A
Part 1
MHz NETWORKS' Directive
MHz (WNVC-TV) is an independent public broadcasting station located in Falls Church, VA and owned
by Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation. This station serves the Washington, D.C.
Metropolitan Area with both educational and entertainment programs specially programmed to target
the under served communities of the Washington, D.C. market.
Public Television in the United States is perhaps the most decentralized, diversified broadcasting
enterprise in the world. Its base and strength are individual stations servicing their communities with
programming directed toward meeting specific audience needs. Public Television's mandate is to
meet superior standards of programming without the primary objective of profitability.
Four fundamental principles shape the program service that public television provides: editorial
integrity, program quality, program diversity and local station autonomy.
A. Editorial Integrity
Public television's reputation for quality reflects the public's trust in the editorial integrity of public
broadcasting programs and the process by which they are selected. To maintain that trust, MHz
NETWORKS is responsible for shielding the programming process from political pressure or improper
influences from program supporters or other sources. Public broadcasting must also make every
effort to ensure that the programs it broadcasts satisfy those editorial standards that are designed to
assure program integrity.
B. Program Quality
In selecting programs for broadcast, MHz NETWORKS seeks to obtain the highest quality programs
available. Selection decisions require professional judgments about many different aspects of
program quality, including but not limited to excellence, creativity, artistry, accuracy, balance,
fairness, timeliness, innovation, boldness, thoroughness, credibility, and technical virtuosity. Similar
judgments must be made about the program's ability to stimulate, enlighten, educate, inform,
challenge, entertain, and amuse.
C. Diversity
To enhance each member station to provide a program service that meets its local needs, public
broadcasting strives to offer a wide choice of quality programs. Program diversity furthers the goals
of a democratic society by enhancing public access to the full range of ideas, information, and
viewpoints required to make informed judgments about the many issues of our time. It also furthers
public television's special mandate to serve many different and discrete audiences.
D.
Local Station Autonomy
Public television's programming philosophy rests on the belief that the greatest potential of television
is realized when it serves the unique needs of the local community and on the recognition that there
