CETconnect.org

Steve Says:
February 2, 2008 at 3:36 pm   edit I thought when WCET started simulcating the analog signal on the main digital channel that existing HD shows would still be shown in HD. This morning I saw Motor week which is available in HD on other PBS stations shown with “barn door” black bars on all 4 sides of the picture. The signal was sent out 4:3 and then letterboxed.

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Steve, You are right.  “Motor Week” is available in HD but the HD version is not available to CET until Saturday @ 4:30PM.  The standard definition version of the program is fed to CET on Friday afternoons.  Since we air “Motor Week” each Saturday at 8:30 AM we would have to record the HD version and then play it back the following Saturday morning. This would result in a one week delay for each of the programs in the series.  The national listings etc. would be wrong. In February 2009, most of these anomalies should go away. 

Thanks for your comment.

Jack Dominic  

Here are the top five most watched videos last week on CETconnect.org:
1) The Shy Creatures (Arts & Culture)
2) The New SCPA (School for Creative and Performing Arts) Groundbreaking Ceremony: A Focus Special Report (http://www.cetconnect.org/focus/scpa.asp)
3) CCM’s Miss Lonelyhearts (Arts & Culture)
4) CET Virtual Library Tours - overview (http://www.cetconnect.org/libraryvirtualtours/index.asp)
5) CET Virtual Library Tours - Popular Library (http://www.cetconnect.org/libraryvirtualtours/index.asp)
-Amanda

Here are the top five most watched videos last week on CETconnect.org:
1) Greater Cincinnati Environmental Educators (History & Science)
2) The Shy Creatures (Arts & Culture)
3) Publisher’s Beat: Kenneth Oaks - Aired January 11, 2008 (Current Affairs)
4) Meet RAGGS - Who Am I? (Kids & Families)
5) Children of Abraham (Lifelong Learning)
-Amanda

I had the great opportunity to talk to Laura Schwartz Young about a remarkable man, David C. Schwartz, M.D., her father. The Greater Cincinnati area lost a medical icon when Dr. Schwartz passed away in December. Dr. Schwartz’s career made such a difference to the health and wellness of children. He was the second director of cardiology at Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital Medical Center and developed a balloon flotation catheter technique for infants and children.

One of Dr. Schwartz’s peers Richard Meyer, M.D. said it best “He was superb clinician – a compassionate, committed doctor to his patients. He was a par excellence teacher to the cardiac fellows and students and even the primary care physicians in town, who loved him dearly.” A cardiac surgeon remembered Dr. Schwartz as an innovator, visionary and one of the best in the country. David Schwartz, M.D. was a committed in his role as physician, father, husband, and teacher and committed to the causes he believed in. He served various leadership roles for over 30 years for the local, state and national American Heart Association, Children’s Heart Association and received many awards.

David Schwartz supported CET (WCET at the time) as a college undergraduate student beginning in 1954 when he really could not afford to support a non-profit organization. At the time, David was putting himself through college and had enjoyed WCET’s programming and realized the importance of public broadcasting as a community resource. As David graduated from college and medical school and then married and became a father of 5, WCET’s programming continued to play an important role to his family who watched many of the educational shows including Sesame Street  and the Electric Company. Dr. Schwartz’s daughter Laura has fond memories of watching Alistair Cooke and enjoying Great Performances shown on CET with her dad. Laura even had a conversation with her father about the recent Ken Burn’s documentary The War and Dr. Schwartz remembered being a young boy during the Second World War. Dr. Schwartz’s interests included collecting antiques so it is not a surprise that one of his favorite shows was the Antiques Roadshow often followed by another favorite program, History Detectives.When Dr. Schwartz passed away, Laura and her family found a letter from CET in her dad’s paperwork, thanking him for being a member every year since 1954. Laura said “we always knew how much he loved PBS but did not know he had supported it for such a long time. This is certainly true to character; once he believed in something, he could always be counted on for support”. What a difference David C. Schwartz, M.D. made in all that he did personally and professionally. He will certainly be missed. -Sue Ellen Stuebing

Here are the top five most watched videos last week on CETconnect.org:
1) Publisher’s Beat: Kenneth Oaks - Aired January 11, 2008 (Current Affairs)
2) The Shy Creatures (Arts & Culture)
3) FOCUS - Being Green In Cincinnati - Aired January 10, 2008 (Current Affairs)
4) The New SCPA (School for Creative and Performing Arts) Groundbreaking Ceremony: A FOCUS Special Report (http://www.cetconnect.org/focus/scpa.asp)
5) Creating Community and Engaging With Art at the Contemporary Arts Center (Arts & Culture)
-Amanda

We’ve received a lot of comments over our decision to move The McLaughlin Group to a later time. Most folks are disappointed. While we’re not in the business to disappoint our viewers,  sometimes changes have to be made.

As more and more TV stations cut back on the amount of local programs they broadcast, CET works hard to increase the number of local programs and fulfill our mission to maintain a strong connection with our community. We are Greater Cincinnati’s public broadcaster and much more, and this is why we’re committed to bringing high quality local programming to our viewers – Amy’s Table, Focus, and now, Fifth Third Business Beat.

In order to include Fifth Third Business Beat, a change had to be made to our lineup with The McLaughlin Group moving to 11pm. The 7:30 time slot, following The Nightly Business Report, was the most logical place for this local business program.

We know The McLaughlin Group has a very dedicated following. It’s a very popular program. That’s why we chose to keep it on our air. We understand viewer’s disappointment with this schedule change but we hope our commitment to local television will be appreciated.

In addition to being seen Friday nights at 11PM on CET, The McLaughlin Group can also be seen on the CET PBS World channel: Sunday evenings at 8:30PM; Monday mornings at 12:30AM and 4:30AM; and Wednesday mornings at 7:30AM.

CET PBS World is available over the air on digital channel 34.2, on Time Warner Cable channel 950 and Insight of Northern Kentucky channel 219.

The McLaughlin Group’s move to 11PM doesn’t diminish the significance of this program which is why we kept it as part of our Friday evening public affairs programming block. While The McLaughlin Group seems like a casualty, I should stress that it will still be available on CET and on CET PBS World. It’s not disappearing from CET’s schedule completely.

-Brian

Here are the top five most watched videos last week on CETconnect.org:
1) The New School for Creative and Performing Arts - Interview with Erich Kunzel (Arts & Culture)
2) First Lego League (Teachers & Students)
3) The New SCPA (School for Creative and Performing Arts) Groundbreaking Ceremony: A FOCUS Special Report (http://www.cetconnect.org/focus/scpa.asp)
4) The Shy Creatures (Arts & Culture)
5) CET Express - Lilias Folan (Around Our Communities/CET Express)
-Amanda

Here are the top five most watched videos last week on CETconnect.org:
1) Fifth Third Business Beat 12-21-07 (Current Affairs)
2) RAGGS - Who Am I? (Kids & Families)
3) Children of Abraham (Lifelong Learning)
4) The Shy Creatures (Arts & Culture)
5) Greater Cincinnati Environmental Educators (History & Science)
-Amanda

I am insane.

 It’s Christmas Eve and I’m in an empty building (except for our wonderful engineering staff) working. Call it a Puritan work ethic, call it catching up on projects but, alas, I’m here.

 However, I don’t feel I should suffer alone. With some help from the Internet, I dug up an old Christmas treat that was a special part of my childhood: Christmas Eve on Sesame Street! The first time I saw this was in 1978 right here on CET (we called it WCET back then… I often wonder whatever became of that old W…) and it was probably the coolest thing I’d ever seen. For one thing, right off the top you see Bert, Ernie, the Count, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster ICE SKATING!

Yes, real live Muppet ice skating. No strings. Full size. Incredible! Sure these are just folks in Sesame Street characters costumes but it made me hop for joy when I first saw it. Yes, I was a geek even back then.

Another reason it’s cool is because we get to see some forgotten friends. Yah, the old gang is there: Big Bird, Gordon, Susan, Bob and the rest. But we also see forgotten friends Will Lee as Mr. Hooper and Northern Calloway as David.

Thirdly, Kermit the Frog pops up. It’s easy to forget what with the program’s 38 year history but Kermit was quite a fixture on the street.

Lastly, this special was the first time I heard José Feliciano’s Feliz Navidad. I hear that song and, to this day, the first thing that pops in my mind is Big Bird on ice skates.

 Through the magic of YouTube, I’m able to share this little nugget of my childhood Christmas:

 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Merry Christmas!

-Brian

Here are the top five most watched videos last week on CETconnect.org:
1) Surviving the Teens - Luke’s Story (Kids & Families)
2) The New SCPA (School for Creative and Performing Arts) Groundbreaking Ceremony:
A FOCUS Special Report (http://www.cetconnect.org/focus/scpa.asp)
3) The Shy Creatures (Arts & Culture)
4) Children of Abraham (Lifelong Learning)
5) RAGGS - Who Am I? (Kids & Families)
-Amanda