Detroit Public TV | About DPTV

Detroit Public Television (DPTV) began broadcasting in 1955 as WTVS Channel 56, a non-commercial, educational TV station licensed to the Detroit Educational Television Foundation. As a community licensee, DPTV now operates three digital broadcast television channels:

56.1 (DPTV’s High Definition main channel)
56.2 (DPTV PLUS, with alternate scheduling of many national and local shows)
56.3 CREATE (how-to, cooking, travel, and home improvement programs).

The digital service was launched in October 2000. The former analog Channel 56 service ended in 2009 when all broadcast television completed the changeover to digital.

Detroit Public TV also operates three websites:

dptv.org (the station’s primary site)
MiVote.org (with candidate interviews and debates and civic engagement information for voters)
MiEarth.org (with environmental information and postings)

Detroit Public TV also manages WRCJ 90.9 FM, a public radio classical and jazz station licensed to Detroit Public Schools, whose website is wrcjfm.org.

Detroit Public Television is governed by a Board of Trustees led by Chairman Richard E. Rassel. Rich Homberg is the Station's President and General Manager. The TV and radio stations employ and are helped by about 70 people full time plus a large number of part-timers, freelancers, interns, and volunteers.

DPTV is the only public television station in the Detroit market and Michigan’s most watched public station, regularly viewed by some 1.5 million people in southeast Michigan each week. Additionally, DPTV is available to 2.4 million homes throughout Canada via cable and Shaw Direct satellite-to-home.

Detroit Public Television operates from the Riley Broadcast Center, named for lead donors Dolores and George Riley, at 1 Clover Court in Wixom, Michigan 48393. Move-in began in 2005.

The Capital Campaign for the facility, its equipment, and a High Definition Production Truck reached a successful conclusion in 2009. DPTV completed building its new studios in 2010. A downtown Detroit studio is being developed to facilitate productions in the city. In addition, WRCJ 90.9 FM operates from the Detroit Public Schools’ School of Arts in Detroit’s cultural center.

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History Detroit Public Television (DPTV) began broadcasting in 1955 as WTVS Channel 56, a non-commercial, educational TV station licensed to the Detroit Educational Television Foundation. As a community licensee, DPTV now operates three digital broadcast television channels: 56.1 (DPTV’s High Definition main channel) 56.2 (DPTV PLUS, with alternate scheduling of many national and local shows) 56.3 CREATE (how-to, cooking, travel, and home improvement programs). The digital service was launched in October 2000. The former analog Channel 56 service ended in 2009 when all broadcast television completed the changeover to digital. Detroit Public TV also operates three websites: dptv.org (the station’s primary site) MiVote.org (with candidate interviews and debates and civic engagement information for voters) MiEarth.org (with environmental information and postings) Detroit Public TV also manages WRCJ 90.9 FM, a public radio classical and jazz station licensed to Detroit Public Schools, whose website is wrcjfm.org. Detroit Public Television is governed by a Board of Trustees led by Chairman Richard E. Rassel. Rich Homberg is the Station's President and General Manager. The TV and radio stations employ and are helped by about 70 people full time plus a large number of part-timers, freelancers, interns, and volunteers. DPTV is the only public television station in the Detroit market and Michigan’s most watched public station, regularly viewed by some 1.5 million people in southeast Michigan each week. Additionally, DPTV is available to 2.4 million homes throughout Canada via cable and Shaw Direct satellite-to-home. Detroit Public Television operates from the Riley Broadcast Center, named for lead donors Dolores and George Riley, at 1 Clover Court in Wixom, Michigan 48393. Move-in began in 2005. The Capital Campaign for the facility, its equipment, and a High Definition Production Truck reached a successful conclusion in 2009. DPTV completed building its new studios in 2010. A downtown Detroit studio is being developed to facilitate productions in the city. In addition, WRCJ 90.9 FM operates from the Detroit Public Schools’ School of Arts in Detroit’s cultural center.
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