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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Why WCET-TV, WPTD-TV And WPTO-TV Are Off The Air

Courtesy WCET-TV
WCET-TV, the nation's first licensed public TV station, brands itself as "CET."

Update 7:15 p.m. Sunday July 7: The part needed to fix the master control and restore broadcasting for  WCET-TV, WPTD-TV and WPTO-TV is scheduled to arrive Tuesday, says Kitty Lensman, WCET-TV chief operating officer.

"Then we will make the repair as quickly as possible," says Kellie May, WCET-TV public relations and digital media specialist. 

The stations have been off the air since 5 p.m. Friday, July 5.

Original post 5:24 p.m. Sunday July 7: All three public television stations in Cincinnati and Dayton – and their digital subchannels – have been off the air since 5 p.m. Friday due to "the failure of a critical piece of equipment," says Kellie May, WCET-TV public relations and digital media specialist.

Credit Courtesy WCET-TV
WCET-TV's old test pattern from the days when TV stations would tell viewers that "the trouble is not in your set."

As of 5 p.m. Sunday – 48 hours after going dark on the holiday weekend – there was no projected time for broadcasting to resume, she says.

"Our engineering team is in contact with the manufacturer and we are working to get back on the air as soon as possible," she says. May also thanked viewers for their patience.

Cincinnati's WCET-TV (Channel 48), and Dayton's WPTD-TV (Channel 16) and WPTO-TV (Channel 14) are operated by Public Media Connect, a regional public media partnership of the Cincinnati and Dayton stations. They serve viewers in Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana.

The master control is located at Channel 16 in downtown Dayton.

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.