WQED Changes Schedule
Pittsburgh:Beginning Monday, WQED-TV (13) will become the place to be if you are kid. The new daytime lineup will consist of an 11-hour block of children's programming beginning at 6 a.m. Program Director Chris Fennimore tells the Post-Gazette that the switch reflects the available daytime audience. If you are looking for programs like "Sit and Be Fit" or "OnQ", they are moving to a new digital subchannel called "WQED Create Channel".
Apparently there were several possibilities from which to choose in creating the new subchannel, but Fennimore felt that "Create" had the most broadcast appeal. "Create" runs programming ranging from cooking to travel and will feature programs like "Ask This Old House" and "Best of the Joy of Painting". The channel will also be home to two blocks of programming - one at noontime which will feature "Charlie Rose" and a rerun of "OnQ"; the other beginning at 9 p.m. which will supply the West Coast feed of "The News Hour", "Black Horizons" and "Tavis Smiley".
If viewing over the air, WQED (as we've always known it) is 13.1; Create is 13.2 and the Neighborhood Channel is 13.3. Check your cable provider for channel numbers. Incidentally, WQED will be the only local station to remain on its channel after the February 17 switch to all-digital.
Readers’ Forum
I have to wonder if WQED will return WQEX to PBS at some point, at least via its subchannels. There’s still lots of other non-commercial services WQED could add, such as PBS World, MHz WorldView, and Documentary Channel.
Trip Ericson (URL) - January 03, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Trip, the only problem with WQEX would be that WQED agreed to have WQEX’s license be permanently commercial as part of FCC policy when WQED requested WQEX be converted from non-commercial to commercial. WQED can get two more subchannels from their own signal at the cost of all of the channels being in SD instead of HD. TBN does that now. WPCW or WBGN should buy the WQEX license, both would benefit from the license and give WQED a cash infusion in the process.
Joe Gerard (URL) - January 03, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Just because it’s licensed commercial doesn’t mean it can’t air non-commercial services.
Trip Ericson (URL) - January 04, 2009 at 01:42 am
WQLN in Erie has been running mostly non stop PBS kids programs for years. We go from 6am-Noon with Charlie Rose from Noon-1pm followed by more kids from 1-6pm. Then our Q-Life channel on Time Warner cable goes with a 3 hour kids block from 6-9pm while carrying news, exercise and how-to programs the rest of the time. We really began to focus on kids more right after 9-11-01 when there was nothing but horrifying images on other stations & we became a Safe Haven for kids to watch.
Tom Lavery (URL) - January 05, 2009 at 07:56 am