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WPTD

Dayton, Ohio United States
Channels	Digital: 35 (UHF) Virtual: 16
Branding	ThinkTV 16
Programming
Affiliations	16.1: PBS 16.2: Again 16.3: Life 16.4: Ohio Channel/World 16.5: PBS Kids
Ownership
Owner	Public Media Connect (Greater Dayton Public Television, Inc.)
Sister stations	WPTO, WCET
History
First air date	March 20, 1967 (1967-03-20)
Former call signs	WKTR-TV (1967–1971) WOET-TV (1972–1977)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 16 (UHF, 1972–2009) Digital: 58 (UHF, 2003–2009) 16 (UHF, 2009–2019)
Former affiliations	Independent (1967–1969, August 1970–1971) ABC (January–August 1970)
Call sign meaning	Public Television in Dayton
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	25067
ERP	250 kW
HAAT	345 m (1,132 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	39°43′16″N 84°15′0″W / 39.72111°N 84.25000°W / 39.72111; -84.25000
Translator(s)	W25FI-D Maplewood
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	www.thinktv.org

WPTD (channel 16) is a television station in Dayton, Ohio, United States, serving the Miami Valley as a member of PBS. The station broadcasts from studios in downtown Dayton and a transmitter is located near South Gettysburg Avenue in the Highview Hills neighborhood in southwest Dayton. Its signal is relayed by translator station W25FI-D in Maplewood, Ohio, which broadcasts to Celina, Lima, and Wapakoneta.

WPTD and WPTO, licensed to Oxford but primarily broadcasting to greater Cincinnati and providing secondary public TV service in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas, form ThinkTV (stylized as Think). ThinkTV, legally Greater Dayton Public Television, and WCET in Cincinnati are separate subsidiaries of Public Media Connect; master control for all three stations is located in Dayton.

Channel 16 in Dayton was originally allocated for educational use, but this changed in 1965. A commercial station—WKTR-TV, owned by Kittyhawk Television and licensed to nearby Kettering—was built on channel 16 in 1967. It operated as a money-losing independent station for nearly all of its four-year history, with one major exception. On January 1, 1970, in a surprise, WKTR was announced as the new ABC affiliate for Dayton. This was vigorously contested by WKEF (channel 22), which had been airing most of ABC's programming in the market and was widely expected to become the full-time affiliate. Less than two months later, it was revealed that Kittyhawk management had bribed an ABC official in exchange for affiliation with the network, a scandal that led to a conviction; the resignations of two other network employees; and a federal investigation into bribery at the major networks. ABC also moved to revoke the affiliation agreement with WKTR-TV effective that August. In May, a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit filed by WKEF ordered ABC to supply its prime time programming to that station; WKTR-TV aired ABC's daytime shows until August 31, 1970, when all ABC programming moved to WKEF. Facing a challenge to its broadcast license and a petition by television program distributors to force it into involuntary bankruptcy, Kittyhawk took WKTR-TV off the air beginning February 27, 1971.

Plans already existed at that time to activate an educational television station in Dayton. The Ohio Educational Television Network Commission, a state agency coordinating educational broadcasting activities, used funds initially intended for new station construction to acquire the WKTR-TV license and transmitter; channel 16 began broadcasting again on April 24, 1972, as WOET-TV. WOET-TV initially served to simulcast WMUB-TV (the now-WPTO) in Oxford. In 1975, the commission transferred the license to University Regional Broadcasting—a consortium of Miami University, Central State University, and Wright State University. The station changed its call letters to WPTD in 1977; University Regional Broadcasting renamed itself Greater Dayton Public Television in 1982. After previously having offices spread in multiple locations, the station consolidated into new downtown Dayton studios in 1988. WPTO became a separately programmed secondary station in 1992.

WKTR-TV

Construction and early years

Ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 16 was the originally allocated reserved channel for educational television in Dayton. However, early exploration of activating the channel proved fruitless. In September 1953, a study group ceased activities, stating that starting such a station was "beyond the ability of this area". Interest bubbled up again in 1961 when the Miami Valley Educational Television Foundation was formed.

However, in 1965, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reallocated UHF television channels nationwide. The educational reservation was shifted to channel 45, and channel 16 became available for use by a commercial station. That June, Kittyhawk Broadcasting Corporation announced it would file to build channel 16 as an independent station and the fourth commercial outlet in the region; the station would be located in nearby Kettering. The FCC approved of Kittyhawk's application and granted a construction permit at the start of December. Kittyhawk announced it would build studios on a property on Stroop Road previously occupied by the local YMCA in Kettering and a transmitter at Moraine. However, work was delayed while Kittyhawk petitioned the FCC for a taller tower than originally proposed; a start date of January 1968 was set.

Delayed by weather and supply issues, WKTR-TV went on the air on March 20, 1967. Eight hours of programming a day were planned, including locally produced news, educational programs for the Kettering area, and a country and western music program, though the lineup was dominated by syndicated shows and movies. At the time of launch, the company announced its reorganization at Kittyhawk Television and claimed that it could be profitable in six months. Citing strong advertising sales, WKTR moved in September to extend its broadcast day from 8 to 15 hours a day, including shows pre-empted by the local network affiliates. However, this was cut back in December, when original general manager Kenneth Caywood quit and the station began broadcasting at 5 p.m. on weekdays with a schedule heavy on movies.

ABC sale negotiations

WKTR-TV continued to bleed money in 1968, and in January, negotiations were held with the ABC television network over a possible sale of channel 16, with ABC employees visiting Kettering to examine the station. It would have been the first UHF television station owned by ABC; the network already owned the maximum of five stations on the very high frequency (VHF) band and could own up to two UHF stations such as WKTR-TV. John Campbell, president of the owned-and-operated stations division of ABC, admitted on January 31 that the network was interested in the station. The possibility of WKTR-TV affiliating with ABC posed the possibility of major changes in local television. Even though Dayton had three stations, ABC programs were split between WLWD (channel 2) and WKEF (channel 22), with the latter desirous of a full affiliation and not getting it. WKEF aired 70 percent of the network's output in the Dayton area.

On February 13, 1969, ABC's board of directors authorized Campbell to proceed with buying WKTR-TV for $1.85 million subject to FCC approval. However, WKEF—which stood to lose all the ABC programs it carried—and parent company Springfield Television announced they would fight to block the transaction. WKEF general manager George Mitchell expressed dismay that ABC was capitalizing on the "spade work" WKEF had done in establishing UHF broadcasting in Dayton, while Campbell noted that ABC could cancel its secondary affiliation agreement with WKEF on four days' notice and that its WLWD affiliation expired in January 1970. Not wanting to endure a legal fight they predicted could last two to four years, Kittyhawk and ABC terminated the sale agreement in March.

Affiliation with ABC and bribery scandal

Even though it opted not to buy channel 16, ABC still needed an affiliate in Dayton for 1970, when WLWD would become a full-time NBC affiliate. WKEF was predicted to have the inside track on the affiliation. However, in a surprise, on November 21, 1969, ABC announced that WKTR-TV would become the new primary ABC affiliate for Dayton. In a statement, Kittyhawk president John A. Kemper hailed the announcement as the "happiest day of our lives" and attributed ABC's selection to its color programming and facilities; the vice president of the company noted that its investors had endured a deficit of nearly $2 million. This announcement also met with legal action from WKEF. In mid-December, it sued ABC, Kittyhawk, and Kemper. In its suit, the station alleged that ABC had invited it in May 1969 to sign an affiliation agreement, though it could not do so until November, and that it had been the primary carrier of ABC network programs in the Dayton area since March 1968. It fretted that, should the affiliation not be blocked in the courts, ABC would eventually move to buy the station outright. The lawsuit also alleged that William L. Putnam and ABC were at odds over plans to add VHF "drop-in" channels in markets throughout the U.S., an action opposed by Putnam but supported by ABC, and that Putnam had thwarted ABC plans in the northeast by dropping ABC from WWLP in Springfield, Massachusetts, and preventing the ABC affiliate in New Haven, Connecticut—WTNH—from moving its transmitter closer to Springfield. It also revealed that Kittyhawk had allegedly been rebuffed in its efforts to buy WKEF before filing for and building channel 16. The affiliation switch went ahead on January 1 as planned after WKEF's request for a temporary injunction was denied by a federal judge on the grounds that blocking the affiliation could cause WKTR-TV to lose its financing and its assets to creditors.

The affiliation fight took a new and sudden turn when Thomas G. Sullivan, a 43-year-old regional manager for ABC, was fired by the network on February 19. ABC vice president Robert Kaufman then filed a criminal complaint against Sullivan. Kaufman charged that Sullivan had told Kemper that WKTR-TV would need to pay $50,000 to a consultant by the name of John L. P. Daley, Jr., which in actuality was a bribe. A lawyer for Kemper denied the allegations.

In light of the bribery case, on February 26, ABC gave WKTR-TV a required six months' notice that it was ending its affiliation contract with the station effective August 30. It invited WKTR-TV and WKEF to submit new presentations outlining their cases for affiliation with the network. This marked part of a blitz of cleaning house orchestrated by network vice president James Hagerty, who had been the presidential press secretary in the 1950s; Hagerty told newsmen of the telegram sent to WKTR-TV and WKEF and fielded inquiries from reporters. The same day, Kemper resigned from Kittyhawk Television.

ABC hereby revokes its invitation of Mar. 12, 1970, to you to make presentation for a new affiliation agreement in light of evidence developed during the pre-trial discovery proceedings in the Dayton litigation, the statement read into the record of that proceeding by your counsel on Apr. 9, 1970, and the investigation for ABC by Mr. Clarence Fried.

With the addition of WSWO-TV (channel 26) in Springfield, all three Dayton-area UHF stations were invited to submit proposals for ABC affiliation to the network. Meanwhile, later in March, WKEF renewed its efforts in court to obtain an injunction barring ABC from supplying its programs to WKTR. This new lawsuit added two names to the case: Carmine Patti, ABC director of station relations, and Theodore H. Shaker, ABC vice president for the owned-and-operated stations. WKEF alleged that Kemper had met Joseph McMahon, who knew many ABC officials including Patti, at a party in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; he then hired McMahon as WKTR's representative in New York to lobby ABC for the affiliation. When Bert Julian, another ABC regional representative whose territory then included Dayton, was found to favor WKEF, it was alleged that Kemper complained to McMahon, who in turn told Patti; shortly thereafter, Dayton was moved from Julian's purview to Sullivan's, and Sullivan then suggested the hiring of the fictitious "John L. P. Daley". On April 11, days before Kittyhawk officials were to visit New York City to present to the network, ABC notified WKTR by telegram that it was revoking its invitation to the station to present an affiliation proposal to continue with the network after August 30—leaving WKEF and WSWO-TV as the only bidders—after additional evidence was uncovered in the WKEF court case and in a private investigation conducted on ABC's behalf.

On May 1, 1970, federal judge Timothy Sylvester Hogan issued an injunction ordering ABC to return to the pre-1970 status quo in Dayton within 20 days, requiring the network to move most shows off WKTR-TV and back to WKEF while the suit continued; however, WKTR-TV retained some ABC programs that WLWD had been carrying prior to 1970. An agreement was reached that saw ABC programming split between the two stations; channel 16 would air daytime ABC shows, while the ABC Evening News and prime time programs would air on channel 22. A revised court order then gave WKEF rights to the ABC prime time programming beginning at the end of May. ABC then awarded WKEF the full-time ABC affiliation in June, giving it first call rights to all network programs for the first time in its history.

Financial troubles and shutdown

In WKTR-TV's final months with ABC programming, financial issues returned to the fore. Montgomery County sued Kittyhawk Television seeking payment on $9,000 in unpaid taxes; eight employees were laid off; and a sale was announced to an unspecified group of "veteran broadcasters located in the West", though this never materialized. At the start of September, ahead of the scheduled expiration of the station's broadcast license, Springfield Television challenged Kittyhawk Television's renewal, citing the facts raised in the bribery case. Another creditor, a Virginia advertising firm, sued to force the appointment of a receiver for Kittyhawk; four months later, three television program syndicators filed seeking the placement of the business into involuntary bankruptcy.

On February 27, 1971, WKTR-TV failed to sign on the air. An employee told the Dayton Daily News that the board of directors had decided to cease telecasting.

Public TV for Dayton

WOET-TV: An educational rescue

The Ohio Educational Television Network Commission (OET), a state government agency tasked with building and expanding a network of educational television stations across the state, then entered into negotiations to purchase channel 16 from Kittyhawk Television. This marked an acceleration for plans already in the works to build an educational station on channel 45, which had been the allocation since the 1965 national allotment changes. The Ohio Board of Regents had already set aside $565,000 for a Dayton station, with programming to be managed by a consortium of Miami University, Central State University, and Wright State University. In addition, Springfield Television asked the FCC to hold off on acting on its petition to deny the license renewal, citing the negotiations to sell channel 16 for educational use. Negotiations were finalized in April for a $550,000 purchase of WKTR-TV, though only the license and transmitter were included. Meanwhile, in the bankruptcy case, Kittyhawk denied it was bankrupt, and Thomas G. Sullivan was sentenced to five years' probation for accepting the WKTR-TV bribe. Late on the evening of April 27, WKTR-TV broadcast for the first time in two months after its two-month authorization to remain off the air was believed to have ended. In fact, the FCC had granted an extension, but this was not received in time, and the station broadcast anyway.

The return of channel 16 to the air was planned for September, to coincide with the start of fall programming on Miami University's WMUB-TV (channel 14) in Oxford, but the FCC had yet to approve the license transfer because of the pending bankruptcy case. This meant that Sesame Street went unseen in Dayton for a brief time, as WKEF had been airing the show and dropped it in anticipation of WKTR returning. The FCC did not approve the transfer until October 15, but it was not until 1972 that the station returned to the air. During that time, the call letters were changed to WOET-TV, for Ohio Educational Television, and the universities agreed to pay for nighttime programming on the station after funding was cut by the Ohio General Assembly.

WOET-TV began broadcasting as an educational television station on April 24, 1972, by rebroadcasting WMUB-TV. WMUB-TV, in turn, rebroadcast PBS programs from WCET in Cincinnati; the first week of programs on WOET was plagued by issues because WCET, the ultimate off-air source for the programs, held a local pledge drive. However, Miami, Central State, and Wright State continued to quarrel over the shape of their partnership to run channel 16. The Network Commission intended to transfer the license to the consortium, but Wright State objected to the inclusion of Miami, which the network commission had insisted on because of its existing studios and previous television experience. Wright State believed it should be the sole operator of the station, though it ultimately relented and agreed to the tri-university consortium.

Maturation

Plans for the consortium, to be known as University Regional Broadcasting (URB), took a step forward in 1974, when WMUB-TV was added to the proposed design of the group; eventually, separate programming for the two stations was foreseen. On April 22, 1975, the FCC approved the transfer of the WOET-TV license from the Network Commission to University Regional Broadcasting, with the tri-university consortium taking over on July 1.

The shift to University Regional Broadcasting coincided with the maturation of channel 16. WOET-TV held its first fundraising drive in March 1975 as part of a PBS national initiative. Operations moved to a facility on Dixie Drive; translators were built at Celina and Piqua to extend coverage; and the station changed its call letters to WPTD (Public Television in Dayton) on March 1, 1977 (with WMUB-TV becoming WPTO, Public Television in Oxford). On May 30, 1980, the FCC approved the change of WPTD's city of license from Kettering to Dayton. University Regional Broadcasting renamed itself Greater Dayton Public Television in 1982, reflecting its status as a community licensee without active university management.

Into new studios

Dr. Clair R. Tettemer, the only president of WPTD–WPTO throughout the 10-year history of University Regional Broadcasting/Greater Dayton Public Television, retired in 1985 and was replaced by Jerrold Wareham, a native of Norfolk, Virginia, who had been president of WHRO-TV there. Wareham's largest challenge was consolidating the public TV station's studios and offices: an operations center in Jefferson Township and offices in Kettering, plus a site in Moraine from which the station's annual auction—a major fundraiser—originated. The lack of studio space presented a major constraint on local programming; the only available studio at the Jefferson Township site had once been a transmitter room. Prior to Wareham's arrival, Greater Dayton Public Television had begun a capital campaign. While the station was invited to move into a new performing arts center in Dayton, it could not wait for the project to develop; in March 1987, WPTD signed an agreement to relocate to 22,000 square feet (2,000 m) of space in the Transportation Center downtown, aided by a construction loan from the city of Dayton. Soundproofing tests were required because the facility was near the Greyhound Lines bus depot; the facility's design, with a relative lack of windows, led Dayton city officials to adopt new standards for future downtown building projects. The new facility opened in 1988.

The new studios also helped lay the groundwork for providing separate programming from WPTD and WPTO. Over a year between late 1986 and late 1987, the two stations split for fewer than 10 programs. However, it was not until transmitter improvements at both Dayton and Oxford created services with signal overlap that this vision was deemed feasible. This eventually came to pass on July 1, 1992, when WPTO began airing a secondary lineup of primarily instructional and educational programs as well as documentaries, as well as rebroadcasts of key PBS shows in different time periods. WPTO was added to the major cable systems in Cincinnati and Dayton in 1993.

Wareham left Greater Dayton Public Television in 1993 to become the president of WVIZ, the public television station in Cleveland. He was replaced by David M. Fogarty, who had previously served under Wareham as station manager.

ThinkTV: Collaboration and merger with WCET

In 2000, the ThinkTV stations and WCET began sharing a senior executive, Scott Elliott, who had previously only worked at WCET. While the employee-sharing did not represent a merger, it paved the way for further collaboration between the public broadcasters. On October 31, 2008, Greater Dayton Public Television and the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation (CET), owner of WCET, announced plans to merge their resources into one non-profit organization serving all of Southwest Ohio, while maintaining separate identities. In May 2009, after two years of discussions, Public Media Connect was formed as a merger of the two groups, with each continuing as local nonprofits and subsidiaries. The merger resulted in the July 2010 transfer of WCET's master control operations to ThinkTV's facilities in Dayton.

The ThinkTV channels and WCET were off the air (and not available through any other providers) from just after 4 p.m. on July 5 until 11:40 a.m. on July 9, 2019 due to the failure of a multiplexer in the master control power supply at ThinkTV in downtown Dayton.

On November 15, 2019, per an agreement with Greater Dayton Public Television, WHIO-TV (channel 7), which had suffered a transmitter failure on November 5, requested special temporary authority from the FCC to transmit its main (CBS) subchannel over WPTD's subchannel 16.2, displacing the "16 Again" service. On November 18, subchannel 16.2 began broadcasting WHIO-TV programming. On November 21, WHIO-TV repaired its transmitter and normal content was restored to subchannel 16.2.

On May 15, 2020, there was a pro forma transfer of WPTO's license from Greater Dayton Public Television to Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation.

Digital television

Analog-to-digital conversion

On May 1, 2003, ThinkTV marked the beginning of its conversion to digital technology with the introduction of four new digital program services and a digital simulcast channel for WPTD. WPTD originally operated its digital signal on UHF channel 58. One year later in May 2004, ThinkTV entered phase two of its digital conversion with the installation of new digital master control equipment and the introduction of new digital channels for WPTO. WPTO operated its digital signal on UHF channel 28, broadcasting from Cincinnati.

During this period, the digital channels were 16.2 (ThinkTV 16 DT), 16.3 (ThinkTV 16 Again), 16.4 (ThinkTV 16 Create), 16.5 (ThinkTV 16 Ohio) and 16.6 (ThinkTV HD) for WPTD; and 14.2 (ThinkTV 14 DT), 14.3 (ThinkTV 14 Prime), 14.4 (ThinkTV 14 Learn, carrying PBS Kids and college telecourses), 14.5 (ThinkTV 14 World) and 14.6 (ThinkTV HD). Neither WPTD nor WPTO had an x.1 subchannel; the x.2 subchannels matched their respective analog channels; also, 16.6 and 14.6 carried identical PBS HD programming, which was distinct from the separate analog programming on WPTD and on WPTO.

On May 1, 2009, just over one month before full-power television stations in the United States were scheduled to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate, WPTD shut down its analog signal over UHF channel 16 and WPTO shut down its analog signal, broadcasting from Oxford, over UHF channel 14. WPTD's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 58, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to its analog-era UHF channel 16; WPTO's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 28, continuing to broadcast from Cincinnati, using PSIP to display WPTO's virtual channel as 14 on digital television receivers.

On the same day, the subchannels were realigned. On WPTD: ThinkTV 16 HD on 16.1, ThinkTV 16 Again on 16.2, ThinkTV 16 Create on 16.3, ThinkTV 16 Ohio on 16.4, and ThinkTV 16 DT (a standard-definition simulcast of 16.1) on 16.5. On WPTO: ThinkTV 14 HD on 14.1, ThinkTV 14 Prime on 14.2, ThinkTV 14 Learn on 14.3, ThinkTV 14 World on 14.4, and ThinkTV 14 DT (a standard-definition simulcast of 14.1) on 14.5.

WPTD's digital subchannel 16.3 was changed from ThinkTV 16 Create to ThinkTV 16 Life, carrying similar types of programming, later in 2009.

On January 16, 2017, both WPTD's digital subchannel 16.5 (ThinkTV 16 DT) and WPTO's digital subchannel 14.3 (ThinkTV 14 Learn) were changed to 24/7 carriage of PBS Kids.

In September 2017, WPTD's digital subchannel 16.4 was rebranded from ThinkTV 16 Ohio to ThinkTV 16 Ohio/World, with programming added from World.

WPTD moved its digital signal from channel 16 to channel 35, and WPTO moved its digital signal from channel 28 to channel 29, at 10 a.m. on October 18, 2019, as part of the FCC's spectrum reallocation process. WPTO operated at low power from that date until May 1, 2020. In addition, WPTD's Maplewood translator, W32DS-D, has moved its digital signal from channel 32 to channel 25, as W25FI-D.

Subchannels

WPTD's signal is multiplexed:

Translators

Per FCC filings, WPTD's translator station W17AA in Celina had authorization in 2009 to flash-cut to digital operations on UHF channel 17, at a tower site near its existing analog tower. However, before this conversion could be completed, W17AA suspended operations on January 5, 2011 due to circumstances beyond Greater Dayton Public Television's control, namely a loss of site. The tower owner, the State of Ohio, has plans to dismantle the tower utilized by W17AA, and in anticipation has disconnected power to the tower site location. As a result, GDPTV was forced to suspend operations on W17AA. On January 14, 2011, GDPTV requested a six-month authorization to maintain silent (off-air) status. GDPTV then began the process of considering its options for modification of the W17AA license to allow for its resumption of service. On July 26, 2011, the FCC accepted GDPTV's surrender for cancellation of W17AA's license.

WPTD's other translator station, W63AH channel 63 in Maplewood, also had authorization in 2009 to switch to digital operations, on channel 32. However, W63AH suspended operations on March 30, 2010, also due to a loss of site, following a change in ownership for the translator station's licensed tower location. On April 5, 2010, GDPTV requested a six-month authorization to maintain silent status. On September 9, 2010, GDPTV was granted authorization to relocate its approved digital broadcast facility to a tower near Celina, with the community of license remaining Maplewood. On January 18, 2011, the station was granted "license to cover", allowing it to resume broadcasting. The station now operates digitally on channel 25, as W25FI-D (it officially took the W32DS callsign in May 2009).

W25FI-D covers both Celina and the Maplewood, Ohio, area and operates with a directional antenna towards the southeast.

References

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37. Miller, Jonathan (July 7, 1970). "County sues WKTR for delinquent taxes". The Journal Herald. p. 11. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
38. Hopkins, Tom (August 12, 1970). "Ch. 16 Sold To Group From West". Dayton Daily News. p. 1. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
39. "What's Up at Channel 16? Reruns and Rebuttals". Dayton Daily News. December 4, 1970. p. 76. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
40. "Licensing of Ch. 16 Challenged by Ch. 22". Dayton Daily News. September 1, 1970. p. 48. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
41. "Channel 16 hit with new suit". The Journal Herald. October 23, 1970. p. 35. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
42. Robbins, Fred (February 23, 1971). "Channel 16 Target In Bankruptcy Action". Dayton Daily News. p. 6. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
43. "Ch. 16 Goes Dark". Dayton Daily News. February 28, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
44. Hopkins, Tom (March 2, 1971). "Educational TV May Get Ch. 16 License". Dayton Daily News. p. 1. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
45. "Educational TV Enrolls For Airing on Channel 16". Dayton Daily News. April 20, 1971. p. 42. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
46. Platt, Brainard (May 21, 1971). "ETV here expected by fall". The Journal Herald. p. 29. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
47. "Channel 16 Denies Bankruptcy Charges". Dayton Daily News. March 11, 1971. p. 13. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
48. "TV executive sentenced". The Journal Herald. March 31, 1971. p. 12. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
49. "Mystery Voice: Channel 16 Speaks, But Doesn't Tell". Dayton Daily News. April 28, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
50. Hopkins, Tom (April 30, 1971). "Saga of Channel 16 Is an Education in Itself". Dayton Daily News. p. 68. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
51. Hopkins, Tom (September 3, 1971). "WKTR-TV Broadcasting Delayed 'Til Mid-October". Dayton Daily News. p. 1. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
52. "Purchase of TV 16 approved". The Journal Herald. October 16, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
53. Hopkins, Tom (January 14, 1972). "Channel 16 Gets Universities' Aid". Dayton Daily News. p. 1. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
54. Herd, David M. (May 10, 1972). "Meeting Planned to Decide Educational TV Control". Dayton Daily News. p. 20. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
55. "WSU Holding Firm On TV Operation". Dayton Daily News. June 7, 1972. pp. 1, 14. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
56. Felton, John (June 7, 1972). "WSU to resume TV 'partnership'". The Journal Herald. pp. 23, 24. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
57. Hopkins, Tom (September 29, 1974). "Hula, Burglary Prevention, Pet Care Part of PBS Lineup". Dayton Daily News. p. 83. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
58. Hopkins, Tom (April 23, 1975). "NBC Cuts Smothers, Davis, Tanner, Crane and Others". Dayton Daily News. p. 64. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
59. Hopkins, Tom (March 20, 1975). "Channel 16's First Fund-Raiser Cooked Up Quite a Nestegg". Dayton Daily News. p. 60. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
60. Hopkins, Tom (August 18, 1975). "Sheen, Blair Worked So Well A Second Pairing Is Planned". Dayton Daily News. p. 36. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
61. Hopkins, Tom (January 7, 1976). "'The Neighbors' is new low for game show masochists". Dayton Daily News. p. 48. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
62. Hopkins, Tom (February 28, 1977). "TV 2's 'The Butcher' gets a slice of national action". Dayton Daily News. p. 28. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
63. "FCC History Cards for WPTD". Federal Communications Commission.
64. "Channels 16, 14 get new corporate name". Sidney Daily News. September 18, 1982. p. 10. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
65. Morris, Terry (September 26, 1985). "WPTD-WPTO gets new president". The Journal Herald. p. 3. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
66. ^ Hopkins, Tom (July 6, 1986). "Future move poses complex questions for Channels 14/16". Dayton Daily News. p. 1-D. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
67. "WPTD, Channel 16, plans to move downtown". Dayton Daily News and Journal Herald. March 26, 1987. p. 49. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
68. Kline, Benjamin (March 5, 1988). "Fine-tuning: As picture clears, Channel 16's new home may overcome early doubts about its look". Dayton Daily News. p. 23. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
69. Harty, Rosemary (January 27, 1988). "Design of WPTD's building prompts city to set standards". Dayton Daily News. p. 18. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
70. Harter, Kevin (September 11, 1988). "Public tours new studio of WPTD". Dayton Daily News. p. 1-B. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
71. Hopkins, Tom (December 6, 1987). "Channel 16 to acquire global link". Dayton Daily News and Journal Herald. pp. 1-C, 3-C. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
72. "Channel 14 may air own programming". Dayton Daily News. May 20, 1990. pp. 1C, 2C. Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
73. Hopkins, Tom (June 13, 1992). "WPTO-TV (Channel 14) is separating from WPTD (Channel 16) as of July 1". Dayton Daily News. p. 42. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
74. Hopkins, Tom (September 18, 1993). "Channel 14 gets grant for upgrade". Dayton Daily News. p. 2B. Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
75. Hopkins, Tom (April 16, 1993). "Wareham accepts Cleveland post: Greater Dayton Public Television trustees begin search for new chief". Dayton Daily News. p. 9B. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
76. Hopkins, Tom (December 14, 1993). "Changing of the guard: WPTD-TV getting new station manager". Dayton Daily News. p. 5C. Retrieved June 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
77. Dempsey, Laura (March 4, 2000). "Public TV stations to share exec: Scott Elliott will serve Channels 16, 14 and 48". Dayton Daily News. p. 5B. Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
78. "ThinkTV and CET to Merge" (Press release). Greater Dayton Public Television. 2008-10-31.
79. Larsen, Dave (May 9, 2009). "Public TV tries partnership". Dayton Daily News. p. A6. Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
80. Schroeder, Kaitlin (July 9, 2019). "ThinkTV is back on air after equipment failure". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
81. Kiesewetter, John (July 9, 2019). "WCET-TV, WPTD-TV And WPTO-TV Back On Air". WVXU. Cincinnati Public Radio. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
82. "DTV Engineering STA Application". Public Inspection Files. FCC. November 15, 2019. File Number:0000090086. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
83. "WHIO-TV Exhibit for Emergency STA for Channel Share". Public Inspection Files. FCC. November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
84. "GDPT-MVBC Agreement". Public Inspection Files. FCC. November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
85. "WHIO-TV technical difficulties affect over the air viewers – How to watch online". WHIO. November 19, 2019. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
86. "THE WAIT IS OVER! Signal restored, WHIO-TV back on-air". WHIO. November 21, 2019. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
87. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
88. "PBS Kids 24/7". ThinkTV. 2017. Archived from the original on January 23, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
89. Filby, Max (June 6, 2018). "TV antenna not working? Local channels start changing frequencies soon". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
90. "Form 399: Incentive Auction Relocation Reimbursement Fund System". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. October 24, 2017. File Number: 0000028659. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
91. "Form 399: Incentive Auction Relocation Reimbursement Fund System". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. March 12, 2018. File Number: 0000028670. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
92. "Rescan Day". Greater Dayton Public Television. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019.
93. "Rescan Day". Greater Dayton Public Television. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020.
94. "Displacement for LPTV Translator Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2018. File Number: 0000054368. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
95. "TV Query for WPTD". RabbitEars.
96. Google Maps: FCC coverage area for W25FI-D

External links

• Official website
• History of UHF Television: WKTR-TV/16 & WKEF/22, Dayton OH

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• Lima, Ohio
• PBS member stations
• Television channels and stations established in 1959
• 1959 establishments in Ohio
• Television channels and stations established in 1972
• 1972 establishments in Ohio
• Central State University
• Miami University
• Wright State University
• Television stations in Dayton, Ohio