Massachusetts Affiliate WGBH Produces Many Notable PBS Programs

The Public Broadcasting Service has produced many memorable hours of programming since its founding on November 3, 1969. You may not know that many of those programs were produced by the Boston-based PBS station, WGBH-TV Channel 2.

WGBH, owned by the WGBH Education Foundation, has several sister television stations and five public radio stations in Massachusetts.

The WGBH Educational Foundation received its first broadcast license for radio in 1951. The first radio broadcast on October 6, 1951, was of a live Boston Symphony Orchestra performance.

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WGBH-TV Channel 2 signed on the air on May 2, 1955, becoming the first public television station in Boston and the first non-commercial station in New England.

The National Educational and Radio Center of which WGBH was affiliated became National Education Television and eventually the Public Broadcast Service.

While WGBH-TV Channel 22 has broadcast many groundbreaking and acclaimed children's programs, documentaries, educational series and entertainment specials, the Boston affiliate produces much of PBS's original programming.

Classic PBS programs such as Nova, Frontline, Masterpiece, American Experience, The Victory Garden, This Old House, The French Chef with Julia Child, Antiques Roadshow, Evening at Pops, Joyce Chen Cooks and many more are WGBH productions.

Children's programs such as Arthur, Zoom, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Curious George, Molly of Denali and others are also Channel 2 productions

WGBH-TV Channel 2 has given us some notable alumni, including Allister Cooke, Julia Child, Gene Shalit, Emily Rooney, Bob Vila and Judy Woodruff, to name a few.

The pledge-begging sessions can be irritating, but you must admit, WGBH-TV Channel 2 has delivered its share of quality programs throughout the years.

Fun fact: WGBH actually gets its call letters from a local geographical landmark.

READ MORE: Boston's WGBH Call Letters Make a 'Hill' of a Lot of Sense