WIPB

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WIPB
city =
station_
station_slogan = Public Broadcasting For East Central Indiana
Be More Inspired
station_branding =
analog = 49 (UHF)
digital = 52 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = PBS
network =
founded =
airdate = October 31, 1971
location = Muncie, Indiana
callsign_meaning = Indiana
Public
Broadcasting
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Ball State University
licensee =
sister_stations = WBST
former_affiliations =
effective_radiated_power = 676 kW (analog)
140 kW (digital)
HAAT = 155 m (analog)
246 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 3646
coordinates = coord|40|9|38.3|N|85|22|42.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (analog)
coord|40|5|37|N|85|23|32|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (digital)
homepage = [http://www.bsu.edu/wipb/ www.bsu.edu/wipb]

WIPB channel 49 is the local PBS member station for Muncie, Indiana and surrounding areas. The station and its studios are located on the campus of Ball State University. It's owned & operated by The Ball State University.

The station's claim to fame is most likely having been the origin of "The Joy of Painting", a 30-minute art program hosted by a notoriously mellow painter, Bob Ross. The station also produces Connections Live! A weekly half-hour magazine show that focuses on the people places and things in central Indiana that connect people to their communities. The show has won 4 regional Emmy awards since 2002.

The letters in the callsign stand for Indiana Public Broadcasting.It is possible to receive the station on a VHF/UHF indoor antenna in Hamilton County.

History

Channel 49 started in 1953 as WLBC-TV, about one year prior to WISH-TV's sign-on. The station was created by Don Burton, who started a local radio station - WLBC. WLBC-TV carried all 3 networks, primarily CBS, until the early 1960s when they dropped CBS and became a primary NBC affiliate while keeping some ABC programs.

Although WLBC was the NBC/ABC affiliate of record in Muncie, WISH, NBC affiliate WFBM-TV, and ABC affiliate WLWI-TV received good signals there. Paired with the high costs of UHF tuners, there was no need for WLBC to remain on the air. Don Burton sold Channel 49 to Ball State University in late 1971 and changed its call sign to the current WIPB.

Trivia

* Its logo from the late '80s shares the same fanfare as WPSU-TV's (then called WPSX) from around the same time period. As an example, this logo can be found on old tapes of "The Joy of Painting".

External links

* [http://www.bsu.edu/wipb/ WIPB Online]
* [http://www.connectionstv.org Connections Live! Online]
* [http://libx.bsu.edu/collection.php?CISOROOT=%2FWIPBVid WIPB-TV Documentary Video Collection in the Ball State University Libraries Digital Media Repository]
* [http://www.newslinkindiana.com Newslink Indiana]
*TVQ|WIPB
*BIA|WIPB|TV|TV