WETA Washington, D.C.
Founded in 1961, WETA is dedicated to producing and broadcasting programs of intellectual integrity and cultural merit that recognize viewers’ and listeners’ intelligence, curiosity and interest in the world around them. As an independent and not-for-profit public broadcaster and producer, WETA provides its viewers and listeners with quality, compelling programs and serves a broad community with educational projects and Web-based initiatives.
WETA is the leading public broadcasting station in the nation’s capital, serving Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. WETA, one of the 354 television stations that make up the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), broadcasts analog programming on TV 26 and offers simultaneous broadcast of four digital channels: WETA HD, WETA Create, WETA Family and WETA World. On the radio dial, Classical WETA 90.9 FM is the exclusive home of classical music in Greater Washington. Classical WETA broadcasts radio programming to the Cumberland Valley on WGMS 89.1 FM and to Frederick, Maryland, on WETA 88.9 FM.
WETA Washington, D.C., is the third-largest producing station for public television. WETA’s other productions and co-productions include “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” “Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal,” “The Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor,” “In Performance at the White House,” and documentaries by filmmaker Ken Burns, including “The Civil War,” “Baseball,” and his latest project, “The War.”
In addition to its on-air presence, WETA’s projects enhance the community and promote education and literacy. WETA’s learning media department created LDOnLine.org, which provides information to parents, teachers and children about learning disabilities, and ReadingRockets.org, which offers parents, teachers and child-care providers information about helping children learn to read. WETA’s services to the community include Ready To Learn workshops that train parents and caregivers how to use television as a learning tool and program screenings that promote community discussion and awareness of important topics and issues.
WETA’s productions and projects have received more than 500 honors, including Primetime Emmys, duPont-Columbia journalism awards, Peabody Awards, the New York Festivals Awards, CINE Golden Eagle Awards and Capital Region Emmy Awards.
Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO of WETA.