Tuned In: WQED puts daytime focus on children's programming
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The Create Channel, a new digital subchannel offered by WQED over-the-air and on cable, will focus on lifestyle and public affairs programs. -
Chris Moore will host a 40-year retrospective of "Black Horizons" on Thursday.
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WQED shakes up its daytime lineup Monday, adding more children's programming, enough to air uninterrupted from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
"Sesame Street" will air at 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., with "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Departed shows "It's a Big Big World" (12:30 p.m.) and "Caillou" (1 p.m.) return to the schedule.
WQED program director Chris Fennimore said the switch to more children's programs reflects the available audience during the day.
Fans of "Sit and Be Fit" and "On Q" or "Charlie Rose" reruns need not fret. Those programs will move to a new digital subchannel called the WQED Create Channel.
When looking at additional programming streams for a new channel, made possible by the switch to digital television, WQED executives could have chosen PBS World, a public affairs/history/science channel with reruns of "Frontline" and "NOVA," or Worldview, which carries international programming, including foreign newscasts.
But because traditional WQED will carry three hours of news and public affairs programming each weeknight -- including the new program "WorldFocus" at 5 p.m., an international news show out of New York -- station executives opted for Create, a lifestyle channel.
"As far as a niche goes, to me, Create provided the broadest appeal," Fennimore said. "To have an additional channel that serves a broad audience seemed best."
Create programs are devoted to topics such as cooking, crafts, travel and home and garden. Program titles include "Ask This Old House," "Best of the Joy of Painting," "American Woodshop," "Rick Steve's Europe," "Lidia's Italy," "Katie Brown Workshop," "America's Test Kitchen From Cook's Illustrated," "Simply Ming" and "Spain ... On the Road Again," featuring chef Mario Batali and actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Listings for The Create Channel can be found at WQED.org under TV and Schedule.
First Published January 2, 2009 12:00 am
