PBS North Celebrates 60 Years
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
PBS NORTH CELEBRATES 60 YEARS
A Single Community Education Resource Evolves into a Multi-Channel and Multi-Platform Public Media Organization
Duluth, MN; September 10, 2024—PBS North is celebrating a milestone anniversary on Friday, September 13, 2024, as the organization turns 60 years old.
The company will hold a 60th Anniversary Bash on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at Chester Park in Duluth from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Local artisans from its Making It Up North show will be on hand as well as various food trucks, a craft beer garden (1:00pm 4:00pm), and a performance from Grammy Award winners The Okee Dokee Brothers. Also performing will be The Stearns County Pachanga Society, Minneapolis performer Nicholas David, and the Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company. Talent and producers from their local programming will be on-hand from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Adults and kids will not want to miss the chance to meet and take a photo with PBS KIDS characters Daniel Tiger, Clifford, Donkey Hodie, and Peg+Cat. Music will also be provided by PBS North sister station The North 103.3FM. A full schedule of events is found at pbsnorth.org.
On March 18, 1953, George A. Beck, then principal of Duluth Central High School, and about a dozen interested Duluthians met to form the Duluth Citizens Committee for Educational TV and Beck was elected chairperson. Unfortunately, educational television failed to raise much interest outside of the committee, and so they disbanded a year later.
In the summer of 1956, the issue of educational television became more critical. Several investment groups petitioned the FCC to reassign VHF Channel 8 for commercial use since it was supposed that it would never be used for educational purposes. The FCC agreed and proposed to reassign UHF Channel 32 to Duluth-Superior for educational television. Beck and the committee from 1953 mobilized to keep Channel 8 for educational television, marshaling support from 75 community organizations. In November 1956, Beck’s committee filed comments with the FCC, which ruled early in 1957 that Channel 8 would remain dedicated to educational television.
With new enthusiasm, Beck reactivated the educational television committee as the Duluth-Superior Educational Television Corporation in June 1957. Although initial fundraising efforts failed, the group persevered, and in 1963 applied for an FCC broadcast license for VHF Channel 8. In that same year, WDSE qualified for a facilities grant from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. After a
decade of struggle and disappointment, northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin finally had an educational television channel of their own.
On September 13th, 1964, WDSE sent out its first broadcast with a full day and evening of programming.
The station has continued to grow ever since and was one of the first in the area to broadcast a digital signal beginning in 2003. Today the station broadcasts five channels – PBS North, Explore, Create!, Minnesota Channel and PBS KIDS, via antennae and several of those over cable and satellite systems plus live streaming. The station has also been the leader in local digital content delivery through pbsnorth.org, PBS Passport, and the stations’ various YouTube channels.
“We are resolute every day to the vision of those that came before us to provide this essential education and entertainment service to the neighborhoods of the Northland, and beyond,” said station President and General Manager, Patty Mester. “Whether it is Almanac North each week, Great Gardening, Doctor’s On Call, Native Report, Minnesota Historia, or a well-crafted documentary, our staff keeps each community in mind when creating our local programming. And of course, the content offered to us through PBS and other national distributors is unmatched.” She continued, “with such a milestone anniversary we are looking forward to celebrating with the community and thanking them for their support. I hope everyone can join us at Chester Park on September 14th.”
###
About PBS North:
The Duluth-Superior Area Educational Television Corporation, known as PBS North, is a community- supported nonprofit public media organization dedicated to inspiring and enriching lives for a more vibrant community and being essential to the communities it serves. The station creates original locally focused series, documentaries, and digital videos, as well as curates educational and entertaining content through PBS and other national partners. More at pbsnorth.org.
Press Contacts: Tom Jamar, PBS North Director of Marketing 218-788-2842; tjamar@wdse.org
