 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding | CET |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WPTD,WPTO (Think TV) | |
| History | |
First air date | July 26, 1954 (70 years ago) (1954-07-26) |
Former channel number(s) |
|
| NET (1954–1970) | |
Call sign meaning | "Cincinnati Educational Television" |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 65666 |
| ERP | 274kW |
| HAAT | 325 m (1,066 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°7′27″N84°31′18″W / 39.12417°N 84.52167°W /39.12417; -84.52167 (WCET) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WCET (channel 48) is aPBS membertelevision station inCincinnati, Ohio, United States. The station is owned by the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation,[1][2] a subsidiary ofPublic Media Connect. WCET was the first licensedpublic television station in the United States.[4] Its studios are located in theCrosley Telecommunications Center on Central Parkway in Cincinnati, andits transmitter is located on Chickasaw Street in theCUF section of Cincinnati.Master control operations are based at the studios of sister PBS member stationWPTD inDayton.
TheFederal 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 ofMusic Hall. The first day of programming began withTel-A-Story, a half-hour reading program by theCincinnati 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 formerWLWT studios on Chickasaw Street.[5]
Originally, WCET was funded through localschool levies. However, a failed levy in 1966 forced the station to seek other sources of funding. In 1968, WCET held its inauguralAction 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 andWGUC-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 companyLakeshore Learning Materials to operate a retail store. WCET took a 25% share in the Channel 48Store of Knowledge, proceeds from which went towards the station'sendowment fund. The 5,300-square-foot (490 m2) store sold merchandise related to PBS shows at theKenwood Towne Centre from November 23, 1996,[11] until the chain's bankruptcy and liquidation in 2001.[12] TheDiscovery 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 anIP-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 stationWPTD) formed the umbrella non-profit organizationPublic 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'smaster 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 amultiplexer in the master control power supply at ThinkTV in downtown Dayton.[17][18]
The following television series were previously or are currently produced by WCET:
Most original WCET footage prior to 1990 was not archived and has been lost.[21]
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| 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) |
CET Create and CET Arts are also available on thedigital cable tiers of local cable providerCharter Spectrum.[24] "CETWorld", affiliated with PBS World (now branded simply asWorld), 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 stationWPTO.
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 livehigh definition pledge break from its studio, around the concert programUnder the Streetlamp.
WCET signed on its digital signal onUHF channel 34 on December 4, 2002; it began broadcasting inhigh definition 24 hours a day on October 1, 2005.[26] The station ended regular programming on its analog signal, overUHF 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] usingvirtual channel 48.
CET's legal name is Greater Cincinnati Television Education Foundation
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.
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.
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 andTime Warner cable, employees say.