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We will be showing Joe Nuxhall, My Life: Baseball and Beyond tonight, and in the coming days. Tune in for the first episode tonight at 7:30 p.m. on which Joe speaks with Sports Anchor Dennis Janson about his life. Recorded in 2005, the series is a testament to Joe’s life and legacy in Cincinnati and beyond.

All four episodes can be seen online right now, just click here to see them. Or, watch them on TV November 19, 20, 26 & 27 at 7:30 p.m.

 Do you have any memories of meeting Joe, watching him play or listening to him on the radio? If so, please share by adding a comment. -Katie

News is just breaking this morning that Joe Nuxhall, the legendary broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds, has passed away. Joe had been fighting cancer and dealing with heart problems so it wasn’t as if we didn’t have this idea in the back of our collective minds. We just thought he’d beat it all again like he had in the past.

Like many in our community, I grew up listening to the Ol’ Lefthander and Marty Brennaman calling games for the Reds. I loved the folksiness of Joe’s delivery. I loved that hint of a whistle in his voice. I loved listening to him attempt to pronounce the name José Uribe. The enthusiasm in his voice when Eric Davis would hit a home run or Davey Concepcion would make another great play was so natural and unforced. And we all recall the unadulterated joy in his voice when Pete Rose hit 4,192, yelling “There it is! There it is! Get down! All right!” Sometimes Marty would make the call but it was Joe that punctuated it with his sheer love for the team and the players.

As you may know, CET did a series about two years ago with Nuxhall, titled Joe Nuxhall, My Life: Baseball and Beyond. You can view an episode here. The day we recorded these interviews, I was on hand to document with photographs and to interview him and host Dennis Janson. It was the only time I’d ever met Joe in my life but he treated me like an old pal. From what I was told, that is how he treated everybody, whether he had just met them or if they were lifelong chums.

I’m going to miss the voice and the man. Baseball is just not going to be the same without him.

Cincinnati is not going to be the same without him.

Please share with us your memories of the Ol’ Lefthander in the comments section. 

Rest in peace, Nuxy.

- Brian

As Veterans Day approaches, I realize that the way I think about this day on the calendar will never be the same.  After speaking with around 35 people from the Cincinnati area and beyond about their fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, sons, and daughters who were touched in some profound way by World War II, I feel totally humbled and grateful for everything the Greatest Generation did for our country.  For a period of about two months, in the run-up to the Ken Burns documentary premiere of The War on CET, I was responsible for corresponding with veterans or people who wanted to share stories of the veterans in their families.  A lot of people here at CET believed that once the Burns/Novick documentary series began that the calls, letters, packages, and questions would subside a bit and things for me in my corner of our building would go back to normal.  However, they increased as the series began airing. 
          When I would check the mail, there would be something new almost everyday for nearly a full month.  Looking at each letter and package was really like Christmas to a person thirsty for knowledge on WWII, because there was no way of knowing how inspiring, devastating, or utterly telling the materials inside would be about the Second World War.  There have been times I have opened one of these packages and examined the photos and letters and have felt, as some people say, that God was watching me.  These are stories that simply jump off the page, and grab you and shake you to the core.  I would come to the realization, after hours of working on scanning and organizing the materials that our community so generously shared with us that I felt an enormous amount of sheer respect and awe for these “everyday people”.  They said goodbye to their young adult lives to fight for their country, or never came home again at all.  
          All I can say in 2007, is thank you.  Thank you to the people who fought for human rights and an end to tyranny in places all over the world, from Eastern Europe to Northern Africa, the Philippines and New Guinea, Iwo Jima and beyond.  And while WWII was so big, and was the focus of the Ken Burns documentary and the local veterans history project we worked on at CET, I have to say that it made me realize that all of the servicemen and servicewomen are linked.  The stories I was reading from 1939-1945 easily relate to stories of those serving in the U.S. military today in the Middle East.  Thank you to all of you.  Veterans Day is the most important day of remembrance and observance in the United States from my (now more informed) perspective.
-Amanda 

Did you know we live in one of the most literate cities in America?

Cincinnati is home to one of the most literate populations in the U.S. Based on a study of six key indicators of literacy including newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources, Cincinnati is recognized as part of this elite group. So what does one of America’s most literate cities do to celebrate?

They plan their first book festival.

Cincinnati’s inaugural book festival is coming to the Duke Energy Center this Saturday, November 3, and will bring over 85 regional and national authors for book signings, panel presentations and activities for kids. Books by the Banks is a celebration of books and reading that includes all genres and all ages. CET is proud to be one of the organizing partners of Books by the Banks along with the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Borders Books, Cincinnati Magazine, the Mercantile Library and the University Libraries of the University of Cincinnati.

At the festival, there will be a reading wall that will provide an opportunity for attendees to post their response to a very simple question – What do you like about reading? Festival goers can write their responses on Post-It notes and affix them to the wall any time during the day. For those of you who won’t be able to join us on site on Saturday, I encourage you to share your responses as comments here. Tell us about what reading brings to your life. Share the joy of books and reading with us on this virtual wall.

- Diane

Yesterday I got to take a field trip to Stephens Elementary School in Boone County with KC the CET Kids Club Mascot. KC was invited, along with Director of Membership and Events Sylvia Richard, to read to a few classes as part of the Parents As Reading Partners program.

We visited three classrooms, one second grade class and two kindergarten classes. It has been a while since any of us had been in a school and it was a great program. Along with KC the school invited several other local celebrities to come out and read to the schools. Some were local politicians, some were reporters and I heard some of the Cincinnati Cyclones were going to stop by in the afternoon to read.The kids seemed to really enjoy the books and meeting KC, and KC enjoyed going out and hanging out with the kids. So, if any teachers or community leaders happen to be reading this blog, please be aware KC loves reading, kids and learning and loves getting out of the office. You can write to KC and request apperances at kc@cetconnect.org. -Katie

Congratulations to Lilias Folan!  Cincinnati Magazine has chosen Lilias as one of the 40 who shaped the city……

Lilias Folan, a household name since 1972 when her original series Lilias, Yoga & You premiered on CET,  has been regarded as one of America’s most knowledgeable and respected Master Yoga teachers.   A renowned guru who helped introduce yoga to Americans across the country.  Forty years after discovering her love of yoga, Lilias continues to inspire audiences around the world with workshops and seminars spiced with her knowledge, vibrancy and enthusiasm.    

CET is proud to be associated with Lilias and pleased that Cincinnati Magazine has honored Lilias in this way. 

LILIAS! series airs on CETCREATE (Time Warner Cable Channel 949) at 6:30 a.m. and  6:30 p.m. - Grace

  Attention all Cincinnatians who have worked in broadcasting or at CET in the past thirty-odd years!  While we were chatting over pastries and celebrating Grace Hill’s 45th anniversary, we found this Options member magazine with a photograph of the CET staff.  Can you find Grace in this picture?  Is there anyone else you recognize?
-Amanda

Cincinnati has its share of broadcast icons: Uncle Al & Captain Wendy, Skipper Ryle, Bob Shreve, Paul Dixon. CET has its own icon and today, we’re celebrating her 45 years with CET.

On October 3rd, 1962, on Mt. Olympus (aka 2222 Chickasaw Street) in Cincinnati, Ohio, a fresh-faced Grace Hill joined WCET-TV’s staff. Starting out answering phones, Grace quickly progressed through the ranks of Cincinnati’s (and the nation’s) first licensed education television station to lead the Programming Department from the 20th century and into the new milliennium.

Since joining, she’s endured countless pledge drives, programming changes and meetings, all the while retaining that familiar sparkle in her eye that her co-workers and Greater Cincinnati viewers have come to love. People all over the tri-state equate Grace’s lovely face with the face of CET.

My favorite memories of Grace were watching her on pledge breaks during Doctor Who. Little did I know then as a pimply 17 year-old that one day I’d be working with the lady, herself.

Grace, congratulations on 45 years. You’re as much a part of CET as Big Bird, Mr. Rogers and Masterpiece Theatre. Here’s to more years.

 Please share your congratulations & memories of CET’s Grande Dame of Programming in the Comments section.

And enjoy some pictures of Grace through the years.

Grace with 48 Logo | Grace Hill 1981 | Grace with Andy Dahmann | Grace at Auction 

Grace with Brian | Grace pledging | Grace Hill, Timelord | Grace with Rosalie Eick 

Grace at the podium | Grace with Wayne Godwin | Grace with Kathy Lehr | Grace 1984 

Grace Hill, stylist | Grace Hill at CETconnect | Grace with Award

 - Brian

“What does the digital transition mean to me?”

“What happens to my TV after February, 2009?”

“HDTV? NTSC? What does all that technical jargon mean?”

“What sort of technologies should I look out for?”

If these and other questions like it have been bothering you, then CET has the answer. Introducing the CET Tech Info blog. This blog will help you navigate through the confusing terminology and baffling techs peak you may encounter as we continue on in this bold, new, media-addled world.

Maintained by CET COO Jack Dominic, the CET Tech Info blog seeks to answer any questions you have. Submitting a question is as easy as posting a comment on the blog or by emailing TechInfo@CETconnect.org.

Give it a read and let us know what you think about this blog.

-Brian

Just wanted to let you know that Julia and Steven will be bringing back an Emmy for A Lion in The House! They tied for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Film making along with with Spike Lee’s When The Levee’s Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. You can read more about the win here, from the Cincinnati Enquirer.And don’t forget to tune in this Friday at 10:30 p.m. to see the second hour of the four-part series on CET.