WETA History

Amid broad public support in 1961, WETA was founded by local educators and business leaders on the premise that public television could serve the community with educational programming for children and lifelong learning opportunities for all citizens.

Those visionaries sought to strengthen our society and our democracy by promoting several fundamental ideals: access, education, inspiration, and participation—for all. Now, 60 years later, that local station is a national public media powerhouse of importance to educators, students, thought leaders, and the viewers, listeners and content users in our community and nationwide.

Learn more about WETA's history.

Elizabeth Campbell with GWETA colleagues, late 1950s

WETA is the second largest producer for PBS and number one in production of “live” content while remaining active in the creation of programs and content for the local greater Washington community.
WETA Classical 90.0 FM is the most listened-to classical music radio station in the country.
For more than thirty years, WETA has produced and broadcast from the same fifty-five-year old production facility in Arlington. This is where Jim Lehrer and Robin McNeil’s gavel-to-gavel coverage of the U.S. Senate Watergate hearings began in 1973.