When Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) signs off its analog broadcasting Friday (along with every other station, as they move into the digital-only era), a face from long-ago will say goodbye.

Bill Schrankler, a retired St. Paul Public School teacher, was the host of the first program aired on the very first day that Channel 2 began regularly scheduled programming in September of 1957, says TPT producer Brendan Henahan. Schrankler taught the on-air course "Exploring Science" for two years, live shows three days a week.

So it seemed appropriate to have Schrankler send analog broadcasting into the history books.

"The last image seen on analog Channel 2 will be the same face that viewers first saw when they turned on Channel 2 in 1957," Henehan said.

The station prepared a 90-second piece featuring Schrankler that will run at 8:57 a.m. Friday. Then at 9 a.m., the analog signal will go dark.

Henehan said TPT's "Almanac" did a piece with Schrankler in 2007 to commemorate the station's 50th anniversary.

And click here for more information on the digital conversion.