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New Facility Boosts WSIU’s Signal in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois

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Carbondale, Ill – WSIU Public Broadcasting is pleased to announce a major upgrade of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) over the air television signal to portions of southeast Missouri and southern Illinois by adding a new transmission facility.

The facility, called a translator, broadcasts on channel 28, but television sets will receive the signal when rescanned on virtual channel 8, the original broadcast channel for WSIU-TV.

Thanks to a gift from a longtime viewer, WSIU-TV has installed the translator north of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to broadcast the station’s PBS HD (8.1), World (8.2), Create (8.3), and the 24/7 PBS Kids (8.4) channels to a 65-mile wide area that has historically experienced reception problems caused by the Shawnee Hills and Missouri Ozarks. The station’s original transmitter at Tamaroa, Illinois, is located over 70 miles from the new facility.

“This exciting new improvement to our multi-state PBS service was made possible by the generosity of a donor in Cape Girardeau who believes that public television should be available to as many people as possible regardless of income,” said SIU Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane. “Gifts such as these are vitally important to WSIU’s more than 60 years of educational and public service broadcasting to our region, and we are deeply appreciative.”

The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, recently gave funds for the translator through the SIU Foundation.

The new facility serves approximately 230,000 viewers including all or parts of Cape Girardeau, Perry, Scott, Bollinger, and Stoddard counties in Missouri along with parts of Alexander, Pulaski, Union, Johnson, Jackson and Williamson counties in Illinois.

“We’re elated to make this service improvement,” said Jak Tichenor, interim executive director of WSIU Public Broadcasting, who noted the new signal will also be available to cable and satellite TV providers for higher quality, more reliable service.

WSIU Public Broadcasting is licensed to the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University in partnership with the Office of the Chancellor and the College of Arts and Media. The WSIU stations reach more than 5 million people across six states and beyond through five digital public television channels, three public radio stations, a radio information service, a website, and an education and community outreach department.

WSIU’s mission is to improve the quality of life of the people they serve. The WSIU stations partner with other community organizations to promote positive change and to support the academic and public service missions of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Learn more and get the latest station news online at wsiu.org and on WSIU’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

With over a decade of experience in public media, Stackhouse serves as the Assistant Director of Digital Services for WSIU Public Broadcasting. The Digital Service department supports the promotion of the station’s digital content and services including social media, web-based membership services and activities, and marketing and communications. Stackhouse's professional goals include creating an inclusive environment where media students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale can gain experience and professional development opportunities in various aspects of the broadcasting industry.
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