History of WQEX-TV 16 - Pittsburgh

Sostek, Anya. "WQED reaps $9.9 million in frequency auction."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2017 Feb. 10.
In exchange for the payout, WQED will move to a lower broadcast frequency, likely in two to three years. The change will be almost entirely behind the scenes. The station will stay at Channel 13 on the broadcast spectrum and the move will not affect broadcast quality or availability, though over-the-air users may have to re-scan their televisions.

Lindstrom, Natasha. "WQED president garnered national acclaim." Obituary.
Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh 2016 Jan. 20.

"WQED's shake-up: Not enough." Editorial.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2015 Sept. 26.

Fontaine, Tom. "http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/9148675-74/wqed-cuts-employees"> "WQED reduces staff, salaries as part of budget cuts."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2015 Sept. 24.
Vice Chairman W. Thomas McGough Jr. said WQED no longer has assets it can sell to reduce debt, as it did when it sold properties such as WQEX, WonderWorks library and Pittsburgh Magazine.

Sciullo, Maria. "WQED board approves staff, salary cuts amid $5 million debt."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2015 Sept. 24.
In the past, when the company was $17 million in debt in the 1990s, it sold assets such as Pittsburgh Magazine, WQEX and its WonderWorks library. But that, noted board member W. Thomas McGough, simply chipped away at the size of WQED Multimedia.

Owen, Rob. "With no tears, David Letterman signs off after 33 years as late-night TV host."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2015 May 21.

Poister, John. "The Next Page: The behind-the-camera love story of Pittsburgh TV pioneers Tom Borden and Ricki Wertz."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2014 August 31.
Includes histories of WENS-TV 16 and WKJF-TV 53.

Owen, Rob. "Beloved CBS drama 'Now and Again' finally surfaces on DVD."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2014 August 28.

Sabino Mistick, Joseph. "Moving Fred Rogers’ neighborhood." Column.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review On-Line 2013 June 8.

Sciullo, Maria. "Netflix model of online series could create new TV world."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2013 May 26.

Sciullo, Maria. "Cornerstone TeleVision names president/CEO."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2013 March 15.

"Mister Rogers still a favorite neighbor."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2013 Feb. 27.

Owen, Rob. "Tuned In From Hollywood: Fred Rogers Co. gets second show on PBS."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2013 Jan. 15.

Hiltbrand, David. "How TV elected to cover the vote."
The Philadelphia Inquirer / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2012 Nov. 12.

Sciullo, Maria. "WQED Multimedia finds success in digital TV channel."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2012 Oct. 26.
Regards donations received from viewers of WQED-TV 13s fourth and newest digital channel, "WQED Showcase," which includes reruns of previously-broadcast financial pledge programs. This digital channel was activated, shortly after WQED-TV 13 sold WQEX-TV 16.

Bauder, David. "Sunday news shows duke it out over ratings."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/AP 2012 Sept. 19.

De Moraes, Lisa. "Bill Clinton outdraws NFL on TV."
The Washington Post/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2012 Sept. 8.

Owen, Rob. "TV preview: Daniel Tiger, friends new to WQED-TV neighborhood."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2012 Sept. 2.

Leonard, Kim. "Fox 53, WPMY 22 remain on Dish for now."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2012 Aug. 16.

McNamara, Mary. "Commentary: No Curiosity? Mars landing ignored by major networks." Commentary.
Los Angeles Times/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2012 Aug. 7.

Owen, Rob. "PBS to air Daniel Tiger cartoon."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2012 July 23.

McConnell Schaarsmith, Amy. "Obituary: Jerold M. Starr / West Virginia University professor who worked to right wrongs." Obituary.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2012 July 13.
Jerry Starr worked to prevent the commercialization and sale of WQEX-TV 16.

Nelson Jones, Diana. "Obituary: Ralph Wiethorn / 'Mellifluous' voice of WWSW radio." Obituary.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2012 May 27.
While working at WKJF-FM 93.7, he also hosted a television show in 1954 on short-lived WKJF-TV 53, "Teens and Tunes," a local version of "American Bandstand."

"NASA TV’s Public, Media Channels Transitioning to HD." News Release.
NASA 2012 Jan. 13.

Owen, Rob. "'Flashpoint' drama returns on ION."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011 Oct. 18.
For years Ion had been available in Pittsburgh only on cable after a station swap deal involving WQED sister-station WQEX, Cornerstone TeleVision and Ion predecessor network Pax TV fell apart in 2000. When that happened, Pax, later to be Ion, made its way onto area cable systems.
Last year Ion finally succeeded in buying WQEX from WQED Multimedia. The call letters for Channel 16 switched from WQEX to WINP and on Oct. 1, Ion fully took over programming of Channel 16.

"Fundraiser marks 25th anniversary of PCTV."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011 Oct. 10
25th anniversary of the City of Pittsburgh, local community-access cable television channel 21, PCTV, with fundraiser to be held at the world's first Carnegie Hall, the New Hazlett Theater adjoining the original Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny.

McCoy, Adrian. "Cybertainment: Web isn't yet a threat to prime-time television."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011 Oct. 9

McNulty, Timothy and Paula Reed Ward. "Obituary: Carolyn Wean / Became a trailblazer in broadcast news at KDKA." Obituary.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011 Aug. 14.

Smith, Craig. "TV executive was role model for women in media." Obituary.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2011 Aug. 14.

Owen, Rob. "Tuned In: Meteorologists explain why they weather the storm."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011 July 28.

Cato, Jason. "WDUQ hopes to double audience."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2011 July 28.

Kalson, Sally. "The end of WDUQ." Column.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On-Line 2011 June 26.
I understand why jazz fans are mad, but I'm looking forward to more news.
This isn't the first time local audiences have felt deserted by broadcasters -- remember WAMO, WQEX, talk radio with Lynn Cullen and Doug Hoerth?
New call letters have yet to be assigned. It may take awhile to grow comfortable with a new handle, but if we can get used to Kaufmann's clock on the Macy's building, we can get used anything.

Vancheri, Barbara. "Obituary: Peggy Kent Sebak / Woman of many talents, mother of documentary maker." Obituary.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011 April 28.
The Buhl Foundation paid $180 for two semesters at Carnegie Institute of Technology...
Today, one of her four children is WQED's Rick Sebak, whose popular documentaries are funded by that same Buhl Foundation...
She worked in personnel for the U.S. Steel National Tube Works in the Frick Building and remembered when Helen Clay Frick would come in and inspect the premises, so to speak...
It had been an after-school job at Boggs & Buhl department store that earned her a spot in Mr. Sebak's "North Side Story." She took three streetcars to get to her post at a glass counter near drawers of handkerchiefs.
She was past president of St. Valentine Christian Mothers in Bethel Park and a founding member of Stage 62 (which now performs in the Music Hall of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library in Carnegie, Pennsylvania).

Sciullo, Maria. "Possible U.S. funding cut could affect WQED programming."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011 March 25.
"Ms. Ford Williams also spoke about WQED's educational endeavor, "iQ Zoo." It's an interactive program that would allow kids or their parents to scan a barcode-like symbol at various stations at the Pittsburgh Zoo, which would call up information and features about the animals.
"I think we'll be doing some beta testing in the summer, to make sure kids 'get' it," she said. "Then we'll probably launch it later in the summer."
"Similar interactive programs have already launched involving the Children's Museum and the Carnegie library in Braddock."

Boren, Jeremy. "WQED calls on viewers to protest funding cuts."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2011 March 13.

"New public radio station wants to work with online news source."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011 Feb. 26.

Sciullo, Maria. "There are many ways to hook up your TV for streaming content."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011 Feb. 23.

Heyl, Eric. "WDUQ breaking with past, moving off campus." Column.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2011 Jan. 19.

McCoy, Adrian. "Duquesne selling WDUQ to WYEP group."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On-Line 2011 Jan.14.

Elber, Lynn. "Calif. station KCET leaving PBS to go independent."
Yahoo News/AP 2010 Oct. 8.

Kalson, Sally. "Obituary: Eugene Holmes Shaffer Jr. / Teacher and WQED's 'Mr. Science'." Obituary.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2010 Aug. 12.
"In the summer of 1959, he learned that the educational TV station WQED was looking for a science teacher whose lessons would be broadcast live into elementary and junior high school classrooms. The show would be underwritten by the Ford Foundation.
"I entered a contest where WQED invited 12 young male science teachers to come to the studio and teach a 15-minute lesson on oxygen," Mr. Shaffer wrote in a letter to his granddaughter. "These were filmed on 16mm film. I was chosen...
"Once, his lab assistant, Preston Ginsburg, used time-lapse photography to show the hatching of a chick. That tape was watched repeatedly at the station before air time, but the last viewer forgot to rewind so the aired segment depicted a reverse process, with the baby chick going back into its shell. Mr. Shaffer arranged for Fred Rogers to show the segment that afternoon in its correct order. He also brought in guest lecturers from PPG, Gulf Oil, Bell Telephone and U.S. Steel...
"After one year, the Ford funding ended, and Mr. Shaffer went back to the classroom, but his taped lessons were re-broadcast into schools for two more years."

Byham, William C. "WQED should buy WDUQ." Op-Ed Guest Column.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2010 March 24.
"For us news aficionados, the best of all possible worlds would be to have WDUQ become an all-news or mostly-news station."

Owen, Rob. "WQED unveils its plan for financial stability."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2009 July 24.
2009 July 23 quarterly WQED Board meeting also included announcement that ShopNBC has agreed to lease WQEX-TV 16 for another two years, at no increase in lease price. WQED President George Miles stated that they are looking for additional ways to monitize WQEX digital broadcasting (currently broadcasting on digital channel 26; will move to digital channel 38, once WQED-TV vacates that channel to return to channel 13).

Harding, Margaret. "WQED cuts jobs while execs wine and dine at Duquesne Club."
Pittsburgh Trib p.m. 2009 July 10.

Owen, Rob. "Leaner WQED weighing future of local programming."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2009 July 10.

Owen, Rob. "WQED lays off 9 employees."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2009 July 8.

Conte, Andrew. "WQED Multimedia Pittsburgh axes staff, fears more cuts."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2009 July 8.

Owen, Rob. "WQED announces layoffs."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On-Line 2009 July 7.

"Philadelphia's WPVI-TV boosts signal strength."
Philadelphia Inquirer On-Line/AP 2009 June 22.

Hart, Kim. "Digital TV Switch Is a Boon for One Local Station." Column.
The Washington Post 2009 June 22.

Ostapkovich, John. "FCC Considers Options in Troubleshooting DTV Transition."
KYW-AM 1060 NewsRadio Philadelphia 2009 June 17.

Ostapkovich, John. "Philadelphia TV Viewers Flummoxed by Digital Transition."
KYW-AM 1060 NewsRadio Philadelphia 2009 June 15.

Nakashima, Ryan. "700,000 callers phone digital TV hot line."
Yahoo/AP 2009 June 13.

Sevensson, Peter. "Friday marks final signoff for analog TV service."
Yahoo/AP 2009 June 12.

"Dawn of digital-only TV arrives; analog just a static memory."
CNN 2009 June 12.

"Analog Television's Drop-Dead Date Arrives at Last."
KYW-AM 1060 NewsRadio Philadelphia 2009 June 12.

"Digital Television, Navigating the DTV Transition." Special On-Line Web Page.
The Washington Post 2009 June 11.

Farhi, Paul. "Broadcast TV Never Converted Its Digital Dream."
The Washington Post 2009 June 10.

Pitz, Marylynne. "WQED sells Pittsburgh Magazine."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2009 May 30.

Takiff, Jonathan. "Jonathan Takiff: This time they mean it." Column.
Philadelphia Daily News 2009 May 13.
"Here, both WPVI (ABC 6) and WHYY (PBS 12) will instantly relocate the digital channel to the old, just-abandoned frequency. One station per market - locally KYW (CBS-3) - will keep an analog channel on for about a month with an informational loop, prepared by the NAB,..."

McCoy, Adrian M. "Citing bad economy, WQED chief takes pay cut."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2009 March 27.

LaRussa, Tony. "WQED president airs plans to slash spending with board of directors."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2009 March 27.

McCoy, Adrian M. "WQED president taking 30% pay cut."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On-Line 2009 March 26.

LaRussa, Tony. "WQED cuts run deep as station's revenue falls."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review On-Line 2009 March 26.

Conte, Andrew. "WQED chief warns of pay, staff cuts as recession hits hard."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2009 March 26.

"WQED will switch to digital signal on April 1."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2009 March 21.

Madden, David. "Some Area TV Stations About to Go Digital, Others Not."
KYW-AM 1060 NewsRadio Philadelphia 2009 Feb. 6.

Kurtz, Ced. "TechMan: There's still time to get ready for the digital TV conversion." Column.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2009 Feb. 1.

Owen, Rob. "Tuned In Journal: WQED 'hunkers down' and Susan Barnett wows 'em in Philly." Blog.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Dec. 19.
"Two community members addressed the board. Activist Glenn Walsh of Mt. Lebanon suggested WQED rent out one of WQEX's digital subchannels to WTAE, whose signal doesn't carry into many areas, including Walsh's home. It's not a bad idea except that WTAE is unlikely to pay for carriage since only 7.7 percent of homes in the area get their signals over the air and because WTAE's engineer is working on a plan to add a repeater tower next year that would get the digital signal into locations where it's not currently available."

Walsh, Glenn. "Leasing Digital Channels of WQEX-TV 16." Address.
WQED Multimedia Board of Directors Meeting 2008 Dec. 18.

Owen, Rob. "TV Q&A with Rob Owen." Column.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Oct. 30.
Includes question, near end of column, on digtial television conversion, including an Internet address to a useful web site:
< http://www.ezdigitaltv.com/Digital_TV_Stations.html >.

Owen, Rob. "Tuned In: Switching TV to digital a complex chore." Column.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Oct. 24.

Owen, Rob. "Tuned In Journal: WQED's annual meeting." Blog.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Sept. 30.
"WQED general manager Deb Acklin said no decision has been made on what to do with digital sub-channels for WQEX, which is being leased to Shop NBC through at least September 2009. She said WQED has the right to program digital sub-channels for WQEX, but because the license was changed from educational to commercial a few years ago, there's no provision that insures local cable companies will carry those digital subchannels. She's more eager to first add sub-channels to WQED-FM's HD radio."

Hart, Kim. "Lawmakers See Challenges for TV Transition."
Washington Post 2008 September 17: D2.

McCoy, Adrian. "WMNY-AM shifts to business format."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Sept. 3.
New Internet web site for WMNY-AM: < http://www.wmnyradio.com >.

"WMNY-AM to feature Pittsburgh Renaissance Radio."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2008 Sept. 3.
New Internet web site for WMNY-AM: < http://www.wmnyradio.com >.

Entertainment News Briefs: 8/23/08 "WMNY radio is all business."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Aug. 23.
2008 Sept. 1 WPTT-AM News/Talk 1360 changes format to All-Business/Money, WMNY-AM.

"Money radio debuts Sept. 1."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2008 Aug. 21.
2008 Sept. 1 WPTT-AM News/Talk 1360 changes format to All-Business/Money, WMNY-AM.

Editorial: "Called off: A liberal talker exits the Pittsburgh airwaves."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Aug. 20.
2008 Sept. 1 WPTT-AM News/Talk 1360 changes format to All-Business/Money, WMNY-AM.

Roth, Mark. "Format change will take Cullen off WPTT."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Aug. 19: C1.
"WPTT-AM (1360) is switching to a new format and will be eliminating Ms. Cullen's show..."

"Radio talk host Lynn Cullen out at WPTT."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On-Line 2008 Aug. 18.
"WPTT-AM (1360) is switching to a new format and will be eliminating Ms. Cullen's show..."

McCoy, Adrian. Is KDKA radio for sale?"
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Aug. 1.
KDKA-AM became the world's first commercially-licensed broadcast station in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the airing of the U.S. Presidential Election Returns of the Harding/Cox election, with election returns coming from the offices of the Pittsburgh Post.

Leonard, Kim. "CBS could sell KDKA-AM and three FM stations."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2008 Aug. 1: A1.

Owen, Rob. "Tuned In: 'Mister Rogers' fan launches Web site to save daily episodes."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Aug. 1.
Article includes: "Executive director of engineering and operations Paul Byers reported to the board that with the switch to digital in February 2009, the reach of WQEX will grow from 1.7 million viewers in analog to 2.8 million viewers in digital due to a combination of the digital signal carrying further and maximized transmission power."

"Fifth of TV viewers watching online: survey."
Reuters 2008 July 29.

Hart, Kim. "Digital TV Budget Sufficient, NTIA Says."
Washington Post 2008 July 29: D2.

* Grimaldi, James V. and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum. "McCain disputed on 1999 WQEX meeting."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review/The Washington Post 2008 Feb. 23.

* Grimaldi, James V. and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum. "McCain, TV chief stories contradict."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/The Washington Post 2008 Feb. 23.

* Kalson, Sally. "WQEX, McCain link revisited."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2008 Feb. 22.

* Owen, Rob. "Tuned In Journal: WQED looks ahead Friday, Dec. 21, 2007."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2007 Dec. 21
A televised town hall meeting with the Carnegie Science Center on the Bodies exhibit, set for late February or early March.

* 2007 Oct. 3 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
TV Review: 'Wired Science' applies itself to explaining technology
By Rob Owen
New PBS-TV Science series.

* 2007 Oct. 1 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
WQED's board meeting
(By Rob Owen)

* 2007 Sept. 28 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Tuned In: WPXI moves to sleek, new digs during 50th anniversary
By Rob Owen
Includes news briefs from the WQED Multimedia Annual Meeting on Sept. 27.

* 2007 Sept. 27 - Public Statement by Glenn A. Walsh before the Board of Directors, WQED Multimedia, regarding the affiliation of WQEX-TV 16 with, yet, another home-shopping channel, ShopNBC:

* 2007 July 26 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
WPXI tunes in to Summer Hill folks
By Tony LaRussa

* 2007 June 7- BBC:
Wireless energy promise powers up
A clean-cut vision of a future freed from the rat's nest of cables
to power today's electronic gadgets has come one step closer to reality.
By Jonathan Fildes
First envisioned by Nikola Tesla, inventor of the Tesla Coil.

* 2007 June 5 - The New York Times:
New Name and Mission for Museum of Television
By ELIZABETH JENSEN

* 2007 May 11 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
XM Radio to relive KQV's past
By Adrian McCoy

* 2007 March 17 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
TV Notes: WQEX to become ShopNBC
By Rob Owen

* 2007 March 9, 2:00 p.m. EST - KYW-AM 1060 NewsRadio:
KYW NewsRadio Moves to New Studios
from 5th and Market Streets (at Independence Mall) to 4th and Market Streets in Philadelphia.

* 2007 Jan. 5 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
WQEX losing shopping channel April 3
By Rob Owen

* 2006 Dec. 11 - ABC/AP:
Dutch Pull Plug on Analog Television
Dutch Pull Plug on 'Free-To-Air' Analog Television, Shifting All Signals to Digital
By TOBY STERLING

* 2006 Sept. 19 - Institute of Museum and Library Services:
Libraries, Museums, and Public Broadcasters Collaborate to Improve Their Communities

* 2006 January 5 - The Washington Post:
Z-104 Silenced; Post Radio To Debut in Station Shuffle By Paul Farhi
Major shuffle in Washington DC radio stations.

* 2005 Sept. 13 - Letter to KYW 1060 Newsradio (Philadelphia) Vice President and General Manager David Yadgaroff, from Glenn A. Walsh, congratulating KYW on 40 years of all-news radio broadcasting.