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WQPT-TV AI simulator
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WQPT-TV AI simulator
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WQPT-TV
WQPT-TV (channel 24) is a PBS member television station licensed to Moline, Illinois, United States, serving the Quad Cities area of northwestern Illinois and southeastern Iowa. Owned by Western Illinois University-Quad Cities, the station maintains studios at Riverfront Hall on the WIU-QC campus in Moline, and its transmitter is located in Orion, Illinois. Master control is based at fellow PBS member WTVP in Peoria, which also has an agreement with WILL-TV in Champaign.
W27EJ-D (channel 27) in Sterling operates as a translator of WQPT-TV.
In the 1970s, the Quad Cities was one of the few areas in the United States without a PBS station. The default PBS member for the area was Iowa Educational Television (now Iowa PBS) outlet KIIN in Iowa City. That station's transmitter was located in West Branch, roughly halfway between Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities, in order to serve both markets. Cable providers on the Illinois side of the market also piped in WTTW in Chicago or WTVP in Peoria, depending on the location.
A number of meetings were held with western Illinois civic organizations, businesses, elected public representatives, and private and public educational institutions from 1970 to 1976. The outcome of these discussions was the establishment of the West Central Illinois Educational Telecommunications Corporation, incorporated in Illinois on February 9, 1976. The corporation was composed of these Illinois educational institutions serving the region: Blackhawk Community College in Moline, Bradley University in Peoria, Western Illinois University in Macomb, and Sangamon State University in Springfield. Its mission was "to establish an educational television network, provide educational content, create local and public affairs programming to serve the residents and businesses of west-central Illinois".
George Hall was appointed as first president of the Corporation in 1978. He had previously served as general manager for North Carolina State University's educational television station. Bylaws for the corporation were approved on January 13, 1984.
The brand name Convocom was adopted in 1978 for the corporation, and offices were established in Peoria. The original vision for the Convocom television network was to encompass five broadcast transmitters linked via microwave. The master control would be located at Convocom headquarters in Peoria. WTVP would serve as the main station, with satellites in Moline, Macomb, Quincy and Jacksonville/Springfield.
WQPT began broadcast operations on November 2, 1983, owned by Black Hawk College. Although Black Hawk was a founding member of Convocom, it never joined the Convocom microwave network and master control facilities in Peoria, as originally envisioned in the 1970s design. Instead, it branded WQPT as a locally focused PBS member for the Quad Cities.
Bob Fletcher was named as WQPT's General Manager and Rick Best was appointed as the station's business manager. Rick Best later served as WQPT's General Manager from 1997 until June 2012.
WQPT-TV
WQPT-TV (channel 24) is a PBS member television station licensed to Moline, Illinois, United States, serving the Quad Cities area of northwestern Illinois and southeastern Iowa. Owned by Western Illinois University-Quad Cities, the station maintains studios at Riverfront Hall on the WIU-QC campus in Moline, and its transmitter is located in Orion, Illinois. Master control is based at fellow PBS member WTVP in Peoria, which also has an agreement with WILL-TV in Champaign.
W27EJ-D (channel 27) in Sterling operates as a translator of WQPT-TV.
In the 1970s, the Quad Cities was one of the few areas in the United States without a PBS station. The default PBS member for the area was Iowa Educational Television (now Iowa PBS) outlet KIIN in Iowa City. That station's transmitter was located in West Branch, roughly halfway between Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities, in order to serve both markets. Cable providers on the Illinois side of the market also piped in WTTW in Chicago or WTVP in Peoria, depending on the location.
A number of meetings were held with western Illinois civic organizations, businesses, elected public representatives, and private and public educational institutions from 1970 to 1976. The outcome of these discussions was the establishment of the West Central Illinois Educational Telecommunications Corporation, incorporated in Illinois on February 9, 1976. The corporation was composed of these Illinois educational institutions serving the region: Blackhawk Community College in Moline, Bradley University in Peoria, Western Illinois University in Macomb, and Sangamon State University in Springfield. Its mission was "to establish an educational television network, provide educational content, create local and public affairs programming to serve the residents and businesses of west-central Illinois".
George Hall was appointed as first president of the Corporation in 1978. He had previously served as general manager for North Carolina State University's educational television station. Bylaws for the corporation were approved on January 13, 1984.
The brand name Convocom was adopted in 1978 for the corporation, and offices were established in Peoria. The original vision for the Convocom television network was to encompass five broadcast transmitters linked via microwave. The master control would be located at Convocom headquarters in Peoria. WTVP would serve as the main station, with satellites in Moline, Macomb, Quincy and Jacksonville/Springfield.
WQPT began broadcast operations on November 2, 1983, owned by Black Hawk College. Although Black Hawk was a founding member of Convocom, it never joined the Convocom microwave network and master control facilities in Peoria, as originally envisioned in the 1970s design. Instead, it branded WQPT as a locally focused PBS member for the Quad Cities.
Bob Fletcher was named as WQPT's General Manager and Rick Best was appointed as the station's business manager. Rick Best later served as WQPT's General Manager from 1997 until June 2012.