[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 24, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E193]]
                        WQED'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL F. DOYLE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2004

  Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to let my House colleagues know 
about a notable milestone. WQED Multimedia in Pittsburgh is celebrating 
its fiftieth anniversary this year.
  Debuting on April 1, 1954, WQED was the nation's first community-
owned television station. At the time, leaders in the Pittsburgh 
community saw a need for an educational TV station in addition to the 
already present commercial ones. As station founder Leland Hazard 
stated, ``On this station you will find a children's hour designed to 
determine whether it is necessary for someone to get killed to 
entertain young folks.'' And that is exactly what the station has done. 
Beginning with Fred Rogers' ``Children's Hour,'' the station has 
continued to produce wholesome, thoughtful, and nonviolent shows that 
entertain and educate both young and old.
  Which is one of the reasons that, today, WQED Multimedia is one of 
the most valued Pittsburgh institutions, providing educational, 
cultural, and informational programming for both local and national 
audiences.
  As the programs WQED produces show, education has always been a 
priority for the organization. Everyone is familiar, of course, with 
``Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood,'' the award-winning children's program, but 
not everyone knows that WQED has also produced a lot of other high-
quality children's educational programs over the years, including 
``Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?'' and ``Once Upon a Classic''. 
In addition, WQED has produced a nationally broadcast science quarterly 
program entitled ``The Infinite Voyage'' and a number of National 
Geographic Specials.
  WQED Multimedia is also very involved in cultural promotion and 
preservation. WQED's radio station broadcasts various types of 
classical music locally, and it promotes Pittsburgh music nationally 
and internationally through broadcasts of the Pittsburgh Symphony 
Orchestra and the River City Brass Band, America's only full time 
professional brass band. Many of WQED TV 13's programs also seek to 
promote American culture. In fact, other public broadcasting stations 
throughout the country have copied the station's program ``Things that 
Aren't there Anymore''--and several of Rick Sebak's programs 
celebrating American's favorite pastimes, such as ``Great Old Amusement 
Parks'' and ``A Hot Dog Program,'' have aired nationally. These 
programs and many others clearly demonstrate WQED's commitment to 
telling America's Stories with the American Classics, All-American 
Documentaries, an American Soundtrack and America's Home Cooking 
series.
  Informing viewers about the world and community is another important 
goal for WQED Multimedia. One outlet it uses to do this is Pittsburgh 
Magazine, which informs readers about the interesting people and places 
in and around the city. Additionally, WQED Multimedia provides an 
Educational Resource Center for teachers and has a community outreach 
program that combines the power of the media with community involvement 
to help inform Pittsburghers of important issues affecting them.

  The more than 250 awards that WQED Multimedia has won over the years, 
including 60 Emmy's and 12 Peabody's, bear witness to the consistently 
high quality of programs the organization is producing.
  Today, over 1,000,000 Pittsburgh households depend upon WQED. It is 
now the parent company of WQED TV Channel 13, WQED radio Channel 89.3 
FM, WQEJ radio Channel 89.7 FM in Johnstown, PITTSBURGH magazine, local 
and national television and radio productions, www.wged.org, and the 
WQED Education Resource Center.
  Pittsburgh is justifiably proud of WQED Multimedia. Its broadcast, 
print, and Internet productions educate and entertain millions of 
Americans across the country. I want to congratulate WQED Multimedia on 
its 50th anniversary. I hope that WQED's high-quality contributions to 
our community--and this Nation--will continue for many years to come.

                          ____________________