The winning stories from the 2026 WVPB PBS KIDS Writers Contest are now available to read!
Nominate an exceptional West Virginia teacher today!
On Demand
On Demand
Watch locally produced documentaries & more.
On Demand
On Demand
West Virginia Morning
Inside Appalachia
West Virginia Week
Mountain Stage
Us & Them
The Legislature Today
The Legislature This Week
Send us your comments and questions.
Stream our board meetings.
Check out the latest WVPB news.
Sign up for our newsletter and get weekly updates.
Meet the WVPB staff.
WV Educational Broadcasting Commission, the WVPB Foundation, and the Friends of WVPB.
Come work with us!
Read our annual report and learn how we educate, inform and inspire with your support.
Sponsor impactful and engaging media and entertainment.
Use your IRA to make a gift to WVPB.
Become a member with your gift of $1,000 or more.
Make WVPB part of your legacy.
Manage your membership account.
Learn how you can Protect and Sustain West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Ken Hechler, longtime West Virginia Congressman, Secretary of State, WWII veteran and author of “The Bridge at Remagen,” has died. He was 102.
Hechler served in Congress from 1959 to 1977 and became an advocate for coal mine health and safety, and environmental protection.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting filmmakers Chip Hitchcock and Russ Barbour produced a documentary on Hechler’s life and work. The 2008 film, “Ken Hechler: In Pursuit of Justice,” can be watched below.
Hechler served as a combat historian during World War II and earned the bronze star and five battle stars. Afterward, he taught at Princeton University and served on President Harry Truman’s staff.
In 1957, Hechler moved to West Virginia to teach at Marshall College (now University). From 1959 to 1977, he served in Congress and played a key role in passing the federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act.
He also fought to limit the effects of strip mining and preserve the New River. And he was the only congressman to march with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama.
Hechler lost a race for governor in 1976 and later failed several times to regain his congressional seat. Between 1985 and 2001, he served four terms as West Virginia’s Secretary of State and became a vocal critic of mountaintop removal mining.
Ken Hechler’s book “The Bridge at Remagen” was made into a popular 1969 movie.
Add WVPB as a preferred source on Google to see more from our team
The WVPB News Department was honored with Overall Excellence in the Radio Small Market category. Us & Them, which is hosted by Trey Kay, was honored with Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the episode Us & Them: Black West Virginians With Substance Use Disorder Face Unique Challenges. Regional winners automatically move on to the national round for consideration.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsOn this West Virginia Week, a long-serving judge dies, the primary election wraps up and national hospital week is observed.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsOn this West Virginia Week, the primary election in the state turns ugly and racist, an ambulance driver is indicted for the death of a man in Elkview and Democrats call for an investigation of Senator Jim Justice.
Continue Reading Take Me to More NewsOn this West Virginia Week, an opioid settlement reaches a milestone, gas prices shock Sen. Shelley Moore-Capito, R-W.Va., and we have more information on the recent chemical spill near Nitro.
Continue Reading Take Me to More News
