some funds towards the World network, specifically in the amount of US$750,000 (equivalent to $942,214 in 2022), that had been earmarked for the National Minority Consortia.

Operations

The network is available to stations that are member of APT and NETA (formerly available to PBS's National Program Service subscribers and PBS Plus members). Affiliation fees of 4 levels from $5,500 to $32,000 a year which only cover 50% of the channel's cost. Stations are required to broadcast half of the network's broadcast day in order to retain their affiliation, thus many member stations with limited channel capacity usually carry the network in a 50/50 split with Create (as both networks maintain looping schedules). Cost are kept down as the channel uses rights and content previously available. Programming has come from PBS, NETA, APT and ITVS International.[2]

Programs

World shows a core three-hour documentary block four times a day with other programs circulate in the other 12 hours. This gives viewers increased chances to see a program, which might be shown from 4 to 8 times a week.[3]

Current programming

Stations may also choose to place their own programming, such as local government hearings and events, on their subchannel at local discretion.

As of 1 January 2021, the current programming is:

Public Square programming block[4]

  • Global Watch[1]

Affiliates

World is carried by the following stations:[5]

Channel Station City State
10.4WBIQBirmingham Alabama
41.4WIIQDemopolis
2.4WDIQDozier
36.4WFIQFlorence
25.4
Comcast 202
WHIQHuntsville
43.4WGIQLouisville
42.4
Comcast 179
WEIQMobile
26.4WAIQMontgomery
7.4WCIQMount Cheaha
9.2KUAC-TVFairbanks Alaska
9.4KETGArkadelphia Arkansas
12.4KETZEl Dorado
13.4KAFTFayetteville
19.4KTEJJonesboro
2.4
Comcast 205
KETSLittle Rock
6.4KEMVMountain View
8.3
Cox 88
KAETPhoenix Arizona
13.2
Suddenlink 136
KEETEureka California
18.4
Comcast 394
KVPTFresno
50.4KOCE-TVHuntington Beach
9.3KIXE-TVRedding
6.3KVIESacramento
15.2KPBSSan Diego
9.3
Comcast 190
KQEDSan Francisco
25.3
Comcast 190
KQETWatsonville
54.3
Comcast 190
KQEHSan Jose
26.4WETAWashington, DC District of Columbia
30.2WGCUFort Myers Florida
5.3WUFTGainesville
7.3WJCTJacksonville
24.5WUCF-TVOrlando
23.2WSREPensacola
3.3WEDUTampa
42.2WXEL-TVWest Palm Beach
8.3WGTVAthens/Atlanta Georgia
18.3WNGH-TVChatsworth
29.3WMUM-TVCochran
28.3WJSP-TVColumbus
25.3WACS-TVDawson
14.3WABW-TVPelham
9.3WVAN-TVSavannah
8.3WXGA-TVWaycross
20.3WCES-TVWrens
4.4KAIDBoise Idaho
26.4KCDTCoeur d'Alene
12.4KUID-TVMoscow
10.4KISU-TVPocatello
13.4KIPTTwin Falls
8.2WSIU-TVCarbondale Illinois
11.5WTTWChicago
14.2WSECJacksonville
22.2WMECMacomb
19.2WUSI-TVOlney
47.3WTVPPeoria (pending)
27.2WQECQuincy
12.3WILL-TVUrbana
30.2WTIUBloomington Indiana
3.3KBIN-TVCouncil Bluffs Iowa
36.3KQINDavenport
11.3KDIN-TVDes Moines
21.3KTINFort Dodge
12.3KIINIowa City
24.3KYINMason City
36.3KHINRed Oak
27.3KSIN-TVSioux City
32.3KRINWaterloo
68.3WKMJ-TVLouisville Kentucky
11.2KTWUTopeka Kansas
12.2WYES-TVNew Orleans Louisiana
2.2WGBH-TVBoston Massachusetts
57.2WGBY-TVSpringfield
10.3WCBBAugusta Maine
26.3WMEA-TVBiddeford
13.3WMED-TVCalais
12.3WMEB-TVOrono
10.3WMEM-TVPresque Isle
56.4WTVSDetroit Michigan
23.2WKAR-TVEast Lansing
19.2WDCQ-TVEast Central Michigan
10.4KWCM-TVAppleton Minnesota
16.2KCGE-DTCrookston
8.2WDSEDuluth
31.2WRPTHibbing
20.4KSMNWorthington
9.3KETCSt. Louis Missouri
16.4KBGS-TVBillings Montana
9.4KUSM-TVBozeman
45.2K45CH-DFort Peck
10.4KUHM-TVHelena
46.4KUKL-TVKalispell
11.4KUFM-TVMissoula
13.2KTNE-TVAlliance Nebraska
7.2KMNE-TVBassett
29.2KHNE-TVHastings
3.2KLNE-TVLexington
12.2KUON-TVLincoln
12.2KRNE-TVMerriman
19.2KXNE-TVNorfolk
9.2KPNE-TVNorth Platte
26.2KYNE-TVOmaha
10.4KLVXLas Vegas Nevada
11.3WENH-TVDurham New Hampshire
9.1KNMD-TVAlbuquerque New Mexico
5.4KNME-TV
22.2KRWG-TVLas Cruces
46.4WSKG-TVBinghamton New York
30.4WSKACorning
21.3WLIWGarden City
18.3WNPI-DTNorwood
21.2WXXI-TVRochester
17.3WMHTSchenectady
16.3WPBS-TVWatertown
3.2KBME-TVBismarck North Dakota
25.2KMDEDevils Lake
9.2KDSEDickinson
19.2KJREEllendale
13.2KFMEFargo
6.2KSREMinot
4.2KWSEWilliston
44.3WOUC-TVCambridge Ohio
25.3WVIZCleveland
30.4WGTEToledo (soon)
13.2KETA-TVOklahoma City Oklahoma
3.2KOETEufaula
11.2KOED-TVTulsa
12.2KWET-TVCheyenne
22.2KFTSKlamath Falls Oregon
8.2KSYSMedford
10.2 KOPB-TV Portland
35.2WPPTAllentown Pennsylvania
3.3WPSU-TVClearfield
54.3WQLNErie
13.3WQEDPittsburgh
16.2KDSD-TVAberdeen South Dakota
8.2KESD-TVBrookings
13.2KPSD-TVEagle Butte
11.2KQSD-TVLowry
8.2KZSD-TVMartin
10.2KTSD-TVPierre
9.2KBHE-TVRapid City
23.2KCSD-TVSioux Falls
2.2KUSD-TVVermillion
22.2WCTECookeville Tennessee
18.3KLRUAustin Texas
13.4KERA-TVDallas
8.4KUHTHouston
9.2KLRNSan Antonio
7.2KUEDSalt Lake City Utah
18.2KUEWSt. George, Utah
41.3WNVCCharlottesville Virginia
15.2WHRO-TVHampton-Norfolk
23.3WNVTRichmond
15.2WBRA-TVRoanoke
33.2WETKBurlington Vermont
28.2WVERRutland
20.2WVTBSt. Johnsbury
41.2WVTAWindsor
9.4KCTS-TVSeattle Washington
7.2KSPS-TVSpokane
47.4KYVEYakima
10.2WMVSMilwaukee Wisconsin
9.2WSWP-TVGrandview West Virginia
33.2WVPB-TVHuntington
24.2WNPB-TVMorgantown

References

  1. 1 2 "Knight Foundation backs launch planning for PBS's Public Square". Current. December 19, 2005. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  2. June-Friesen, Katy (March 2, 2009). "Packaged channels for multicasting, 2009". Current. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  3. "Relaunch of pubTV's World multicast channel, 2010". Current. 20 July 2010. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  4. Egner, Jeremy (April 3, 2006). "World and Go! streams flow into PBS plans". Current. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  5. "Stations for Network – World Channel". rabbitears.info. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
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