WTVS studio coming to Midtown

[Rocko]

From today's Model D:

Detroit Public TV opens Midtown studio

Tuesday, March 22, 2011



Detroit Public Television announced plans to return to the city with the opening of a new satellite studio in the Maccabees Building, located on Woodward Avenue in Midtown.

It's part of DPTV's strategic long-term plan, which focuses on expanding its service and communication with the community in five key areas: children, culture, energy & environment, leadership & public affairs, and health. Delving into these critical issues while the station finished its capital campaign and built its headquarters in Wixom, it became clear to station president Rich Homberg that building a second studio in Detroit to energize the station's efforts around the city was a critical move.

"The ideal partner was really Wayne State, being a research institution and a key partner in the community," Homberg says.

He says there's a "wonderful marriage" to be built between public broadcasting companies and universities.

The studio ramps up the partnership between DPTV and Wayne State University, which has already invested $100,000 in renovations to bring the existing studio up to code. DPTV and WSU will kick off their renewed relationship with a live taping of "Leaders on Leadership" at the new studio on Friday, which will feature WSU President Allan GIlmour.

"We're going to back up our high-definition mobile television production truck behind the studio and start producing television right away," Homburg says, while continuing to build out the studio to 21st century standards. "The good news is, we can immediately start to produce there, with an eye towards expanding the footprint and really expanding the service of that studio to Detroit."

The Maccabees Building, now owned by WSU, has some broadcast history of its own. It housed the debut of the "Lone Ranger" radio show in 1933, as well as Soupy Sales in the 1950s; it was also the longtime home of WXYZ and WDET-FM.

Homberg says the Midtown neighborhood was an obvious choice for locating the second studio.

"What you're seeing is, the effort around Detroit's renaissance is reaching critical mass," he says. "It does seem like we're reaching that tipping point. Being able to play into that energy is very exciting for the television station, the radio station and everyone at Detroit Public Television."

Source: Rich Homberg, president, Detroit Public Television
Writer: Ashley C. Woods

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While I think it's great that they're making room in the historic Maccabees Bldg. for their studio and moving some work back to the city, maybe they just should have done this in the first place and skipped the whole Wixom part of the equation. Glad to see them coming back to the city, though!

[DetroitPlanner]

Didn't they build a new HDTV station in the High School behind Max Fisher just for the purpose??

[Hypestyles]

have they indicated what kind of jobs will be generated by having this new facility, how can you apply for a job there?

[1KielsonDrive]

From today's Model D:
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While I think it's great that they're making room in the historic Maccabees Bldg. for their studio and moving some work back to the city, maybe they just should have done this in the first place and skipped the whole Wixom part of the equation. Glad to see them coming back to the city, though!

You're absolutely correct. They lost me in the process.

[Detroitnerd]

What? They just moved out to Wixom and now they're moving BACK? Whaaaa?

[Detroit500]

I believe this studio is in addition to what they have in Wixom.

[Detroitnerd]

So they've abandoned the New Center facilities already?

[Gistok]

They've been gone for several years.... This move likely wouldn't have happened if their former PBS president didn't want to have a shorter commute home...

[Danny]

FINALLY, Looks like their station in Wixom didn't work out for them.

[jt1]

Too little, too late. My donations to them ended when they moved and this feeble attempt at engaging the community they abandoned won't do a thing to bring back my donations.

I wonder if they felt an impact of loss of donations from abandoing the city and are using this pitiful attempt to make amends.

[tompage]

When they moved to Wixom, I began returning their solicitation notices readdressing them to "Wixom Public TV," telling them to never contact me until they moved back to the City. Whenever WTVS had a booth at an event, I always made it a point to ask the staffers when they were changing the name to "Wixom Public TV." I understand that I wasn't the only one! Let's hope that this new studio isn't just some chump change, but is a real move back to where DETROIT Public TV belongs.

[1953]

I would consider supporting them if they were based in the city, but certainly not when they are based on Wixon. Shouldn't Detroit start its own PBS station, since they no longer have one?

[Det_ard]

I thought we were all just one big-ass collection of knuckleheads on both sides of a river. Or some such thing. Some of y'all sure like looking at lines on maps.

[Rocko]

Press Release:

http://www.dptv.org/community/newdetroitstudio.shtml

The move was also highlighted on Detroitnews.com today, so a short write up might be in tomorrow's print edition.