WHUT-TV & MPT CONTINUES PARTNERSHIP ON “HBCU WEEK NOW” PROGRAMMING
WHUT is pleased to announce our continued participation in the national HBCU Week NOW programming initiative, including the production of a new short film for the project’s signature YouTube channel, HBCU Week NOW alongside a local community event to celebrate our historically black colleges and universities.
WHUT’s new film, Beyond the Water, is one of six new shorts that will begin premiering on YouTube in mid-September to coincide with the 2024 Annual National HBCU Week Conference. The other five films will be produced by Maryland Public Television and other PBS stations partners, PBS North Carolina, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, WABE (Atlanta), and South Carolina ETV.
“Historically Black colleges and universities are unique and cherished national resources,” said Angela “Angie Ange” Hailstorks, Director of Content at WHUT. “We are honored to bring stories of their compelling origins, remarkable innovations, and the iconic leaders they have produced.”
WHUT will bring the HBCU Week NOW experience to Howard University’s homecoming on Saturday, October 19th, 2024 at its annual FamFest community event centered around youth engagement and exposure to HBCU’s and a welcoming event for Howard alumni and their families.
Additionally, two episodes of the Local, USA documentary series produced by the digital channel, WORLD, in 2023 will also be presented on TV and online.
Congress defines an HBCU as “any historically Black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans.” Today, the 107 HBCUs continue to deliver on the promise of their founding, with more than 237,000 students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds currently enrolled, alongside at least one million alumni from all walks of life. HBCUs are among America’s most crucial institutions for providing access to higher education for generations of Americans from diverse backgrounds, including some of today’s most notable individuals such as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. David Satcher, Samuel L. Jackson, and many others.
Launched by MPT as a national project in 2023, HBCU Week NOW’s growth is supported by a new investment from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for 2024 and 2025 along with funding from The Center for Maryland History Films and Morgan State University.
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WHUT-TV, Howard University Television was founded in 1980 in Washington, D.C. as WHMM. At its inception, the station became the first public station in the United States to be licensed to and operated by a historically black college and university (HBCU) - Howard University. The station broadcasts reach over 2.5 million households in a 60-mile radius.
The mission of WHUT television, the nation’s only Public Broadcasting Television station licensed to and operated by a historically Black University, is to deliver educational, entertaining and intellectually stimulating multi‐cultural and intergenerational programming to the public in the
Metro DC region. The station endeavors to underscore Howard University’s commitment to excellence in Truth and Service.
About Maryland Public Television
Maryland Public Television (MPT) is a statewide, public-supported TV network and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate, offering entertaining, informative, educational, and inspiring content delivered by traditional broadcasting and streaming on TVs, computers, and mobile devices. A state agency, it operates under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission. MPT creates and distributes local, regional, and national content and is a frequent winner of regional Emmy® Awards. MPT’s commitment to educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through instructional events and
About The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe for other updates.
WORLD shares the best of public media in news, documentaries and programming. WORLD’s original series examine the issues and amplify the voices of those often ignored by mainstream media. The multi-platform channel helps audiences understand conflicts, movements and cultures from around the globe. Its original work has won a Peabody Award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, an International Documentary Association Award, a National News and Documentary Emmy Award, two Webby Awards and many others honoring diversity of content and makers. WORLD is carried by 194 member stations in markets representing 77% of US TV households. Funding for WORLD is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. WORLD is produced by GBH in partnership with WNET and is distributed by American Public Television (APT). Find out more at WORLDChannel.org.