Over
the years we’ve been known by a number of different names,
starting with Metropolitan Pittsburgh Educational Television
Station in 1954, followed by Metropolitan Pittsburgh Public
Broadcasting in the 1960s, QED Communications in the 1980s,
WQED Pittsburgh in the 1990s, and now, WQED Multimedia at the
dawn of the new century.
WQED
tv13 is the flagship of WQED
Multimedia. The station went on the air on April 1, 1954 as
the country’s first community-owned
television station after school children went door-to-door
to collect $2 per family to help get the station on the air.
The A. W. Mellon Trust, The Ford Foundation, and the Arbuckle-Jamison
Foundation provided major start-up funding. KDKA offered the
use of its FM tower, and the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company
presented a deed for a building at the corner of Fifth and
Bellefield avenues in Oakland.
WQED
soon became a production center of national programs for the
Public Broadcasting Service. Throughout its history, WQED has
been consistently devoted to developing, producing and presenting
programs and projects of the highest quality, and has won more than 400 local,
national and international awards for excellence. These include over 70 Emmys
and 12 Peabody Awards.
WQED
fm89.3 went on the air in 1973
as the region’s only full-time
classical music station. WQED fm89.3 is committed to providing
classical music and other fine arts programming to entertain,
inform
and enrich the community. All-classical WQED fm89.3 is a lively
advocate for the arts both locally and nationally.
As
the only classical station in the region, WQED fm89.3 offers
local artists, ensembles and organizations assistance, support
and
publicity. The station produces and distributes Pittsburgh
Symphony Radio throughout the country, Performance
in Pittsburgh and the River City Brass
Band series. In 1997, WQED fm89.3 expanded
its reach into the Johnstown market with WQEJ fm89.7/Johnstown.
WQEJ fm simulcasts WQED fm89.3’s programming in the Johnstown
market, which has a rich history of support for the arts.
PITTSBURGH
magazine began as a local program guide and
arts and culture magazine and has evolved into a vibrant city/regional
magazine.
The magazine and WQED’s publishing division now produces
BEAVER COUNTY magazine, PITTSBURGH WEDDINGS magazine and
WQED cookbooks. In 1996, PITTSBURGH magazine was honored with
the
William White Award as the best city and regional magazine
in the country.
PITTSBURGH
magazine keeps readers connected to a changing region. The
magazine illuminates fascinating people and issues that face
the region. Departments range from health care and economic
development to celebrity interviews and family activities.
The magazine’s superior photography fills issues with
stirring images of Pittsburgh and the region.
