| Our Mission The Virgin Islands Public Television System is committed to providing noncommercial educational, informational, cultural, multi-media and digital communications services for the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
WTJX-TV recognizes the integral role we play in our community by broadcasting enriching, entertaining programs every day. For 30 years, Ch. 12 has presented the finest PBS programs as well as informative local programming, which continues to include V.I. Government press conferences, Legislation action, education, and drug abuse, forums presented by the League of Women Voters, Meet the Candidates programs, major Gubernatorial and Congressional Delegate Debates, as well as numerous programs designed to bring viewers into direct contact with community affairs in which they may otherwise have been unable to participate.
The V.I. Public Television System is currently developing new and improved applications of television and telecommunications technologies for public benefit. We keep our promise to serve the public the best in television.
The Virgin Islands Public Television System
The Virgin Islands Public Television System is the sole public television provider in the United States Virgin Islands that was authorized in 1968 by the 7 th Legislature of the Virgin Islands , by act No. 2364, and is currently in its 34th year of operation. WTJX Channel 12 & DT44 is an independent autonomous Governmental Instrumentality, maintaining a separate legal existence. It is an affiliate of PBS, and a member of the American Public Television System. WTJX is subject to oversight by an eleven member Board of Directors. Its purpose, as defined by the Legislature, is to “advance the general welfare, education, cultural development and awareness of public affairs of all the population of the Virgin Islands ”.
In our commitment to deliver non-commercial, educational, informational, cultural, multi-media and digital communications services for the people of the Virgin Islands, we have planned and progressed from a makeshift facility in an abandoned bar on St.Thomas, to a state of the art studio on Haypiece Hill, St. Thomas, with digital broadcast capabilities at Master Control at Signal Hill. We currently operate a satellite studio in Gallows Bay , St.Croix. Earlier this year we purchased our own building on St.Croix and are currently requesting bids for the renovation of that building. This would allow us to have adequate studio facilities and to upgrade our equipment to be fully digital on St.Croix.
In accordance with the mandate of the Federal Communications Commission, The Virgin Islands Public Television System fully converted to Digital Transmission in March of 2003, thus adequately meeting the Federal deadline. In December of 2003 we acquired an Electronic Field Production Truck designed by Shook Mobile Electronics for the production of an increasing number of field events throughout all of the three main Virgin Islands . Additionally, we also acquired a Satellite Uplink trailer which affords us the opportunity to transmit live events occurring in the United States Virgin Islands to the Continental United States and the world at large. This Satellite Trailer also serves in an extremely important capacity as a transmitter of important weather information, in an area that is affected often by hurricanes, during which time regular communications may be compromised or seriously hampered. |
