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36-434: WFYI may refer to: WFYI (TV) , a television station (channel 21, virtual 20) licensed to serve Indianapolis, Indiana, United States WFYI-FM , a radio station (90.1 FM) licensed to serve Indianapolis, Indiana WFYI-LD, a low-power ATSC 3.0 television station (channel 29, virtual 20) licensed to serve Indianapolis, Indiana, United States [REDACTED] Topics referred to by

72-401: A 30-minute sampler of educational programs. Response to the door-to-door effort was reported to be greater than anticipated, but a lack of knowledge of educational TV programming and bad weather worked against it. Within a month, the group, led by Ardath Burkhart and dubbed "Ardath's Army", had raised more than $ 250,000, which was enough to assure that WFYI would sign on the air and resulted in

108-424: A North Meridian Street address) north of downtown Indianapolis, within the city's Television Row section. The TV station's transmitter is located on West 79th Street and Township Line Road on the city's northwest side (near Meridian Hills ). After a years-long fight to start public television, much delayed by competing tower site plans proposed by commercial stations, WFYI debuted on October 4, 1970. Its foundation

144-544: A congratulatory telegram from first lady Pat Nixon . The launch was originally set for September 1970, but equipment issues resulted in a month's delay. The transmitter was activated on September 16, and WFYI began programming on the evening of October 4, becoming the first new television station in Indianapolis since 1957. The next day, PBS began operations in replacement of National Educational Television . Offices were maintained at Oldfields until WFYI moved into

180-669: A decrease in effective radiated power but raised the height above average terrain by 600 feet (180 m), improving reception. The Women's Council for Channel 20 became Friends of Channel 20, the station's fundraising support arm, in 1975; Ardath Burkhart served on the WFYI board and the PBS national board of directors before dying in 1983 at the age of 78. WFYI left the former WISH-TV studios but remained on Meridian Street when it moved into studios being vacated by WTHR at 1401 Meridian in 1982; new UHF startup WPDS-TV (channel 59) then occupied

216-467: A disadvantage to the Indianapolis network affiliates. Two of the Indianapolis network affiliates— WISH-TV and WLWI —then made a counter-offer to the television association in 1967 to permit the use of one of their towers and provide $ 350,000 in equipment, noting that the WTTV tower move condition was a hindrance to approving channel 20. WTTV responded by sweetening its proposal, stating that it would offer

252-476: A hearing examiner to give the initial nod for the channel to Tarzian, citing its superior programming plans and broadcast experience as a factor that outweighed the local ownership represented by Brown. Brown appealed the initial decision, and the FCC granted him the permit in 1959. The station is now WBKO . In 1957, Sarkes Tarzian founded WPTA , serving Fort Wayne, Indiana , taking an affiliation with ABC; in 1973,

288-486: A joint operating agreement whereby the two stations would collaborate on programming and facilities. This continued until Butler sold WTBU in 2004 to the Daystar Television Network . What was then known as the "WFYI Teleplex" announced in 2007 that it would move to 1630 N. Meridian Street, a building previously used by Indiana Energy. The $ 20 million relocation included the $ 8.5 million purchase of

324-587: A major revenue shortfall from the Great Recession . As a result, production ceased on new episodes of Across Indiana , a popular state travel series on the air since 1988. In March 2024, WFYI content staff announced their intentions to unionize with SAG-AFTRA and asked management for voluntary recognition. In fiscal year 2021, WFYI TV had total revenue of $ 8.67 million. Its 17,789 contributors donated more than $ 1.9 million. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting contributed $ 1.3 million, most of it in

360-605: A new tower site. Plans firmed up in early 1968 with the appointment of a general manager; the selection of WISH-TV's tower for the channel 20 antenna; and proposals to use studios of the Christian Theological Seminary as well as equipment donated by WISH, WLWI, and WFBM-TV . In July, the amended application was mailed to the FCC, but another problem bogged down approval. The new WISH tower was objected to by WLFI in Lafayette, Indiana . Like WISH, WLFI

396-503: A site in Indianapolis, which it would share with the new educational station alongside other donations by WTTV founder and owner Sarkes Tarzian ; studios would be on the Indiana Central campus. The idea of sharing the tower with WTTV and a second proposed commercial independent station for Indianapolis was part of a leverage strategy to try and convince the FCC to let WTTV move its facility from Bloomington, where it had been at

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432-627: A station to be built by Butler University or Indiana Central College. Butler applied for channel 20 in September 1962, though it admitted at the time that its plans were incomplete. At the end of 1965, the Metropolitan Indianapolis Television Association, a new group headed by Esch, applied for channel 20. At the same time, WTTV in Bloomington sought permission to move its transmitter to

468-463: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages WFYI (TV) WFYI (channel 20) is a PBS member television station in Indianapolis, Indiana , United States. It is owned by Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media, Inc. alongside NPR member WFYI-FM (90.1). The two stations share studios between Pierson and Illinois Streets (using

504-611: The University of Indianapolis , asked the FCC to allocate channel 13, then in a disputed application process, for educational use. Esch believed channel 20 would never be used because it was in the ultra high frequency (UHF) band and not all homes could receive it. A booster group, the Indianapolis Committee for Educational Television, was formed in 1960, with the idea of bringing in educational programming from Indiana University for broadcast or possibly supporting

540-516: The 1440 Meridian facility. In 1986, Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Broadcasting acquired WIAN (90.1 FM), a public radio station owned by Indianapolis Public Schools . The station became known as WFYI-FM in March 1988. From 1985 to 1989, WFYI programming was seen in Fort Wayne, Indiana , until public television station WFWA-TV there began originating its own programming. Meek retired at

576-600: The FCC to build a television station on channel 13 in Bowling Green, Kentucky , the only allotted VHF channel for southern Kentucky. The first group to file was Sarkes Tarzian. A second application followed shortly thereafter, from George A. Brown, Jr., the Kentucky representative for Nashville -based General Shoe Corporation . It was not until February 1957 that the commission designated the applications against each other for hearing, and it took another 18 months for

612-509: The FM radio band on 88.1-107.9 MHz, but FM receivers were expensive purchases. After two years of successful operation of what he referred to as his "HIFAM" station, in 1948 Tarzian proposed that the FCC allocate a small high-frequency HIFAM broadcast band, saying that an affordable $ 5.95 converter could be added to existing AM radios to make them capable of receiving the HIFAM stations. (This idea

648-590: The activities of the Indiana General Assembly . The station's signal is multiplexed : All three subchannels are also broadcast on WFYI-LD (channel 29), an ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) transmitter that began service in 2022. WFYI shut down its analog signal on UHF channel 20 on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate;

684-468: The benefits of such a station and demonstrating "monumental apathy and rampaging lassitude". Mayor Richard Lugar formed a group to raise funds to sustain operations and receive a matching grant. After meeting its fundraising deadline and modifying its application to specify a tower owned by WFBM-TV, thereby bypassing the WISH tower dispute, the impasse finally broke at the end of June 1969. The FCC granted

720-585: The broadcast medium. Sarkes Tarzian manufactured studio color TV cameras in the mid-1960s. The manufacturing operations were spun off in the 1970s and today the company still exists as a broadcaster, owning several television and radio stations. Gray Television has owned a partial stake in Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. Tarzian was married to Mary Mangigian Tarzian ; they had two children. The Sarkes and Mary Tarzian Nature Preserve in Bloomington , Indiana , commemorates their names. Lake Tarzian located within

756-437: The building and $ 11.6 million in new equipment. The larger facility offered more room for community events, more parking, and space that WFYI could sublease to other companies. WFYI television was the last component of the public media company to move into the building in 2008. During this time, in 2007, the station began offering subchannels on its digital signal. The state of Indiana eliminated funding for WFYI in 2009 due to

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792-477: The construction permit on June 26, and a federal facility grant was approved days later. By October, there were call letters—WFYI—and facilities, but no fund drive had yet been slated to raise $ 350,000 needed to finance the first year of operational expenses, raising the prospect that nothing would come of all the effort. When Sesame Street debuted nationally that fall, WLWI aired the series until WFYI could begin broadcasting. We're here because men couldn't get

828-456: The end of 1988; he was replaced by Lloyd Wright, who began a 30-year tenure as general manager (a title changed to president and CEO). Under Wright, WFYI began its first-ever capital fundraising effort in 1995, as part of its 25th anniversary; this was undertaken to replace outdated equipment, which included the oldest UHF transmitter in use in the state of Indiana. In 1999, WFYI and Butler, which had built WTBU (channel 69) in 1991, entered into

864-463: The form of a Community Service Grant. Historically, WFYI has rarely been a large producer of network programming. This was because there were fewer underwriters for expensive productions, as fewer major companies were headquartered in Indianapolis. However, it has produced a significant amount of local and regional programming. In 1974, the station began airing state public affairs program The Lawmakers , later retitled Indiana Lawmakers , which covers

900-496: The former WISH-TV studios at 1440 Meridian Street in August 1971, enabling it to start producing its first local programming on January 2, 1972. When Frank Meek became WFYI's general manager in 1972, the station was struggling to make payroll, and the only cameras it owned filmed in black-and-white. In 1973, after WISH ultimately opted not to build its proposed tower, WFYI began construction of its own mast. The relocation came with

936-442: The job done. The men have been batting this thing around since 1951 and it's about time for them to give up. Ardath Burkhart Early 1970 was spent raising funds to put WFYI into service. A major effort was mounted starting on March 1, involving more than 9,000 women selling charter memberships door-to-door; churches announcing the fund drive from their pulpits; and the organization of a fundraising auction. That day, WLWI aired

972-512: The same frequency as Tarzian's station. Moreover, after the station's final license expired on June 1, 1950, the FCC denied Tarzian any further renewals. In 1949 he started television station WTTV in Bloomington, which at various times under Sarkes Tarzian ownership operated as a DuMont , NBC and ABC affiliate and as an independent station . The station was sold by Tarzian to Teleco Corporation in 1978. In 1956, two groups filed with

1008-458: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about radio and/or television stations with the same/similar call signs or branding. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WFYI&oldid=1101163376 " Category : Broadcast call sign disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

1044-434: The station to provide programming to the local community, including Indiana University and Bloomington High School Football games, special events, and live band music from local high schools. Because standard AM radios could not tune to his station's high frequency, Tarzian modified a small number of sets himself and distributed them throughout the community. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had recently established

1080-604: The station was sold to Block Communications . It is currently owned by Allen Media Broadcasting . In 1980, Sarkes Tarzian bought television station KTVN in Reno, Nevada from Washoe Empire for $ 12.5 million. In 1982, Sarkes Tarzian bought television station WRCB in Chattanooga, Tennessee from Ziff Davis . The Sarkes Tarzian company was an important manufacturer of radio and television equipment, television tuners, and components. Its FM radio receivers helped to popularize

1116-426: The station was sold to Combined Communications for $ 3.6 million. In 1959, Sarkes Tarzian purchased dark WFAM-TV, channel 59, in Lafayette, Indiana from its owner, Henry Rosenthal. Sarkes Tarzian was able to get FCC approval to move the station to channel 18, which Rosenthal had been attempting since his purchase of the station in 1957. In 1967, the station's call sign was changed to the current WLFI-TV . In 1979,

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1152-467: The station's digital signal continued to broadcast on its pre-transition UHF channel 21, using virtual channel 20. Sarkes Tarzian He founded the manufacturing company Sarkes Tarzian Enterprises in 1944, and was involved in early experiments in VHF audio broadcasting in 1946. In May of that year, he began operating a 200-watt experimental AM station, W9XHZ, on 87.75 MHz in Bloomington. He used

1188-424: The use of the existing WTTV mast at Trafalgar to Indiana University, which was in the process of building WTIU (channel 30). The effect was to mire the establishment of channel 20 in a dispute between commercial stations. In June 1967, the FCC rejected WTTV's proposed relocation. The application sat in limbo, but progress was reported by October, even though the channel 20 proposals had to be amended to specify

1224-413: Was a CBS affiliate, and WLFI feared that WISH would encroach on its territory to its detriment. During this time, WTIU began broadcasting in March 1969, but Indianapolis was still the largest city in the nation without an educational station. Richard K. Shull, television columnist of The Indianapolis News , criticized local residents that had not moved to Indianapolis from elsewhere for not understanding

1260-457: Was essentially a revival of the " Apex band ", which had been discontinued in 1941.) Tarzian continued to operate his experimental station, which eventually became KS2XAP, until 1950, although by then its transmitting hours were greatly restricted, as the FCC required the station to remain off the air whenever nearby WFBM-TV in Indianapolis was broadcasting, because the TV station's audio transmitter used

1296-515: Was supported by a women-led fundraising drive to raise the first year's operating expenses. In addition to airing PBS and other public television programs, WFYI also produces programs of local and regional interest. Channel 20 was allocated for non-commercial educational use in Indianapolis by the Federal Communications Commission in 1952; however, in 1958, I. Lynd Esch, the president of Indiana Central College, now

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