WLVT was launched in Bethlehem Pennsylvania on 7th September 1965 as part of National Educational Television (NET), becoming one of the first members of PBS at its inception in 1970. It serves the Philadelphia area and is commonly known as PBS39 (not to be confused with WFWA in Fort Wayne, Indiana).

The channel showed 'classic' Doctor Who between 1984 and 1989, starting unsurprisingly with Tom Baker, and later covering the other Doctors barring Sylvester McCoy. In 2007 it was one of a number of PBS stations which showed the first series with Christopher Eccleston, something it did four times in close succession; however it didn't take up options on future series.