WCET (TV): Difference between revisions
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{{distinguish|text=[[KCET]], a fellow PBS member station in Los Angeles, or [[WECT]], the NBC affiliate in Wilmington, North Carolina}} |
{{distinguish|text=[[KCET]], a fellow PBS member station in Los Angeles, or [[WECT]], the NBC affiliate in Wilmington, North Carolina}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} |
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{{Infobox television station |
{{Infobox television station |
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| callsign = WCET |
| callsign = WCET |
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| city = |
| city = |
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| logo = WCET Logo.svg |
| logo = WCET Logo.svg |
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| logo_size = 200px |
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| branding = CET |
| branding = CET |
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| digital = 17 ([[UHF]]) |
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| |
| virtual = 48 |
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| virtual = 48 ([[Program and System Information Protocol|PSIP]]) |
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| translators = |
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| owner = [[Public Media Connect]] |
| owner = [[Public Media Connect]] |
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| licensee = The Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation<ref name="About">{{cite web|title=About CET|work=CETConnect|publisher=Greater Cincinnati Television Education Foundation| |
| licensee = The Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation<ref name="About">{{cite web|title=About CET|work=CETConnect|publisher=Greater Cincinnati Television Education Foundation|access-date=March 18, 2010|url=http://www.cetconnect.org/AboutCET.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207022142/http://www.cetconnect.org/AboutCET.aspx|archive-date=December 7, 2010|quote=CET's legal name is Greater Cincinnati Television Education Foundation}}</ref><ref name="FCC profile">{{FCC-TV-Station-profile|WCET|WCET}}, TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files, [[Federal Communications Commission]]</ref> |
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| location = [[ |
| location = [[Cincinnati, Ohio]] |
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| country = United States |
| country = United States |
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| airdate = {{start date and age|1954|07|26|p=y}} |
| airdate = {{start date and age|1954|07|26|p=y}} |
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| last_airdate = |
| last_airdate = |
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| callsign_meaning = |
| callsign_meaning = "Cincinnati Educational Television" |
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| sister_stations = [[WPTD |
| sister_stations = [[WPTD]], [[WPTO]] (Think TV) |
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| former_callsigns = |
| former_callsigns = |
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| former_channel_numbers = '''Analog:''' |
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 48 (UHF, 1954–2009)|'''Digital:''' 34 (UHF, 2006–2019)}} |
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| former_affiliations = |
| former_affiliations = [[National Educational Television|NET]] (1954–1970) |
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| erp = 274 [[ |
| erp = 274 [[kW]] |
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| haat = {{convert|325|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} |
| haat = {{convert|325|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} |
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| facility_id = 65666 |
| facility_id = 65666 |
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| coordinates = |
| coordinates = {{coord|39|7|27|N|84|31|18|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=WCET}} |
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| licensing_authority = [[ |
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]] |
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| website = {{URL|https://www.cetconnect.org/}} |
| website = {{URL|https://www.cetconnect.org/}} |
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}} |
}} |
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'''WCET''' |
'''WCET''' (channel 48) is a [[PBS]] member [[television station]] in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], United States. The station is owned by the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation,<ref name="About" /><ref name="FCC profile" /> a subsidiary of [[Public Media Connect]]. WCET was the first licensed [[public television]] station in the United States.{{sfn|Watson-Rouslin|1978|p=53}} Its studios are located in the [[Crosley Broadcasting Corporation|Crosley]] Telecommunications Center on Central Parkway in Cincinnati, and [[WLWT TV Tower|its transmitter]] is located on Chickasaw Street in the [[CUF, Cincinnati|CUF]] section of Cincinnati. [[Master control]] operations are based at the studios of sister PBS member station [[WPTD]] in [[Dayton]]. |
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On [[cable television|cable]], the station is available on channel 13 on most systems in the [[media market|market]]. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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The [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) assigned channel 48 to WCET in 1951. A corporate charter and construction permit were granted in 1953. WCET began broadcasting on July 26, 1954, from a converted closet on the third floor of [[Music Hall (Cincinnati)|Music Hall]]. The first day of programming began with ''Tel-A-Story'', a half-hour reading program by the [[ |
The [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) assigned channel 48 to WCET in 1951. A corporate charter and construction permit were granted in 1953. WCET began broadcasting on July 26, 1954, from a converted closet on the third floor of [[Music Hall (Cincinnati)|Music Hall]]. The first day of programming began with ''Tel-A-Story'', a half-hour reading program by the [[Cincinnati library]].<ref name="40th brochure">{{cite book|title=Forty Years of TV Worth Watching|publisher=Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation|year=1994|url=http://wcet.org/50/images/40years_brochure.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051215034354/http://wcet.org/50/images/40years_brochure.pdf|archive-date=December 15, 2005}}</ref><ref name="OLA">{{cite journal|journal=Ohio Library Association Bulletin|publisher=Ohio Library Association|year=1953|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i2HpAAAAMAAJ&q=wcet|quote=Cincinnati's community-owned educational television, WCET, went on the air July 26, with 'Tel-a-Story,' by the Cincinnati Public Library as the opening program.|title=Ohio Library Association Bulletin}}</ref><ref name="Enquirer Kiesewetter 60">{{cite news|title=WCET-TV got its start 60 years ago|first=John|last=Kiesewetter|work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]|publisher=[[Gannett Company]]|date=July 28, 2014|access-date=December 2, 2014|url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/history/2014/07/28/wcet-tv-cincinnati-anniversary-pbs/13264271/}}</ref><ref name="Enquirer Knippenberg">{{cite news|title=ABC News to air from Devou Park|first=Jim|last=Knippenberg|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|publisher=Gannett Company|date=September 26, 2004|access-date=December 2, 2014|url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/09/26/tem_mixedmedia26.html}}</ref> On March 11, 1955, the FCC granted WCET the first non-commercial educational broadcast license in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Non-Commercial Education Television Broadcast Station License Official No. 1|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=March 11, 1955|url=http://wcet.org/50/images/WCETstationlicense.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051219232812/http://wcet.org/50/images/WCETstationlicense.pdf|archive-date=December 19, 2005}}</ref> WCET remained at Music Hall until 1959, when it moved to the former [[WLWT]] studios on Chickasaw Street.<ref name="40th brochure" /> |
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[[File:WCET-TV logo, 1994.svg|thumb|100px|left|WCET logo, ca. 1994.]] |
[[File:WCET-TV logo, 1994.svg|thumb|100px|left|WCET logo, ca. 1994.]] |
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Originally, WCET was funded through local [[School levy|school levies]]. However, a failed levy in 1966 forced the station to seek other sources of funding. In 1968, WCET held its inaugural ''Action Auction'', raising $31,000 in two days.<ref name="40th brochure" /> |
Originally, WCET was funded through local [[School levy|school levies]]. However, a failed levy in 1966 forced the station to seek other sources of funding. In 1968, WCET held its inaugural ''Action Auction'', raising $31,000 in two days.<ref name="40th brochure" /> |
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In 1976, the station moved to its present studio location at the Crosley Telecommunications Center, which it now shares with the market's two main public radio stations, [[ |
In 1976, the station moved to its present studio location at the Crosley Telecommunications Center, which it now shares with the market's two main public radio stations, [[WVXU-FM]] and [[WGUC-FM]].<ref name="Music Hall">{{cite web|url=http://www.cetconnect.org/content/musichall.asp|title=Cincinnati's "Leading Lady of Architecture" Stars in Her Very Own Show!|work=CETConnect|publisher=Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation|access-date=June 23, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612152715/http://www.cetconnect.org/content/musichall.asp|archive-date=June 12, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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In 1981, [[ |
In 1981, [[Warner Cable]] agreed to carry four additional channels of instructional programming provided by WCET.<ref name="40th brochure" /> |
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In the late 1990s, like PBS |
In the late 1990s, like PBS-member stations in many larger television markets, WCET partnered with the for-profit company [[Lakeshore Learning Materials]] to operate a retail store. WCET took a 25% share in the Channel 48 [[Store of Knowledge]], proceeds from which went towards the station's [[endowment fund]]. The {{convert|5300|sqft|adj=on}} store sold merchandise related to PBS shows at the [[Kenwood Towne Centre]] from November 23, 1996,<ref name="Post Miller">{{cite news|title=WCET cashing in on Knowledge|first=Nick|last=Miller|work=[[The Cincinnati Post]]|publisher=[[E. W. Scripps Company]]|date=November 6, 1996|page=B9|access-date=March 18, 2010|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CNPB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB032B2F9270432&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0E592096DB567DF5|format=fee required|quote=[[Los Angeles]]-based Lakeshore Learning Materials operates 29 Store of Knowledge outlets in agreements with PBS stations in 18 cities, most of them in markets much larger than Cincinnati. ... Channel 48 decided for the time being to have a 25 percent ownership stake in the store, station officials said. ... The Channel 48 Store of Knowledge will have its grand opening Nov. 23. The 5,300-square-foot store features more than 5,000 products ... linked to PBS programming.}}</ref> until the chain's bankruptcy and liquidation in 2001.<ref name="Courier liquidation">{{cite news|title=Kenwood's Store of Knowledge to close|work=[[Cincinnati Business Courier]]|publisher=[[American City Business Journals]]|date=April 12, 2001|access-date=March 18, 2010|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2001/04/09/daily40.html}}</ref> The [[Discovery Channel Store]], a similarly themed retail outlet, opened in its place the following September.<ref name="Courier Discovery">{{cite news|title=Discovery Channel Store to open at Kenwood|work=Cincinnati Business Courier|publisher=American City Business Journals|date=July 16, 2001|access-date=March 18, 2010|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2001/07/16/daily12.html}}</ref> |
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Once simply branded "Channel 48" and later as "WCET48", the station simplified its name to "CET" on September 16, 2003, moving away from its call sign and channel number to indicate its increasing focus on online services. It began an [[Internet television|IP-based on-demand video]] service via its website, CETconnect. |
Once simply branded "Channel 48" and later as "WCET48", the station simplified its name to "CET" on September 16, 2003, moving away from its call sign and channel number, in part to indicate its increasing focus on online services. It began an [[Internet television|IP-based on-demand video]] service via its website, CETconnect. |
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On May 8, 2009, the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation and Greater Dayton Public Television ( |
On May 8, 2009, the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation and Greater Dayton Public Television (licensee of that market's PBS station [[WPTD]]) formed the umbrella non-profit organization [[Public Media Connect]]. Both WCET and WPTD operate as subsidiaries of PMC, with separate branding and fundraising efforts.<ref name="CET merger">{{cite press release|title=Think<sup>TV</sup> and CET to Merge|publisher=Greater Dayton Public Television|date=October 31, 2008|url=http://www.thinktv.org/about/about_merger.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=ThinkTV, CET form Public Media Connect Inc.|publisher=Business Courier of Cincinnati|date=May 8, 2009|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/05/04/daily62.html|access-date=May 8, 2009}}</ref> The merger resulted in the July 2010 transfer of WCET's [[master control]] operations to WPTD's facilities in Dayton, in an attempt to reduce costs for WCET.<ref name="Enquirer Kiesewetter">{{cite news|title=Merger cuts CET jobs|first=John|last=Kiesewetter|work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]|publisher=[[Gannett Company]]|date=July 19, 2010|access-date=July 20, 2010|url=http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100719/ENT11/7190305/Merger-cuts-CET-jobs|quote=Five full-time positions, including both master control operators, have been eliminated by CET. ... Starting last weekend, CET's signal was being sent from Dayton to the station here, and then to the Fairview Heights tower and [[Time Warner cable]], employees say.}}</ref> |
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WCET and the Think<sup>TV</sup> channels were off the air (and not available through any other providers) from just after 4 p.m. on July 5 until 11:40 a.m. on July 9, 2019 due to the failure of a [[multiplexer]] in the master control power supply at Think<sup>TV</sup> in downtown Dayton.<ref>{{ cite news | url = https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/thinktv-back-air-after-equipment-failure/khucBwqK6VwiWLBgGcGTNK/ | title = ThinkTV is back on air after equipment failure | newspaper = [[Dayton Daily News]] | last = Schroeder | first = Kaitlin | date = July 9, 2019 | |
WCET and the Think<sup>TV</sup> channels were off the air (and not available through any other providers) from just after 4 p.m. on July 5 until 11:40 a.m. on July 9, 2019, due to the failure of a [[multiplexer]] in the master control power supply at Think<sup>TV</sup> in downtown Dayton.<ref>{{ cite news | url = https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/thinktv-back-air-after-equipment-failure/khucBwqK6VwiWLBgGcGTNK/ | title = ThinkTV is back on air after equipment failure | newspaper = [[Dayton Daily News]] | last = Schroeder | first = Kaitlin | date = July 9, 2019 | access-date = July 9, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite news | url = https://www.wvxu.org/post/wcet-tv-wptd-tv-and-wpto-tv-back-air#stream/0 | title = WCET-TV, WPTD-TV And WPTO-TV Back On Air | work = [[WVXU]] | publisher = [[Cincinnati Public Radio]] | last = Kiesewetter | first = John | date = July 9, 2019 | access-date = July 9, 2019 }}</ref> |
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==Original programming== |
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===Digital channels=== |
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| ⚫ | *''Congressional Outlook'' – national public affairs program hosted by [[Patrick Tyler]]; joint venture with [[Congressional Quarterly]]<ref name="About 1998">{{cite web|title=About WCET|publisher=Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation|url=http://www.wcet.org/about.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980204012157/http://www.wcet.org/about.html|archive-date=February 4, 1998}}</ref> |
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Most original WCET footage prior to 1990 was not archived and has been lost.<ref>{{cite web|title=March 2023 Q&A with Jim Wiener|first=Jim|last=Wiener|publisher=Public Media Connect|date=March 2, 2023|accessdate=March 4, 2023|url=https://www.cetconnect.org/march-2023-qa-with-jim-wiener/}}</ref> |
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==Notable people== |
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* [[John Knoepfle]]{{snd}}producer and director; later a poet, translator, and educator<ref name="Hadden">{{cite encyclopedia|title=John (Ignatius) Knoepfle|first=Theodore|last=Hadden|editor=Philip A. Greasley|encyclopedia=Dictionary of Midwestern Literature|volume=1|year=2001|location=Bloomington, Indiana|publisher=[[Indiana University Press]]|isbn=0-253-33609-0|pages=301–303|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZnuYKJSoHCMC&pg=PA301|accessdate=May 2, 2009}}</ref> |
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==Technical information== |
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[[File:WCET foto by andy hemmer cincinnati.jpg|thumb|right|WCET headquarters on Central Parkway in [[downtown Cincinnati]].]] |
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===Subchannels=== |
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{| class="wikitable" |
{| class="wikitable" |
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! [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]] |
! [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]] |
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! [[Display resolution| |
! [[Display resolution|Res.]] |
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! [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]] |
! [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]] |
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! Short name |
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! [[Program and System Information Protocol#What PSIP does|PSIP Short Name]] |
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! Programming |
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! scope = "row" | 48.1 |
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| [[1080i]] || rowspan=3|[[16:9]] || CETHD || [[PBS]] |
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|- |
|- |
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! scope = "row" | 48.2 |
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| rowspan=2| [[480i]] || Create || [[Create (TV network)|CET Create]] |
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! scope = "row" | 48.3 |
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| Art || CET Arts |
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|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;" |
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! scope = "row" | [[Kentucky Educational Television|54.1]] |
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| [[720p]] || rowspan=2|16:9 || KET || [[KET]] / PBS (WCVN-TV) |
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|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6;" |
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! scope = "row" | [[Kentucky Educational Television|54.3]] |
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| 480i || KETKY || Kentucky Channel (WCVN-DT3) |
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|} |
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{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}} |
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CET Create and CET Arts are also available on the [[digital cable]] tiers of local cable provider [[ |
CET Create and CET Arts are also available on the [[digital cable]] tiers of local cable provider [[Charter Spectrum]].<ref name="Channels">{{cite web|title=CET Television Program Channel Information|work=CETConnect|publisher=Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation|access-date=March 18, 2010|url=http://www.cetconnect.org/Television/CETChannels.aspx}}</ref> "CETWorld", affiliated with PBS World (now branded simply as [[World Channel|World]]), was carried on channel 48.2 from 2003 to January 5, 2009, and on 48.3 from September 24 of that year to February 1, 2010. During this time, it was also carried by Spectrum's predecessor, Time Warner Cable. World programming continues to be carried on Think<sup>TV</sup> World, a subchannel of sister station [[WPTD#WPTO|WPTO]]. |
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On February 1, 2010, CETWorld was replaced with CET Arts on digital subchannel 48.3 |
On February 1, 2010, CETWorld was replaced with CET Arts on digital subchannel 48.3. CET Arts showcases drama, visual arts, dance and music programming ranging from symphonic to bluegrass.<ref name="Arts">{{cite web|title=CET Arts|work=CETConnect|publisher=Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation|access-date=March 18, 2010|url=http://www.cetconnect.org/CET_Arts/}}</ref> |
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On March 4, 2012 at 6:49 p.m., CET aired its first live [[High-definition television|high definition]] pledge break from its studio, around the concert program '' |
On March 4, 2012, at 6:49 p.m., CET aired its first live [[High-definition television|high definition]] pledge break from its studio, around the concert program ''Under the Streetlamp''. |
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===Analog-to-digital conversion=== |
===Analog-to-digital conversion=== |
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WCET signed on its digital signal on [[ |
WCET signed on its digital signal on [[UHF]] channel 34 on December 4, 2002; it began broadcasting in [[High-definition television|high definition]] 24 hours a day on October 1, 2005.<ref name="DTV">{{cite web|title=CET Digital Television|work=CETConnect|publisher=Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation|access-date=March 18, 2010|url=http://www.cetconnect.org/Television/DigitalTV.aspx}}</ref> The station discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over [[UHF]] channel 48, at 12:01 a.m. after a brief playing of the original sign-off tape on May 1, 2009.<ref>[http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf List of Digital Full-Power Stations]</ref> The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 34,<ref name="FCCForm387">[http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=65666 CDBS Print<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> using [[virtual channel]] 48. |
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==Original programming== |
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| ⚫ | *'' |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist |
{{reflist}} |
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==Further reading== |
==Further reading== |
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* {{cite journal |
* {{cite journal|first=Virginia|last=Watson-Rouslin|title=Channel 48: A Muttering Voice in the T.V. Wilderness|journal=[[Cincinnati (magazine)|Cincinnati]]|publisher=[[Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce]]|volume=11|issue=5|date=February 1978|pages=52–57|access-date=November 17, 2009|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[https://www.cetconnect.org/ CETConnect] – official website of WCET-TV |
*[https://www.cetconnect.org/ CETConnect] – official website of WCET-TV |
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*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051215034354/http://wcet.org/50/index.asp |date=December 15, 2005 |title=CET 50th Anniversary }} |
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051215034354/http://wcet.org/50/index.asp |date=December 15, 2005 |title=CET 50th Anniversary }} |
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*{{TVQ|WCET}} |
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*{{BIA|WCET|TV|TV}} |
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{{Clear}} |
{{Clear}} |
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{{Cincy TV}} |
{{Cincy TV}} |
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{{PBS Ohio}} |
{{PBS Ohio}} |
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{{PBS Kentucky}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wcet (Tv)}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wcet (Tv)}} |
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Latest revision as of 12:41, 11 November 2024
 | |
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|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding | CET |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WPTD, WPTO (Think TV) | |
| History | |
First air date | July 26, 1954 |
Former channel number(s) |
|
| NET (1954–1970) | |
Call sign meaning | "Cincinnati Educational Television" |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 65666 |
| ERP | 274 kW |
| HAAT | 325 m (1,066 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°7′27″N 84°31′18″W / 39.12417°N 84.52167°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WCET (channel 48) is a PBS member television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The station is owned by the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation,[1][2] a subsidiary of Public Media Connect. WCET was the first licensed public television station in the United States.[4] Its studios are located in the Crosley Telecommunications Center on Central Parkway in Cincinnati, and its transmitter is located on Chickasaw Street in the CUF section of Cincinnati. Master control operations are based at the studios of sister PBS member station WPTD in Dayton.
History
[edit]The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) assigned channel 48 to WCET in 1951. A corporate charter and construction permit were granted in 1953. WCET began broadcasting on July 26, 1954, from a converted closet on the third floor of Music Hall. The first day of programming began with Tel-A-Story, a half-hour reading program by the Cincinnati library.[5][6][7][8] On March 11, 1955, the FCC granted WCET the first non-commercial educational broadcast license in the country.[9] WCET remained at Music Hall until 1959, when it moved to the former WLWT studios on Chickasaw Street.[5]
Originally, WCET was funded through local school levies. However, a failed levy in 1966 forced the station to seek other sources of funding. In 1968, WCET held its inaugural Action Auction, raising $31,000 in two days.[5]
In 1976, the station moved to its present studio location at the Crosley Telecommunications Center, which it now shares with the market's two main public radio stations, WVXU-FM and WGUC-FM.[10]
In 1981, Warner Cable agreed to carry four additional channels of instructional programming provided by WCET.[5]
In the late 1990s, like PBS-member stations in many larger television markets, WCET partnered with the for-profit company Lakeshore Learning Materials to operate a retail store. WCET took a 25% share in the Channel 48 Store of Knowledge, proceeds from which went towards the station's endowment fund. The 5,300-square-foot (490 m2) store sold merchandise related to PBS shows at the Kenwood Towne Centre from November 23, 1996,[11] until the chain's bankruptcy and liquidation in 2001.[12] The Discovery Channel Store, a similarly themed retail outlet, opened in its place the following September.[13]
Once simply branded "Channel 48" and later as "WCET48", the station simplified its name to "CET" on September 16, 2003, moving away from its call sign and channel number, in part to indicate its increasing focus on online services. It began an IP-based on-demand video service via its website, CETconnect.
On May 8, 2009, the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation and Greater Dayton Public Television (licensee of that market's PBS station WPTD) formed the umbrella non-profit organization Public Media Connect. Both WCET and WPTD operate as subsidiaries of PMC, with separate branding and fundraising efforts.[14][15] The merger resulted in the July 2010 transfer of WCET's master control operations to WPTD's facilities in Dayton, in an attempt to reduce costs for WCET.[16]
WCET and the ThinkTV channels were off the air (and not available through any other providers) from just after 4 p.m. on July 5 until 11:40 a.m. on July 9, 2019, due to the failure of a multiplexer in the master control power supply at ThinkTV in downtown Dayton.[17][18]
Original programming
[edit]The following television series were previously or are currently produced by WCET:
- Action Auction – televised station fundraiser
- Congressional Outlook – national public affairs program hosted by Patrick Tyler; joint venture with Congressional Quarterly[19]
- Focus 48 – local public affairs program
- It's Academic (1960s–1980s) – local version, in partnership with WLWT
- Lilias, Yoga and You[20] (1972–1999)
- Showcase with Barbara Kellar – local arts and cultural series airing on CET Arts
Most original WCET footage prior to 1990 was not archived and has been lost.[21]
Notable people
[edit]- John Knoepfle – producer and director; later a poet, translator, and educator[22]
Technical information
[edit]
Subchannels
[edit]The station's signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | CETHD | PBS |
| 48.2 | 480i | Create | CET Create | |
| 48.3 | Art | CET Arts | ||
| 54.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KET | KET / PBS (WCVN-TV) |
| 54.3 | 480i | KETKY | Kentucky Channel (WCVN-DT3) |
Broadcast on behalf of another station
CET Create and CET Arts are also available on the digital cable tiers of local cable provider Charter Spectrum.[24] "CETWorld", affiliated with PBS World (now branded simply as World), was carried on channel 48.2 from 2003 to January 5, 2009, and on 48.3 from September 24 of that year to February 1, 2010. During this time, it was also carried by Spectrum's predecessor, Time Warner Cable. World programming continues to be carried on ThinkTV World, a subchannel of sister station WPTO.
On February 1, 2010, CETWorld was replaced with CET Arts on digital subchannel 48.3. CET Arts showcases drama, visual arts, dance and music programming ranging from symphonic to bluegrass.[25]
On March 4, 2012, at 6:49 p.m., CET aired its first live high definition pledge break from its studio, around the concert program Under the Streetlamp.
Analog-to-digital conversion
[edit]WCET signed on its digital signal on UHF channel 34 on December 4, 2002; it began broadcasting in high definition 24 hours a day on October 1, 2005.[26] The station discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 48, at 12:01 a.m. after a brief playing of the original sign-off tape on May 1, 2009.[27] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 34,[28] using virtual channel 48.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "About CET". CETConnect. Greater Cincinnati Television Education Foundation. Archived from the original on December 7, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
CET's legal name is Greater Cincinnati Television Education Foundation
- ^ a b WCET, TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files, Federal Communications Commission
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WCET". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Watson-Rouslin 1978, p. 53.
- ^ a b c d Forty Years of TV Worth Watching (PDF). Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation. 1994. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2005.
- ^ "Ohio Library Association Bulletin". Ohio Library Association Bulletin. Ohio Library Association. 1953.
Cincinnati's community-owned educational television, WCET, went on the air July 26, with 'Tel-a-Story,' by the Cincinnati Public Library as the opening program.
- ^ Kiesewetter, John (July 28, 2014). "WCET-TV got its start 60 years ago". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Company. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- ^ Knippenberg, Jim (September 26, 2004). "ABC News to air from Devou Park". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Company. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- ^ "Non-Commercial Education Television Broadcast Station License Official No. 1" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. March 11, 1955. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2005.
- ^ "Cincinnati's "Leading Lady of Architecture" Stars in Her Very Own Show!". CETConnect. Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation. Archived from the original on June 12, 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2007.
- ^ Miller, Nick (November 6, 1996). "WCET cashing in on Knowledge" (fee required). The Cincinnati Post. E. W. Scripps Company. p. B9. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
Los Angeles-based Lakeshore Learning Materials operates 29 Store of Knowledge outlets in agreements with PBS stations in 18 cities, most of them in markets much larger than Cincinnati. ... Channel 48 decided for the time being to have a 25 percent ownership stake in the store, station officials said. ... The Channel 48 Store of Knowledge will have its grand opening Nov. 23. The 5,300-square-foot store features more than 5,000 products ... linked to PBS programming.
- ^ "Kenwood's Store of Knowledge to close". Cincinnati Business Courier. American City Business Journals. April 12, 2001. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "Discovery Channel Store to open at Kenwood". Cincinnati Business Courier. American City Business Journals. July 16, 2001. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "ThinkTV and CET to Merge" (Press release). Greater Dayton Public Television. October 31, 2008.
- ^ "ThinkTV, CET form Public Media Connect Inc". Business Courier of Cincinnati. May 8, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
- ^ Kiesewetter, John (July 19, 2010). "Merger cuts CET jobs". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Company. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
Five full-time positions, including both master control operators, have been eliminated by CET. ... Starting last weekend, CET's signal was being sent from Dayton to the station here, and then to the Fairview Heights tower and Time Warner cable, employees say.
- ^ Schroeder, Kaitlin (July 9, 2019). "ThinkTV is back on air after equipment failure". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- ^ Kiesewetter, John (July 9, 2019). "WCET-TV, WPTD-TV And WPTO-TV Back On Air". WVXU. Cincinnati Public Radio. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- ^ "About WCET". Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation. Archived from the original on February 4, 1998.
- ^ Watson-Rouslin 1978, pp. 53–54.
- ^ Wiener, Jim (March 2, 2023). "March 2023 Q&A with Jim Wiener". Public Media Connect. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Hadden, Theodore (2001). "John (Ignatius) Knoepfle". In Philip A. Greasley (ed.). Dictionary of Midwestern Literature. Vol. 1. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. pp. 301–303. ISBN 0-253-33609-0. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WCET". RabbitEars.info. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
- ^ "CET Television Program Channel Information". CETConnect. Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "CET Arts". CETConnect. Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "CET Digital Television". CETConnect. Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ List of Digital Full-Power Stations
- ^ CDBS Print
Further reading
[edit]- Watson-Rouslin, Virginia (February 1978). "Channel 48: A Muttering Voice in the T.V. Wilderness". Cincinnati. 11 (5). Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce: 52–57. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
External links
[edit]- CETConnect – official website of WCET-TV
- CET 50th Anniversary at the Wayback Machine (archived December 15, 2005)