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WIPB-TV is now Ball State PBS

With a renewed commitment to providing locally-driven programming, Ball State University’s public television station WIPB-TV is now Ball State PBS.

WIPB is all about stories. Whether you enjoy the romance and grandeur of period dramas, traveling through time and history with gripping documentaries, exploring a culture through its cuisine or sharing milestones with friends from the neighborhood, WIPB is here for you.

Our own story began 49 years ago.

This station owes its humble beginning to a small group of Muncie mothers who decided that Muncie should have its own PBS station because they wanted their children to be able to watch an innovative new program—Sesame Street. Through a grassroots effort, Eastern Indiana Community Television was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization. Its mission: a public television station for Muncie and surrounding communities. With a lot of hard work, determination and support from the community, area residents kicked off the new station on the afternoon of Oct. 31, 1971.

Over the years that followed, this station grew and spread its wings providing quality programming for viewers of all ages—and produced an unassuming painting show known as The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross—among many other programs.

In 1988, WIPB moved to a state-of-the art facility on the campus of Ball State University. In the years since, WIPB has forged a meaningful, symbiotic relationship with Ball State University students and faculty, for programs such as Cardinal Cinema and Newslink Indiana. Ball State students are also involved in locally-produced programs including Now Entering, Wellness Matters and The Roundtable.

And on Nov. 1, 2020, WIPB makes that relationship even more meaningful as the station becomes Ball State PBS. A new chapter in our community story begins.

So, what does this change mean to you?

First and foremost, we’re still your PBS station.

  • We will continue our mission to serve East Central Indiana with programming and services of the highest quality, using media to educate, inspire, entertain and express a diversity of perspectives.
  • Your favorite PBS programs will continue as we transition to Ball State PBS.
  • WIPB MemberCard benefits will continue.
  • Your streaming access to WIPB Passport (now called Ball State PBS Passport) service will continue uninterrupted.
  • We will continue to serve as your connection to Ball State and all of East Central Indiana through an emphasis on local content. That foundational approach remains.
  • Your support of Ball State PBS will continue to allow us to purchase the shows you love, and will provide outstanding immersive learning opportunities for Ball State students and serve as a vital educational and cultural resource within our community.

There are some exciting changes coming your way!

  • Our name is changing, but the call letters remain the same.
  • You will notice new logo treatments and an exciting new “look and feel” to programming.
  • As a donor, your financial support will help create an exciting and innovative public media presence, something our higher education competitors in the state don’t possess.
  • The creation of Ball State Public Media as an “umbrella organization” for all news, media, and programming in East Central Indiana and beyond.

We are honored to serve our community and look forward to partnering with Ball State University for many more years of documentaries, dramas, children’s shows, culinary treats, concerts and local programs.

We’re so glad that you’re a part of our story! Thank you for your continued support of Ball State PBS! If you have any questions or comments, please contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Daniel Lutz
General Manager, Ball State PBS
Associate Vice President, Information Technology
Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306
dlutz@nullbsu.edu