The History of WKTV
On November 11, 1974 WKTV in Wyoming, Michigan was incorporated and in 2024 celebrates 50 years of operation. WKTV is one of the very first community TV stations in the State of Michigan and one of the oldest, most continuously operated Community Television stations in the United States. The "W" and "K" stand for Wyoming-Kentwood Television. Originally, WKTV was known simply as Wyoming Community Television. In 1995, the City of Kentwood recognized the decades of service WKTV had provided to area residents and entered into a franchise agreement with the local cable operator to join their neighbor city of Wyoming, thus creating WKTV, which now proudly serves both communities.
In 2002, near the border of Wyoming and Kentwood, WKTV built a new community television and media production facility. WKTV's 10,000 s.f. facility features two studios, multiple edit bays, public spaces, classrooms for media instruction and a 35' television production truck, one of the largest in Michigan. In 2012 WKTV launched a community news service, the WKTV Journal which publishes daily. In 2013 WKTV launched narrative motion picture production which allows filmmakers and documentary producers to create media in those mediums. In 2017 WKTV launched "Voices" a community oral history project where community members tell their respective life stories. WKTV enjoys an active volunteer base of more than 400 people and in 2023, community volunteers provided over 10,000 hours of volunteer time to building their communities through media.
