WMHT (TV)

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WMHT
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding =
analog = 17 (UHF)
digital = 34 (UHF)
other_chs = W04AJ Glens Falls
W04BD Schoharie
W42AE Poughkeepsie
affiliations = PBS
network =
founded =
airdate = March 26, 1962
location = Schenectady/Albany/Troy, New York
callsign_meaning = Mohawk
Hudson
Television
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = WMHT Educational Telecommunications
licensee =
sister_stations = WMHT-FM
former_affiliations = NET (1962-1970)
effective_radiated_power = 2630 kW (analog)
325 kW (digital)
HAAT = 299 m (analog)
426 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 73263
coordinates = coord|42|38|12.6|N|74|0|3.6|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=WMHT (analog)
coord|42|37|31.3|N|74|0|36.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=WMHT (digital)
homepage = [http://www.wmht.org/ www.wmht.org]

WMHT is the call sign for a television station and radio station in Schenectady, New York owned and operated by WMHT Educational Telecommunications. Its transmitter is located in the Helderberg Mountains in Albany County, New York.

WMHT signed on the air on March 26, 1962 on UHF channel 17 as the Capital District's first public television station and the second in the state of New York. From the outset the network was affiliated with NET and became one of PBS's charter affiliates after the two networks merged in 1970. In 1972, WMHT expanded into FM radio by launching the first noncommercial classical music station in the United States (a format that continues to this day).

In 1987, WMHT purchased the assets of independent station WUSV channel 45 and made it a secondary programming service under the calls WMHX. Due to financial difficulties, WMHT shut WMHX down in 1991 and returned it to the air three years later under the calls WMHQ. In the late 1990's, WMHQ's commercial licence became attractive and WMHT sold it to the Tribune Company for $18.5 million in 1999 with the station becoming WB affiliate WEWB that September (it today is CW affiliate WCWN, owned by Freedom Communications). The money from this sale allowed WMHT to expand into digital television and build a new state-of-the-art studio in Troy to replace their original facilities in Rotterdam.

Digital TV & transition

In 2009, WMHT-TV will remain on its current pre-transition channel number, 34. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf] [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101235157&formid=387&fac_num=73263 CDBS Print ] ] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receiver will display WMHT-TV's virtual channel as 17.

WMHT-DT signed on in 2003 on channel 34, becoming the second digital television signal in the Capital Region (third if counting WCDC-DT). Currently there are three subchannels on WMHT-DT:
*WMHT2/ThinkBright on 17.2
*WMHT HD on 17.3
*Simulcast of 17.1 on 17.4

Outlying translators

*W04AJ Glens Falls
*W04BD SchoharieAlso, "W42AE" [http://www.tv42.org/] in Poughkeepsie, owned by Dutchess Community College, repeats WMHT except for several hours a week when classes are in session.

ee also

* Wally Altes
* WMHT-FM

References

External links

* [http://www.wmht.org/ WMHT website]
*TVQ|WMHT
*TVQ|W04AJ
*TVQ|W04BD
*TVQ|W42AE
*BIA|WMHT|TV|TV