CET Adds New PBS World Channel

CET joins 54 other PBS stations Wednesday in launching the new World digital documentary, public affairs and news channel over-the-air as digital Channel 48.2, plus Time Warner digital Channel 950 and Insight Channel 219.

PBS' World will air repeats of "Nova," "Nature," the "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Charlie Rose, "Tavis Smiley" and other popular PBS personalities and programs. Susan Howarth, CET president and CEO, calls it "the best of the best."

Grace Hill, CET program director, says the new World channel will help satisfy viewers who have called asking for repeats of the "NewsHour," or an earlier time slot for "Charlie Rose."
On World, "NewsHour" will air at 10 p.m. weeknights, and "Charlie Rose" will replay at 5 p.m. weekdays.

There could be some confusion over the World, so stick with me here:

--Create -- with such shows as "Lap Quilting," "One Stroke Painting" and "America Sews" – will remain as Time Warner digital Channel 949. But it vanishes from Insight digital Channel 219, and as an over-the-air digital channel on Channel 43.2, due to the new World.

--CET Kids will no longer be 24/7 on Time Warner. When the World takes over TWC digital Channel 950, Kids will share an instructional TV (ITV) channel. So Kids will air 3:30 p.m.-8 a.m., around the educational program block on TWC digital Channel 931.

--Don't trust the CET online listings for World at http://www.cetconnect.org/television/schedule_new.shtml It’s full of inaccuracies. It lists the “NewsHour” at 9 a.m., and “Wild Chronicles” at 10 p.m., and no “Charlie Rose” repeats. On the station blog, COO Jack Dominic laments about the listings screw-ups in “Ain’t Technology Great” on the CET blog. http://cetconnect.wordpress.com/2007/08/07/aint-technology-great/

--The CET website also still lists CET Kids as over-the-air digital Channel 48.3, even though the station dropped broadcasts months and months ago.

--And one question: If the benefit of adding World is so people can watch favorite shows at a different time – and the World is a Time Warner digital channel, requring a digital box – won’t those viewers have a DVR in the digital cable box to record their favorite PBS shows and watch on-demand at home? Why would anyone with a TWC DVR box wait to see Charlie Rose at 5 p.m. the next day, when they could DVR it and watch anytime? Am I missing something here?