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WCET (TV)
Encyclopedia
WCET is the PBS
member public television station serving Cincinnati, Ohio
. It broadcasts digitally on channel 34 but is displayed on-screen as channel 48, its former analog and present virtual channel
, via the PSIP
protocol. Its signal is multiplex
ed, broadcasting one high-definition
channel, CET HD, and two standard definition channels, CET CrEaTe and CET Arts. WCET is operated by the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation, a subsidiary of Public Media Connect
.
station in the United States
. It was granted its license in 1951 and began broadcasting on July 26, 1954, from the third floor of Music Hall
in Cincinnati, where it was located until 1959. In 1976, the station moved to its present location at the Crosley
Telecommunications Center on Central Parkway, which it now shares with the market's two main public radio stations, WVXU-FM
and WGUC-FM
.
Like PBS members in many larger television markets, WCET partnered with the for-profit company Lakeshore Learning Materials to operate a retail store in the late 1990s. WCET took a 25% share in the Channel 48 Store of Knowledge, which went towards the station's endowment fund
. The 5300 square feet (492.4 m²) store sold merchandise related to PBS shows at the Kenwood Towne Centre
from November 23, 1996, until the chain's bankruptcy and liquidation in 2001. The Discovery Channel Store opened in its place the following September.
Once simply known as "Channel 48" and later as WCET48, the station rebranded itself as CET on September 16, 2003, moving away from its call sign 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 (ThinkTV
) formed the umbrella non-profit organization Public Media Connect
. Both CET and ThinkTV operate as subsidiaries with separate branding and fundraising efforts. The merger resulted in the July 2010 transfer of WCET's master control
operations to ThinkTV facilities in Dayton.
channel 34 on December 4, 2002, and has broadcast in high definition
24 hours a day since October 1, 2005. The station ended analog operations at 12:01 AM on May 1, 2009. After most analog television was phased out nationwide on June 12, 2009, WCET remained on channel 34. However, WCET uses the PSIP
protocol to display its virtual channel
as 48.
The station's digital channel is multiplexed
, featuring the following subchannels:
CrEaTe and CET Arts are also available on local Time Warner Cable
and Insight Communications
digital cable systems.
CETWorld, part of the PBS 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 Time Warner Cable. PBS 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 the 48.3 sub-channel. It showcases the Arts' best in drama, visual arts, dance and music ranging from symphonic to bluegrass.
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
member public television station serving Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. It broadcasts digitally on channel 34 but is displayed on-screen as channel 48, its former analog and present virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
, via the PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
protocol. Its signal is multiplex
Multiplexing
The multiplexed signal is transmitted over a communication channel, which may be a physical transmission medium. The multiplexing divides the capacity of the low-level communication channel into several higher-level logical channels, one for each message signal or data stream to be transferred...
ed, broadcasting one high-definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
channel, CET HD, and two standard definition channels, CET CrEaTe and CET Arts. WCET is operated by the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation, a subsidiary of Public Media Connect
Public Media Connect
Public Media Connect, Inc. is a non-profit organization that owns southwest Ohio's largest PBS member television stations. It was formed in 2009 from the merger of the Greater Cincinnati Educational Television Foundation, which operates WCET in Cincinnati under the "CET" brand, and Greater Dayton...
.
History
WCET is the first licensed public televisionPublic broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
station in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was granted its license in 1951 and began broadcasting on July 26, 1954, from the third floor of Music Hall
Music Hall (Cincinnati)
Music Hall, completed in 1878, is Cincinnati's premier classical music performance hall. It serves as the home for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, May Festival Chorus, and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. In January, 1975, it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark by the...
in Cincinnati, where it was located until 1959. In 1976, the station moved to its present location at the Crosley
Crosley Broadcasting Corporation
The Crosley Broadcasting Corporation was a radio and television broadcaster founded by radio manufacturing pioneer Powel Crosley, Jr.. The company was an early operator of radio stations in the United States. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Crosley's flagship station was WLW...
Telecommunications Center on Central Parkway, which it now shares with the market's two main public radio stations, WVXU-FM
WVXU
WVXU is a public radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is owned by Cincinnati Public Radio, which also operates station WGUC and WMUB. It broadcasts at 91.7 FM and airs public radio news/talk syndicated programming from National Public Radio, American Public Media and Public Radio...
and WGUC-FM
WGUC
WGUC is a public radio station serving Cincinnati, Ohio. It is owned by Cincinnati Public Radio. It broadcasts at 90.9 FM and features classical music. WGUC also has HD Radio capability and broadcasts jazz on WGUC-2...
.
Like PBS members in many larger television markets, WCET partnered with the for-profit company Lakeshore Learning Materials to operate a retail store in the late 1990s. WCET took a 25% share in the Channel 48 Store of Knowledge, which went towards the station's endowment fund
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
. The 5300 square feet (492.4 m²) store sold merchandise related to PBS shows at the Kenwood Towne Centre
Kenwood Towne Centre
Kenwood Towne Centre is a shopping mall located at corner of Montgomery and Kenwood Roads, adjacent to Interstate 71, northeast of Cincinnati....
from November 23, 1996, until the chain's bankruptcy and liquidation in 2001. The Discovery Channel Store opened in its place the following September.
Internet television
Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet...
service via its website, CETconnect.
On May 8, 2009, the Greater Cincinnati Television Educational Foundation and Greater Dayton Public Television (ThinkTV
WPTD
WPTD is a television station in Dayton, Ohio that is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service. It broadcasts in digital on channel 16, and is relayed by W32DS-D in Maplewood, Ohio....
) formed the umbrella non-profit organization Public Media Connect
Public Media Connect
Public Media Connect, Inc. is a non-profit organization that owns southwest Ohio's largest PBS member television stations. It was formed in 2009 from the merger of the Greater Cincinnati Educational Television Foundation, which operates WCET in Cincinnati under the "CET" brand, and Greater Dayton...
. Both CET and ThinkTV operate as subsidiaries with separate branding and fundraising efforts. The merger resulted in the July 2010 transfer of WCET's master control
Master control
Master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations and television networks. It is distinct from a production control room in television studios where the activities such as switching from camera to camera are coordinated...
operations to ThinkTV facilities in Dayton.
Digital television
WCET began broadcasting digitally on UHFUltra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 34 on December 4, 2002, and has broadcast in high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
24 hours a day since October 1, 2005. The station ended analog operations at 12:01 AM on May 1, 2009. After most analog television was phased out nationwide on June 12, 2009, WCET remained on channel 34. However, WCET uses the PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
protocol to display its virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 48.
The station's digital channel is multiplexed
Multiplexing
The multiplexed signal is transmitted over a communication channel, which may be a physical transmission medium. The multiplexing divides the capacity of the low-level communication channel into several higher-level logical channels, one for each message signal or data stream to be transferred...
, featuring the following subchannels:
| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 48.1 | Main CET programming / PBS |
| 48.2 | Create |
| 48.3 | CET Arts |
CrEaTe and CET Arts are also available on local Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
and Insight Communications
Insight Communications
Insight Communications is the 13th largest multiple system operator in the United States with approximately 692,000 customers in the three contiguous states of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio...
digital cable systems.
CETWorld, part of the PBS World
PBS World
PBS World is a 24-hour United States over-the-air digital subchannel showing public TV non-fiction, science, nature, news, public affairs and documentaries...
, 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 Time Warner Cable. PBS 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 the 48.3 sub-channel. It showcases the Arts' best in drama, visual arts, dance and music ranging from symphonic to bluegrass.
Original programming
The following television series were previously or are currently produced by WCET:- Action Auction – televised station fundraiser
- Focus – local public affairs
- It's AcademicIt's AcademicIt's Academic is a televised academic quiz competition for high school students, currently airing on two NBC affiliates in Washington, D.C. and Central Virginia and one CBS affiliate Baltimore, Maryland . The show has been on the air since October 7, 1961, making it the longest...
(1960s–1980s) – local version, in partnership with WLWTWLWTWLWT, virtual channel 5 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, the station is owned by Hearst Television... - Lilias, Yoga and You (1972–1999)