Station History

We're Public TV 13, broadcasting as WNMU-TV and WNMU-DT, TV13/HD. We're a nonprofit, non-commercial public television station licensed to Northern Michigan University's Board of Trustees. We operate from the Jeannette Bowden Studios on NMU's campus in Marquette, Michigan and send our signal from a transmitter located in Ely Township, southwest of Ishpeming, Michigan.

Public TV 13 Coverage Map

We went on the air in December 1972. Today, our station is watched by more than 142,000 people across the Upper Peninsula and northeast Wisconsin. TV13 and TV13/HD are also available to Charter Cable subscribers across the Upper Peninsula.

We're PBS and So Much More

We're a member of the Public Broadcasting Service. This means that we're able to bring you high-quality, national PBS programming--shows such as Masterpiece Theatre, Antiques Roadshow, NOVA, The Newshour with Jim Lehrer and Sesame Street.

But we do more than just provide PBS programs. We produce programs locally that capture the interest and spark the curiosity of our viewers--series such as Ask the Doctors, Media Meet and High School Bowl, and specials about the Upper Peninsula such as Copper, Iron & Gold: Upper Michigan's Legacy and Michigan’s Gray Wolf: Ghost of the Big Timber. See all our local specials.

Non-PBS syndicated programs fill out our schedule and add local flavor to our programming selection. Our line-up wouldn't be complete without favorites such as Lawrence Welk, Body Electric and a host of outdoor sports programs.

As a service to the schools in the Upper Great Lakes region, we broadcast a comprehensive Instructional Television (ITV) schedule. This includes more than 1,000 hours per year of in-class programming for public schools, and college credit telecourses for adult learners in the region. We're one of only a few stations across the nation that provides free air-time for ITV programming.

Check our schedule page for a full program schedule for both Public TV 13 and TV13/HD, our high-definition digital channel. Become a partner and receive a 12-month subscription to FanFare, our printed program guide, for an entire month of program highlights at your fingertips.

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