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| subchannels =
| subchannels =
| translators =
| translators =
| affiliations = '''10.1:''' [[PBS]]<br />'''10.2:''' WKNO 2<br />'''10.3:''' [[PBS Kids]]
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''10.1:''' [[PBS]]|'''10.2:''' WKNO 2|'''10.3:''' [[PBS Kids]]}}
| owner = Mid-South Public Communications Foundation
| owner = Mid-South Public Communications Foundation
| licensee =
| licensee =
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A formal construction permit was granted by the FCC on November 23, 1955.<ref name="Comm551124">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-channel-10-is-give/137334215/|date=November 24, 1955|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-channel-10-is-give/137334234/ 14]|first=Paul|last=Molloy|title=Channel 10 Is Given Green Light By FCC: Construction Of Educational TV Station Will Start Immediate|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Thu --> The station took the call letters WKNO, one of several sets suggested in a name-the-station contest and sent to the FCC.<ref name="Comm551215">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-channel-10-to-bear/137334264/|date=December 15, 1955|page=28|title=Channel 10 To Bear Call Letters WKNO: Educational TV Station Name Submitted By Pair|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Thu -->
A formal construction permit was granted by the FCC on November 23, 1955.<ref name="Comm551124">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-channel-10-is-give/137334215/|date=November 24, 1955|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-channel-10-is-give/137334234/ 14]|first=Paul|last=Molloy|title=Channel 10 Is Given Green Light By FCC: Construction Of Educational TV Station Will Start Immediate|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Thu --> The station took the call letters WKNO, one of several sets suggested in a name-the-station contest and sent to the FCC.<ref name="Comm551215">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-channel-10-to-bear/137334264/|date=December 15, 1955|page=28|title=Channel 10 To Bear Call Letters WKNO: Educational TV Station Name Submitted By Pair|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Thu -->


WKNO-TV began broadcasting on June 25, 1956,<ref name="Memp560625">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-memphis-press-scimitar-wkno-tv-on-ai/137334473/|date=June 25, 1956|page=1|title=WKNO-TV on Air, Channel 10, Tonight: Area's First Educational TV Station|newspaper=The Memphis Press-Scimitar|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Mon --> a month after its first test signal.<ref name="Memp560525">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-memphis-press-scimitar-air-debut-by/137334434/|date=May 25, 1956|page=1|title=Air Debut By Educational WKNO-TV: Its First Signal Well Received|newspaper=The Memphis Press-Scimitar|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Fri --> For its first few months, the studios were incomplete, so it could only present filmed programming from [[National Educational Television]].{{r|Memp560625}} As a condition of the funds that enabled it to run for one year, the station did not conduct annual fundraising drives; the three commercial stations in Memphis contributed $60,000 a year for two years to provide money for channel 10's operations, and after that most of its income originated from the [[Tennessee Board of Education]], [[Memphis City Schools]], and [[Shelby County Schools]].{{r|Memp641216}}
WKNO-TV began broadcasting on June 25, 1956,<ref name="Memp560625">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-memphis-press-scimitar-wkno-tv-on-ai/137334473/|date=June 25, 1956|page=1|title=WKNO-TV on Air, Channel 10, Tonight: Area's First Educational TV Station|newspaper=The Memphis Press-Scimitar|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Mon --> a month after its first test signal.<ref name="Memp560525">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-memphis-press-scimitar-air-debut-by/137334434/|date=May 25, 1956|page=1|title=Air Debut By Educational WKNO-TV: Its First Signal Well Received|newspaper=The Memphis Press-Scimitar|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Fri --> For its first few months, the studios were incomplete, so it could only present filmed programming from [[National Educational Television]].{{r|Memp560625}} As a condition of the funds that enabled it to run for one year, the station did not conduct annual fundraising drives; the three commercial stations in Memphis contributed $60,000 a year for two years to provide money for channel 10's operations, and after that most of its income originated from the Tennessee Board of Education, [[Memphis City Schools]], and [[Memphis-Shelby County Schools|Shelby County Schools]].{{r|Memp641216}}


In 1961, the station moved from 268 Jefferson to facilities on the campus of Memphis State University (MSU, now the [[University of Memphis]]), utilizing a former Air Force ROTC annex. The Memphis Community Television Foundation was deeded the land and building in which it was housed to help finance the move.<ref name="Comm610611">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-wkno-will-ask-offe/137465098/|date=June 11, 1961|page=13|title=WKNO Will Ask Offers On Land: Station's Move To MSU To Be Completed By End Of Summer|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Sun --> The relocation to the university campus offered the station the opportunity to utilize university talent and facilities in the production of its programming.<ref name="Comm610729">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-telecasting-furlou/137465121/|date=July 29, 1961|page=13|title=Telecasting Furlough Taken By WKNO; Station Moving|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Sat --> The relocation coincided with an increase in channel 10's educational output; from one instructional series in 1959, WKNO was airing fifteen such shows by 1966, of which six were weekly live productions. In addition, the station was producing public affairs and cultural series of local interest, such as ''Memphis Mosaic'', ''College News'', and ''Topic: Memphis City Schools''.<ref name="Memp641216">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-memphis-press-scimitar-great-stride/137334573/|date=December 16, 1964|page=37|title='Great Strides' Mark WKNO's History: Channel 10, on Air 13 Hours Daily, Offers Education in 15 Fields|first=Mary Ann|last=Lee|newspaper=The Memphis Press-Scimitar|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Wed -->
In 1961, the station moved from 268 Jefferson to facilities on the campus of Memphis State University (MSU, now the [[University of Memphis]]), utilizing a former Air Force ROTC annex. The Memphis Community Television Foundation was deeded the land and building in which it was housed to help finance the move.<ref name="Comm610611">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-wkno-will-ask-offe/137465098/|date=June 11, 1961|page=13|title=WKNO Will Ask Offers On Land: Station's Move To MSU To Be Completed By End Of Summer|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Sun --> The relocation to the university campus offered the station the opportunity to utilize university talent and facilities in the production of its programming.<ref name="Comm610729">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-telecasting-furlou/137465121/|date=July 29, 1961|page=13|title=Telecasting Furlough Taken By WKNO; Station Moving|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Sat --> The relocation coincided with an increase in channel 10's educational output; from one instructional series in 1959, WKNO was airing fifteen such shows by 1966, of which six were weekly live productions. In addition, the station was producing public affairs and cultural series of local interest, such as ''Memphis Mosaic'', ''College News'', and ''Topic: Memphis City Schools''.<ref name="Memp641216">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-memphis-press-scimitar-great-stride/137334573/|date=December 16, 1964|page=37|title='Great Strides' Mark WKNO's History: Channel 10, on Air 13 Hours Daily, Offers Education in 15 Fields|first=Mary Ann|last=Lee|newspaper=The Memphis Press-Scimitar|location=Memphis, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref><!-- Wed -->

Revision as of 07:44, 27 December 2023

WKNO
Channels
BrandingWKNO Channel 10
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerMid-South Public Communications Foundation
WKNO-FM
History
First air date
June 25, 1956 (67 years ago) (1956-06-25)
Former call signs
WKNO-TV (1956–?)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 10 (VHF, 1956–2009)
NET (1956–1970)
Call sign meaning
Knowledge[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID42061
ERP835 kW
HAAT320.2 m (1,050.5 ft)
Transmitter coordinates35°9′16″N 89°49′20″W / 35.15444°N 89.82222°W / 35.15444; -89.82222 (WKNO)
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.wkno.org

WKNO (channel 10) is a PBS member television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The station is owned by the Mid-South Public Communications Foundation, a non-profit organization governed by a board of trustees composed of volunteers, and is operated alongside NPR member WKNO-FM (91.1). The two stations share studios on Cherry Farms Road with the TV station's transmitter on Raleigh LaGrange Road, both in the Cordova section of unincorporated Shelby County.

History

Channel 10 was allocated to Memphis for educational use when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) assigned television channels and lifted its multi-year freeze on new TV assignments in April 1952.[3] Initially, leaders at the University of Tennessee envisioned a four-station network, including one outlet in Memphis, to use the newly allotted channels;[4] however, city officials rejected setting aside funds to aid the establishment of such a station in Memphis.[5] As a result of the city's refusal to grant money, in May 1953, the Memphis Community Television Foundation was chartered to serve as a non-profit organization to build and run channel 10.[6] In the months that followed, the foundation slowly gathered donations of money and equipment. Among these were a donation from WMCT and the offer of use of a tower.[7]

After receiving the promise of $100,000 from the Ford Foundation if matching funds could be raised locally,[8] the Memphis Community Television Foundation formally applied for channel 10 in February 1954. By this time, the station had received more donations and the support of seven local colleges and universities[9] A fund drive formally launched in May 1954.[10] Activities to raise money included street puppet shows[11] and a football game between Tennessee State and Lincoln universities, both historically Black institutions.[12] It was lauded as the most publicized such effort to that time.[13] By July, the foundation had raised $70,000 of its $200,000 goal,[14] ultimately finishing at $85,000.[15] The Memphis Board of Education provided office space to the foundation as the station undertook program planning.[16]

In 1955, the station received zoning approval for its transmitter site on Macon Road on land leased to the foundation;[17] subscriptions for a station program guide, another source of income;[18] and a donation of two cameras from WHBQ-TV.[19] More equipment was purchased from the former WJTV in Jackson, Mississippi, which had just merged with that city's WSLI-TV.[20][21] The state legislature appropriated $50,000 for the project, with Memphis serving as the pilot city for educational television in Tennessee as its [22]

A formal construction permit was granted by the FCC on November 23, 1955.[15] The station took the call letters WKNO, one of several sets suggested in a name-the-station contest and sent to the FCC.[23]

WKNO-TV began broadcasting on June 25, 1956,[1] a month after its first test signal.[24] For its first few months, the studios were incomplete, so it could only present filmed programming from National Educational Television.[1] As a condition of the funds that enabled it to run for one year, the station did not conduct annual fundraising drives; the three commercial stations in Memphis contributed $60,000 a year for two years to provide money for channel 10's operations, and after that most of its income originated from the Tennessee Board of Education, Memphis City Schools, and Shelby County Schools.[25]

In 1961, the station moved from 268 Jefferson to facilities on the campus of Memphis State University (MSU, now the University of Memphis), utilizing a former Air Force ROTC annex. The Memphis Community Television Foundation was deeded the land and building in which it was housed to help finance the move.[26] The relocation to the university campus offered the station the opportunity to utilize university talent and facilities in the production of its programming.[27] The relocation coincided with an increase in channel 10's educational output; from one instructional series in 1959, WKNO was airing fifteen such shows by 1966, of which six were weekly live productions. In addition, the station was producing public affairs and cultural series of local interest, such as Memphis Mosaic, College News, and Topic: Memphis City Schools.[25]

Beginning in February 1968,[28][29] channel 10's educational programs were rebroadcast on WLJT (channel 11) in Lexington.[30] WLJT was built by the state Board of Education as part of a plan to increase educational TV coverage in the state; it had extremely limited local programming capabilities.[31] While WKNO was offered the option of buying WLJT when the state government moved to spin out all of its educational television stations to community licensees, it declined, and WLJT became a separate station operating from the campus of the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1981.[32]

In 1979, the studios were relocated a few blocks to the south, to the southern annex of the MSU campus on Getwell Road. That facility served the station for 30 years until November 2009, when the station moved into a custom-designed all-digital studio facility in Cordova.[33]

From 1968 to 1981, WKNO's programming was repeated on WLJT in Lexington for viewers in the remainder of western Tennessee outside the Memphis metropolitan area. Afterward, that station eventually began broadcasting a separate programming schedule, including programming of local interest to that region.[citation needed]

Programming

Nationally distributed programming produced or presented by WKNO includes Travels & Traditions and other programs by Burt Wolf, Classic Gospel, Sun Studio Sessions, and GardenSMART.[34][35]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WKNO[36]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
10.1 1080i 16:9 WKNO-HD Main WKNO programming / PBS
10.2 480i WKNO-SD "WKNO 2"
10.3 KNO-KID 24/7 PBS Kids programming

Analog-to-digital conversion

WKNO discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 10, on May 1, 2009.[37] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 29, using PSIP to display WKNO's virtual channel as 10 on digital television receivers.

References

  1. ^ a b c "WKNO-TV on Air, Channel 10, Tonight: Area's First Educational TV Station". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Memphis, Tennessee. June 25, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WKNO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Likely to Be 18 Months Before Memphis Gets Another T-V Station". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Memphis, Tennessee. April 14, 1952. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "U-T Supports T-V Network: Setup Entirely Educational". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Memphis, Tennessee. February 6, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Woodbury, Harry (April 5, 1953). "Disappointment Told On Tobey's TV Stand: Leaders Hope To Hold Channel For Education". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. p. 4. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Corporation Set Up For Educational TV: Non-Profit Group Receives Charter, Plans To Push Station Idea". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. May 31, 1953. pp. 1, 9. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ McGee, Mike (October 6, 1953). "Move Expected Soon For Educational TV: Bondurant Says Application for Channel 10 To Be Made This Month". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "$100,000 Is Offered For Educational TV If Public Backs It". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. December 31, 1953. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Spence, John (February 9, 1954). "Education TV Papers Filed: Channel 10 Bid On Way to Washington". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Memphis, Tennessee. pp. 1, 7. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Channel 10's Drive Starts Here Monday: More Than 400 Expected To Attend Luncheon". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. May 15, 1954. p. 17. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Britten, Milton (June 2, 1954). "E-TV Expert Praises Memphis' Effort For Organizing Its Own Station". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Memphis, Tennessee. p. 14. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Negro Grid Game to Aid City's Educational TV". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Memphis, Tennessee. September 17, 1954. p. 21. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "E-TV Experts Praise Publicity Being Given Channel 10 Drive". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Memphis, Tennessee. June 3, 1954. p. 14. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Channel 10 TV Fund Rises Above $70,000". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. July 10, 1954. p. 7. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b Molloy, Paul (November 24, 1955). "Channel 10 Is Given Green Light By FCC: Construction Of Educational TV Station Will Start Immediate". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. pp. 1, 14. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Molloy, Paul (January 23, 1955). "Channel 10 Has Fine Start, Still Needs Financial Help For Its Educational Plans". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. p. 5. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Channel 10 Location Approved By Board: Educational TV Transmitter To Be On Macon Road". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. March 25, 1955. p. 38. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Channel 10 Boosters Are First To Sign Up: Subscriptions To Magazine Bought At Rally". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. May 6, 1955. p. 9. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "WHBQ Gives 2 Cameras To Channel 10: $30,000 Gift To Community Station". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Memphis, Tennessee. September 24, 1955. p. 2. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Channel 10 Is Given More TV Equipment: WMCT Presents Station With Two Projectors". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. September 20, 1955. p. 8. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Channel 10 Receives Station Equipment: $100,000 Shipment Arrives For Project". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. November 18, 1955. p. 25. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Education TV Plan Receives Approval". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. November 12, 1955. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Channel 10 To Bear Call Letters WKNO: Educational TV Station Name Submitted By Pair". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. December 15, 1955. p. 28. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Air Debut By Educational WKNO-TV: Its First Signal Well Received". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Memphis, Tennessee. May 25, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b Lee, Mary Ann (December 16, 1964). "'Great Strides' Mark WKNO's History: Channel 10, on Air 13 Hours Daily, Offers Education in 15 Fields". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Memphis, Tennessee. p. 37. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "WKNO Will Ask Offers On Land: Station's Move To MSU To Be Completed By End Of Summer". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. June 11, 1961. p. 13. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Telecasting Furlough Taken By WKNO; Station Moving". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. July 29, 1961. p. 13. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "ETV Facility Sets Program Tests". The Jackson Sun. Associated Press. February 6, 1968. p. 7. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  29. ^ "ETV Reception Studied". The Jackson Sun. February 22, 1968. p. 5. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ Casey, James (May 20, 1965). "Area TV Scope To Be Widened". The Jackson Sun. pp. 1, 11. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Why are both educational television stations..." The Jackson Sun. March 30, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Tanzer Roberts, Sue Ann (August 19, 1981). "WLJT-TV to initiate local programming". The Jackson Sun. p. 1B. Retrieved June 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/nov/15/dialing-it-up/ [bare URL]
  34. ^ "WKNO National".
  35. ^ "WOLF: Travels & Traditions&l= BURT WOLF: Travels & Traditions - Search Results".
  36. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WKNO". rabbitears.info.
  37. ^ List of Digital Full-Power Stations

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WKNO_(TV)&oldid=1192036898"