NewBeginnings for a Treasured Tradition
WJCT’s mission is: “To provide programming and services that celebrate human diversity, encourage joyful learning, and promote civic participation, all to empower citizens to improve the quality of their lives.”
That mission has been met and exceeded for more than six decades, with ever-increasing participation and support of the North Florida community. Recently, dramatic federal and state funding cuts to WJCT and affiliates have necessitated and resulted in greater community support than ever before for the vital programming it provides.
WJCT-TV Public Media began on September 10, 1958, manned by a staff of three, with the first WJCT-Channel 7 broadcast being an address by Florida Governor Leroy Collins on the importance of educational programming. Founded by Haywood Dowling, a local Jacksonville podiatrist, WJCT (now branded as Jax PBS) began and has continued as an entity that is owned and operated by the community.
On April 10, 1972, WJCT-FM public radio (initially called Stereo 90) was launched, with both television and radio programming featuring news, public affairs, and cultural content as well as live community events.
With its signature characteristics being leadership, partnership, and local focus, WJCT-Channel 7 television established partnerships with local colleges, the Jacksonville Junior League, and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, producing stellar programs such as Principles of Modern Physics, Sing Hi, Sing Lo, and The Magic of Music. PBS first aired Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in 1968 and Sesame Street in 1969 and they became the most popular educational programs for children worldwide. Sesame Street continues to enhance the lives of children to this day. WJCT-FM offered educational and community involved programs such as Feedback (an hourly program five days a week when citizens phoned in for meaningful conversations with their local newsmakers), and Today in the Legislature (nightly reports of sessions in the Florida House and Senate).
Within 18 months after adding WJCT-FM, the station partnered television and radio for the first time, garnering national attention by simulcasting a Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra concert on Channel 7 and Stereo 90.
