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WQED Pittsburgh
4802 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Key Contacts

Rosemary Martinelli
Executive Director
of Marketing
412.622.6433
rmartine@wqed.org

Maria Pisano
Marketing Associate
412-622-1459
mpisano@wqed.org

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WQED Background
A brief background about the history and programming of WQED Pittsburgh.

WQED Pittsburgh was honored consecutively in 2006 and 2007 with the Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Award for Station Excellence. It was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported station and has become a local and national institution. WQED creates, produces and distributes quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within its community and around the world.

WQED was the first broadcaster in the Pittsburgh market to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQEX-TV (A ShopNBC affiliate); WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; a publishing division that includes PITTSBURGH MAGAZINE; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org); and The WQED Education Department..

WQED’s unique capabilities and its five-decade history of community involvement make it a natural partner in community initiatives to improve the region. Partnerships with community organizations are a hallmark of WQED’s mission and are an important part of its daily activities.

No other station can match WQED’s commitment to its community. Its lineup of local programs – OnQ; OffQ; Black Horizons; QED Cooks; Teens OnQ; Dave & Dave’s Excellent Adventures; The Pittsburgh History Series, local specials and town hall meetings - make it one of the most prolific producers of local programming in the country.

WQED exports the region nationally with projects like The War That Made America, national cooking shows with Chris Fennimore, weekly national radio broadcasts of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and a continuing series of local television history projects that includes Invented, Engineered & Pioneered in Pittsburgh; Underground Pittsburgh; What Makes Pittsburgh Pittsburgh?; It’s The Neighborhoods; Things We’ve Made; Happy Holidays in Pittsburgh; Something About Oakland; South Side; North Side Story; Kennywood Memories Downtown Pittsburgh; The Strip Show; Wylie Avenue Days; The Mon the Al and the O; Houses Around Here; Holy Pittsburgh; Flying Off The Bridge to Nowhere; The House on the Waterfall; and The Spirit of Pittsburgh; among others.

Some WQED Initiatives

OnQ.The centerpiece of WQED programming is a live nightly newsmagazine called OnQ. This program celebrates and showcases the strengths, diversity and richness of the region and the entire state. and is one of only a handful of this genre produced by public and commercial stations nationwide. Since its inception in 2000, OnQ has been honored with more than 20 Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, five Telly Awards and numerous Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters (PAB) awards.

Teens OnQ. Teens OnQ is a younger version of OnQ and concentrates on stories for teens. The winner of two Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards and two Telly Awards, Teens OnQ highlights workforce development, health, education and issues of interest to a younger audience locally and statewide.

Black Horizons. WQED continues its commitment to the African-American community begun in 1968 with Black Horizons. In 2008, Black Horizons celebrated its 40th anniversary of providing unforgettable programming for the community. It is the longest running minority affairs program in the country.

Pittsburgh History Series Programs with Rick Sebak. For more than 20 years, WQED and multiple award-winning Senior Producer Rick Sebak have been reminding people in and around Pittsburgh (as well as across Pennsylvania and the country) about how historic, fascinating, beautiful, unique and fun Pennsylvania is. High impact documentaries like Invented, Engineered & Pioneered in Pittsburgh; It’s The Neighborhoods; Downtown Pittsburgh; Something About Oakland; North Side Story; The Strip Show; South Side; Pennsylvania Diners and The Pennsylvania Roadshow, celebrate the region, pointing out enticing places, historic sites, wonderful architecture, and good food, all the while talking to the people who live and work here. PBS has been broadcasting selected programs from The Pittsburgh History Series nationally since 1999.

QED Cooks. WQED's Chris Fennimore hosts a weekly series of the best of more than 70 WQED cooking marathons that feature recipes from local cooks. Guests have included WQED Board Member and Host of Lidia’s Italy Lidia Bastianich and other celebrity chefs.

Dave & Dave’s Excellent Adventures. Dave Hallewell and Dave Rhodes make up "the Daves" and have been regular correspondents for OnQ. In the last two years, their programs have been exported statewide through PPTN. Together, Dave & Dave explore the soft underbelly of the region through a unique blend of lighthearted comedy and slightly off-center reporting, all in an easily accessible 'every-person' style.