On Friday, June 12, at 10 a.m., WGVU will join other area broadcast stations, as it ends analog broadcast. The switch to digital broadcast means channels 35 and 52 will become WGVU-TV 5 in Grand Rapids and WGVK TV-11 in Kalamazoo.
At 9:55 a.m., all WGVU stations will go live as Grand Valley State University President Thomas J. Haas, Grand Valley President Emeritus Arend D. Lubbers and Chairman Emeritus of Meijer, Inc. Fred Meijer push the button to make the switch. WGVU is located in the Meijer Public Broadcast Center in the Eberhard Center.
President Emeritus Lubbers was the first to welcome viewers in December of 1972 when then WGVC began broadcasting. He will be one of the first on June 12 to help mark the conversion from analog to digital broadcast.
WGVU General Manager Michael Walenta said the station’s digital signal has been at full power for the last year, allowing those who got a digital set early to find and test the signal. “Some of those viewers gave us early reports about the signal which helped us make improvements,” said Walenta. “Viewers will now be able to enjoy a robust HD TV signal, with motion picture-like quality and have access to 5.1 channels of surround sound.”
The WGVU Digital Campaign to convert the station to digital technology received generous support from public television viewers from across West and Southwest Michigan. The campaign reached its goal of $6.5 million in November, 2004, with nearly 4,000 individual, corporate and foundation donors providing the needed support.
“The efforts to raise the necessary funds to rebuild our transmission plants began before I came to Grand Valley,” said President Thomas J. Haas. “I am grateful to all those who support WGVU and the quality, award-winning programming it provides. The digital conversion will expand WGVU’s signal and viewership.”
Prior to the conversion, WGVU reached 1.5 million people. After the conversion, it will reach more than 2.7 million.
AUDIO CLIPS: WGVU General Manager Michael Walenta shares some of the history of WGVU (audio clip). Walenta said the switch will provice for better communication between emergency responders (audio clip) and a better picture for viewers (audio clip).
