WHUT

WHUT went on the air November 17, 1980 as WHMM-TV (Howard Multimedia).  Its inception was due to the diligence and perseverance of, by then, Howard University president, Dr. James Cheek, and Millard J. (Jim) Watkins, an engineer and now general manager of WHUR-FM.  Also supporting the efforts were Howard University administrators, and officials of WETA, TV, which was using a trailer on the Howard University campus as one of its first broadcast sites. Later, when the call letters became available, the station’s name was changed from WHMM to WHUT (Howard University Television) .

A great deal of public attention was paid locally and nationally to the station’s start-up because it was, and remains, the first and only public broadcasting (PBS) station in the United States licensed to, and operated by, a predominantly historically black college/university (HBCU). 

Core Values

Our Mission is to deliver educational, entertaining and intellectually stimulating multi‐cultural and intergenerational programming to the public in the Metro DC region.

Further, WHUT is a leader in broadcast communications -- providing quality programming for our viewing community, while offering exceptional training in television production, engineering and management.

WHUT is committed to broadcasting content that is relevant and informative; and continually serves the diverse interests for our community at-large.
 

New Initiatives

• Collaborated with the School of Communications to feature and broadcast 90-second packages produced by the News Vision class.  The project gave exposure to the students’ work and helped them build their resumes.
   
• Worked together with Binge-TV to provide Howard University students a platform to feature user-generated content online and on TV. WHUT will begin airing the Film School Showdown in September. The Showdown gives college and university students – creators of original content and red carpet dreamers – to air and promote their short films worldwide.
   
• Partnered with WHUR to produce a quarterly live Town Hall “The Daily Drum Special Edition” to address the most pressing issues impacting the DMV, and the nation. The town hall is hosted by Veteran Broadcasters Harold Fisher and Troy Johnson, and features a live studio audience of students, educators, activists, and community members. It is simulcast on WHUT, WHUR 96.3FM, HUR-Voices SiriusXM 141 and streamed online on WHUT.org and WHUR.com
   
• Participated in the new ConnectHome initiative launched by of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in conjunction with the Obama administration, nonprofits EveryoneOn,  U.S. Ignite, and local and national stakeholders.  The collaboration seeks to narrow the digital divide for children and families living in HUD-assisted housing. ConnectHome is the next step in a national effort to expand access and use of high speed broadband.  It builds on the efforts of the Obama Administration’s ConnectED initiative to connect 99% of K-12 students to high speed internet in classrooms and libraries.

Giving Opportunities

Fundraising priorities include:

• Production costs for the following programs:
  
  • Vocal Point
  • The Rock Newman Show viewed by more than a million viewers on Facebook
  • The Daily Drum Special Edition
  • Special documentaries
• Sponsorship of community outreach events for low income students
• Sponsorship of digital media arts clubs to keep students at risk from dropping out of school
• Naming Opportunities:
  
  • Studio C
  • Studio D

WHUT Accomplishments

• WHUT has garnered over 14 Emmys and numerous other awards for its programming.

• The station’s original programming has strengthened alumni relations.  This includes the annual broadcasts and webcasts of events such as Opening Convocation, Homecoming, Charter Day and Commencement.  The documentary history of the campus plan, The Long Walk, was a hit with alumni, as was the film Brown v. Board of Education.

• Produced a number of local series such as “Evening Exchange” which provided a forum for the University administration to update alumni and the greater Washington community on the University’s plans and achievements. In March 2013 WHUT launched its new monthly series “Vocal Point”, the series focuses on a wide variety of important issues and concerns relevant to the greater Washington Metro area, by bringing together subject experts, community advocates, and personal stories from those directly affected to gain a deeper understanding of the issues as well as identify resources within the immediate community. 

• In November 2013, WHUT transitioned the on-line and radio series “The Rock Newman” Show to a TV series that airs weekly on WHUT. The Rock Newman Show was created to present a profound and authentic discussion that is rarely heard. It’s an unscripted and unapologetic conversation that swings from breaking news to undiscovered history, from local and national politics to the nuance of race relations and religion.

• In 2014 WHUT launched a new series called NEW VIEW with Ed Gordon—the series mixes news analysis, sports, commentary and entertainment stories, with practical information on a wide range of topics.  Each show promises fresh, diverse, and multi-cultural discussions on some of the most intriguing stories of the day -- examining the issues from all sides, and presenting the views of those often under-represented in media. 

• The station created a documentary, Security v Liberty, which aired nationally on PBS in 2007.

• WHUT serves as the home for minority independent producers.  And, content produced by the School of Communication professors, Docs In Progress, and other filmmakers have been featured on the station’s air.

Since its launch, WHUT - Howard University Television has been and active mentoring and apprenticeship site for Howard University Communications students.  Each semester, an average of twenty students serve as interns or work study employees in the television station, securing direct experience in broadcast management, marketing, promotion, programming, broadcast traffic, master control operation, research and content development, video editing, and a host of other subjects.  Over the years, WHUT has opened its doors to more than 2,000 students -- giving them the coveted opportunity to familiarize themselves with the inner-workings of a television station

• For more than 21 years, WHUT has sponsored the SPOTLIGHT NETWORK.  This student club, fully managed and run by students, has produced news programs, documentaries, campus reports, and film reviews using equipment provided by WHUT.  SPOTLIGHT students have documented symposia for faculty and off campus groups and their work has aired on WHUT and on the separate SPOTLIGHT NETWORK closed circuit channel, Channel 4, part of Howard University’s residential cable service. 

• WHUT - Howard University Television has been a partner of the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) for over ten years.  Through this partnership the station has hosted more than 100 international journalists, broadcasters and producers for a two-week long summer seminar held at WHUT on the subject of public broadcasting.