WTJX Channel 12 is the Virgin Islands Public Television System. On November 13, 1968, the Seventh Legislature of the Virgin Islands passed Act No. 2364 creating the Virgin Islands Public Television System as an independent, autonomous instrumentality. The System is run by a Board of Directors. The Executive Director is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the System. The basic goal of the System is to advance the general welfare of the community through educational, cultural and public affairs programming, local and national, for the population of the Virgin Islands. The Station’s general policy is set by the Board of Directors. Some oversight duties are exercised by the V.I. Government’s Executive and Legislative branches. The Legislative branch appropriates and the Executive branch allots the majority of the funds necessary for the operation of the System. Like all Public Television Stations, the System is eligible for funds from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which is a private corporation created by the Federal government. It is the largest single source of funding for television and radio programming; and like all broadcast outlets, the System is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). WTJX is an affiliate of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), a private, non-profit media enterprise, owned and operated by member stations which produces and distributes programs. The FCC granted the call letters WTJX: “T” for St. Thomas, “J” for St. John, and “X” for St. Croix, in 1971. On August 25, 1972, and inaugural ceremony was held at the transmitter site located at Mountain Top. Invited guests included FCC Commissioner Benjamin Hooks, and PBS producer Ellis Haizlip, among others. However, it was not until August 29, 1972, that WTJX broadcasted its first programs using videotapes, Monday through Friday, 4:00 pm – 11:00 p.m. In September of 1978, construction began on WTJX’s satellite ground receiver, “The Big Dish” which is 51 feet in diameter. The first regular “live” broadcast schedule via satellite became a reality in the Virgin Islands on December 7, 1978. This event launched WTJX into the forefront of the then satellite broadcast decade of the ‘80’s. On June 9, 2006 the System erected a 250-foot Communication Tower. The tower meant better television reception, especially for our viewers on the island of St. Croix, since placing the DT 44 digital antenna at a 200-foot level. The new digital studio transmitter link and transmitter to studio antenna system was installed on the new tower. Two rotating microwave transmit-receive antennas were placed at the 250-foot level. These antennas allowed the station to transmit and receive point-to-point video and audio for live broadcasts from most if not all places in the Virgin Islands in a single hop, eliminating use of a second microwave system. For 37 years, WTJX-TV Channel 12 has provided quality television – enriching lives, stimulating thinking, and increasing public understanding of our complex world. WTJX has gone all digital, Light years ahead of the analog broadcast signal that has been in use for more than 50 years. By converting to digital technology, WTJX will ensure that our culturally and socially diverse audience has access to free, locally-based, enriching programs and education services.