WVIZ (Channel 25) was inaugurated on 7 Feb. 1965 to bring noncommercial, educational television to the last major city in the U.S. without it. It materialized through the efforts of a committee of civic and educational leaders appointed by Mayor ANTHONY J. CELEBREZZE, with seed money provided by the CLEVELAND FOUNDATION. Studios were established in Cleveland's Max Hayes Vocational School under the general management of Betty Cope, formerly the producer of DOROTHY FULDHEIM's news commentary and "One O'Clock Club" programs on WEWS. Programming originally was weighted heavily toward the daytime educational schedule, funded primarily by annual pledges of $1 per pupil from city and suburban boards of education. Eventually these payments were assumed by the State of Ohio and supplemented by royalties from national syndication of educational shows produced by WVIZ's Instructional Classroom Programming unit. Expansion of the station's evening and weekend schedule, primarily from the offerings of the Public Broadcasting System, was financed by individual membership pledges from viewers, as well as proceeds from an annual benefit auction. Since 1967 WVIZ has operated from its own studios at 4300 Brookpark Rd., where it broadcasts as Channel 25 on the UHF band. Jerry Wareham succeeded Betty Cope as president and general manager in 1993. Besides its classroom schedule, WVIZ has produced such local shows as "North Coast Report" and high school sports events. It has also created quarterly specials on social services, health, or public affairs issues. It has also served as the local outlet for such PBS network shows as "Nova," "Live from the Met," "Sesame St.," and "The MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour."
Article Categories