Wisconsin Public Television Becomes PBS Wisconsin

After more than three decades as Wisconsin Public Television, the state-owned network has changed its name to PBS Wisconsin.

The changeover on Monday, Nov. 4, came one day after the 50th anniversary of the founding of PBS.

“We are excited by this new opportunity to better connect our essential local programs, in-school education work, and community engagement with the well-known and well-trusted brand of PBS, a strong partner of our work here in Wisconsin for 50 years,” the network said in an announcement.

PBS Wisconsin consists of six full-power stations in the Madison, Green Bay, Wausau, and La Crosse-Eau Claire markets. The WHA-TV (Madison) license, which is the network’s original station, is owned by the Board of Regents of the UW System, while the other licenses are held by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

The organizations also own Wisconsin Public Radio.

The move is the latest in a trend of member stations adding PBS to their branding: The Milwaukee Area Technical College’s WMVS/WMVT switched from MPTV to Milwaukee PBS three years ago, while Twin Cities Public Television became Twin Cities PBS four years ago but continues to use the TPT acronym as well. Meanwhile, Iowa Public Television recently informed members that it will become Iowa PBS next year.

The Current notes that the changes come amid a national PBS brand refresh.