WYES-TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WYES-TV is the flagship PBS member station in New Orleans, Louisiana, owned by the Greater New Orleans Educational Television Foundation. It broadcasts on channel 12.

[edit] History

WYES traces its history to 1953, when a group of civic leaders formed the Greater New Orleans Educational Television Association. The Federal Communications Commission had allocated channel 8 in New Orleans for noncommercial use, and the group quickly snapped up the license.

After numerous fits and starts, WYES signed on the air April 1, 1957 as the nation's 12th educational television station, the first in Louisiana and the first between Houston and Birmingham. It was originally associated with NET until it became PBS in 1970. On June 10 of that year, the station swapped dial positions with WVUE and moved to channel 12, where it is today.

WYES is best known outside of New Orleans as the home of famous Louisiana chef and storyteller Justin Wilson, whose show originated from WYES's studios. It is also known as the home for another famous Louisiana chef, Paul Prudhomme. The station is also seen on cable in Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi, where they already have its own PBS station, WMAH.

[edit] Logos

Historic logo in use for much of the station's history. Still in use today.

Alternate take on the WYES logo.

[edit] Hurricane Katrina

Sign in front of WYES' Mid-City New Orleans studio shows high water flood lines from Katrina's aftermath

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005, WYES's studios on Navarre Avenue in Mid-City New Orleans sustained massive damage, due to winds and floodwaters.

Their transmitters were spared serious damage but the storm damaged the backup generator that provided emergency power to their transmitter facility, keeping the station off the air for several weeks.

Following Katrina, WYES began carrying the feed of Louisiana Public Broadcasting in November on local cable television systems. On December 30, WYES returned to broadcasting on the air for the first time since Katrina, from temporary studios on Veterans Boulevard and Phosphor Avenue in Metairie, while its main studios are being rebuilt.

[edit] External links

• WYES Homepage
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WYES
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WYES-TV

This article about a television station in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This PBS article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.