By JOE KERNAN

 

It has been 40 years since then-Gov. John Chafee ceremoniously flipped the switch that put Channel 36, Rhode Island's own educational television station, on the air.

That was about 12 years after the Rhode Island Legislature authorized a state-operated public station in 1955 and it was the Rhode Island State Board of Education that first applied to the FCC for a license to operate on Channel 36 as the state's educational television in 1963. In fact, the call letters for the station, WSBE, incorporate the initials of the board.

"I've been going through some of our old photographs and other material for the anniversary and I must admit that I don't recognize some of the people in the pictures," said Lucie Houle, the public information manager for the station. "There was also an arson fire in 1990 of a trailer that contained a lot of our records and we lost quite a bit of it, but there are some people I recognize and many who are still around."

The missing material probably could have chronicled the partnership with Rhode Island College in 1965, which led to a federal aid package under the Higher Education Act of 1965 that allowed the construction of studios. More money came in 1967, when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act to provide funding for educational television on a national scale and incorporate the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Many people say Rhode Island Public Television is just a me-too imitation of Boston's WGBH and the history of Rhode Island's effort does seem to follow the path blazed by WGBH. The fact that the legislature authorized a television station the same year WGBH went on the air is probably also more than a mere coincidence.

But so what? A good idea is a good idea and the thought of a future with no Lively Experiment in it is unimaginable for many Rhode Islanders.

"Rhode Island PBS cuts a wide swath for itself by customizing its schedule to feature more local programs and special "destination' programming to suit local viewers' preferences while still providing the major hits and favorites from the national PBS schedule," said Houle. "That's more than a niche."

Still, finding public support for the station remains a major challenge for the station, especially in the current market of cable television that seems to have programs for just about any interest in America. But, at the end of the day, you can't ask commercial television to broadcast courses for college credit and instruction for getting your GED, or covering model legislatures, confirmation hearings, conventions, festivals and parades.

To support its work, the station relies on the generosity of viewers and institutions in the state, and fundraising efforts are not always enjoyable for viewers or the station personnel. Auctions can be fun, but the "begging" of the on-air fundraising is a trial for the station and the viewers — the "elephant in the room," as Houle expresses it.

As a result, participation in the auctions and promotional efforts has been a mixed blessing for the station.

"Out of respect and consideration for the viewers, Rhode Island PBS has cut back the number of days it conducts on-air fundraising each quarter," said Houle, explaining the idea is less-frequent appeals can be more compelling and do less damage to the regular programming schedule. "The strategy has paid off, with more contributions from new and renewing supporters."

Getting the support for their public mandate has forced public television across the country to compete with the technical sophistication of the commercial sector, and Rhode Island PBS, which is now the official name of the former Channel 36, has managed to find the funds to convert its old analog transmitting system to digital with the intention of finally switching to High-Definition TV. All of this includes transferring the old analog tapes and archives to digital formats, a process that is not as simple as it sounds.

"It's difficult and challenging to maintain the two different systems," said video editor Mike Riley, who has been with the station for five years. "It's a problem of formatting the equipment so that they have the capacity to talk to each other. We have digital now but we have no high definition yet. We're working on that."

When the transition is complete, the station will be able to broadcast more services on its channel and even launch a second digital channel with a broader range of educational programming. Mike Riley said he is ready to do it and is prepared to go. He also said he, like John Chafee 40 years ago, will be there when they flip the switch to the future of the station.

"When we finish the conversion, we just switch off the analog — forever," Riley said.