What does WVPB provide to West Virginia?
It’s been a year since everything changed for us all. Despite a global pandemic, the West Virginia Public Broadcasting team kept calm and carried on bringing you critical information, soul-soothing entertainment, and out-of-classroom educational resources.
- See our annual report for more budget information.
- Learn what the EBA's state funding pays for.
Connecting West Virginia
WVPB operates a statewide network of 17 radio and 10 television transmitters, reaching more West Virginians than any other local broadcast network.
- WVPB is the only entity that offers statewide EAS (Emergency Alert Services), CAP (Common Alerting Protocol), and WARN.
- Wireless Emergency Alerts about West Virginia weather and missing person are supported by WVPB towers and employees.
- 265,000 people viewed WVPB TV stations during the January 2021 Nielsen rating period.
- More than 100,000 listeners tuned to WVPB Radio stations each week in the fall ratings period.
- Over 2.3 million users came to wvpublic.org in 2020.
Education
- PBS Kids programming provides hours of early learning programming to kids across the state. The WVPB PBS Kids 24-7 channel is designed to meet the needs of today’s kids and provide learning opportunities for every child,
- Education Station is at-home-learning for West Virginia kids, designed by West Virginia teachers to supplement coursework.
- Inquire Within is a dynamic partnership with libraries around the state, designed to bring PBS Kids materials to local libraries
- More than 6,000 educators and homeschoolers depend on PBS LearningMedia, an online collection of lesson plans for teachers and students including over 700 resources relating to the history and culture of West Virginia
- Above and Beyond recognizes outstanding teachers around the state each month,
- PBS Kids Writers Contest encourage young authors and illustrators around the state.
- The department won a 2020 national award for community engagement from the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), for our Read For The Record effort.
Clayton Burch, WV Superintendent of Schools, explains his department's strong, on-going partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting. All of the content of Education Station is created by West Virginia school teachers.
Mountain Stage
- Based in Charleston and recorded in front of a live audience, Mountain Stage features performances from seasoned legends and emerging stars in genres ranging from folk, blues, and country; to indie rock, synth pop, world music, alternative, and beyond.
- Mountain Stage is heard on more than 280 NPR stations across the nation.
- More than 13,000 people attended a Mountain Stage concert in West Virginia in 2019, leading to more than $1 million in direct economic impact.
WVPB News
- WVPB has news reporters based in Charleston, Morgantown, Wheeling, Shepherdstown, Beckley, and Princeton, providing statewide coverage.
- West Virginia Morning delivers local stories every Monday-Friday morning to keep you informed
- The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s only television/radio simulcast devoted to covering the state’s 60-day regular legislative session.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting fan Lynne Fruth prefers to get her news through an unfiltered lens, so she turns to WVPB News for unbiased coverage.
Country music icon and Mountain State native, Kathy Mattea, supports West Virginia Public Broadcasting because she believes in its integrity. She says without commercials, public broadcasting is more objective and can tell stories in a longer arc, and they can go deeper. Regular TV entertains her, but public broadcasting engages her and makes her think. “It doesn’t underestimate how deep I might want to go.”
Video Production
- Provides original television and digital content through documentaries and special programs. The team also supports news programming, live streaming and special events.
- WVPB produces and broadcasts the drawings for the West Virginia Lottery six nights a week, saving the state tens of thousands of dollars each year.
- Rosemary - With the pandemic as the backdrop, the film follows her campaign and election to Wheeling's City Council in June 2020.
- In Tune - A celebration of old-time music and its history in the Mountain State.
- The First 1000 Days - This documentary explains the importance of early childhood in shaping each person's life
Inside Appalachia
- Inside Appalachia is our weekly radio and podcast, hosted by Caitlin Tan and Mason Adams.
- Is offered to public and community radio stations for free, and is currently heard on 33 stations in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
- Highlights West Virginia’s cultural heritage and brings those stories to a broader audience.
- We strive to tell real stories about what it’s like to live here, and feature Appalachians who are finding unique solutions.
- The program gives voice to and provides a platform for the underserved, overlooked, and often dismissed residents of Appalachia.
- We’ve recently expanded the show to tell more stories about our region’s diverse arts and culture, through our grant-funded Folkways Project.
WVPB can remain healthy and strong, with your support! Here's how you can become a member or increase your donation.