Mission

The Mission of WGCU Public Media is to provide media content and services that enrich the lives of our citizens and strengthen the social, democratic and cultural health of our region by fostering personal growth, celebrating human diversity and motivating community engagement.


WGCU History

WGCU Public Media and its predecessor WSFP-TV/FM have served Southwest Florida with the finest in public television and radio programming for over 30 years. Originally a satellite operation licensed to the University of South Florida, WGCU Public Media became an independent entity in 1996 when the broadcast licenses were transferred to Florida Gulf Coast University, a new public university that was being built to serve the Southwest Florida region. The stations’ call letters were changed to WGCU-TV/FM, and a new state-of-the-art broadcast facility was built as part of the new university’s campus.

Since that time we have dramatically strengthened and expanded the physical infrastructure, the financial base and the media services that now comprise WGCU Public Media:

• Expanded our service by providing up to four distinct digital television prorgamming streams--including a full-time High Definition channel
• Provided the region with the first full-day public radio News and Information programming service
• Launched a 24-hour-a-day Adult Album Alternative programming service on HD radio
• Organized staff to reflect an integrated media model for production, dissemination and programming rather than a traditional television and radio model
• Founded a monthly magazine, funded from paid ads and membership pledges, that has a circulation of 14,000
• Developed an award-winning website, wgcu.org, that incorporates digital archives of all locally produced TV and FM programs, streaming FM service, access to national sites, and social media tools
• Produced over 160 documentary-style local television programs, many of which have won national awards and have been accepted for national distribution through the American Public Television Service
• Earned numerous national and regional awards, including a Peabody Award, for our radio news programming
• Virtually eliminated videotape as our dissemination source. Download, store and transmit exclusively in digital formats.
• Upgraded TV production equipment to a state-of-the-art HD facility.

The WGCU Public Media Advisory Board meetings are held at 10 am in Room 25 of the WGCU Broadcast Building on the campus of FGCU.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013

WGCU Public Media is a member supported service of Florida Gulf Coast University.

The following dates have been scheduled for meetings of the Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees. The meeting dates are posted to the website:  fgcu.edu .  The meeting agenda is posted 7 days prior to the meeting. 

Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Tuesday, January 15, 2013 
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013