TWIDW Update: WQED/WQEX and Maryland Public TV
(posted 27th Apr 2002, 2:11am - TWIDW post #0090)

(Note to Shaun, Siobahn, Jason, and Roger - this is an update, not a new column. Please don't replace the entire column with this notice.)

Forgot to put a couple of changes into the This Week In Doctor Who column that I found out about at the last minute.

1) WQED/WQEX 13,16 Pittsburgh, PA http://www.wqed.org/ . WQEX 16 signed off the air on Wednesday, April 24, and at last word was going to be off until Saturday, May 4 (if work finishes on time). They are removing the analog transmitter and replacing it with a new transmitter which will be able to send out WQEX 16, WQEX-DT 26 and WQED-DT 38. WQED currently simulcasts its whole lineup on WQEX, as it has since November 1997, so everyone who gets both WQED and WQEX by antenna just needs to tune into WQED 13 to see the shows (including Doctor Who) until WQEX returns. On Cable, Cable systems will broadcast WQED on both WQED and WQEX's channel positions. On satellite, WQEX never requested must-carry, so there is no difference at all. The only people who currently see the WQED/WQEX simulcast who will be unable to see Doctor Who and other shows during this period will be ones whose antenna will bring in WQEX 16, but not WQED 13. Just be advised so you don't get confused and miss anything. WQED 13 is airing pt 1 of Black Orchid at Midnight late Saturday night. Full details at http://www.post-gazette.com/tv/20020423tvnote0423p4.asp . Thanks to PBRTV http://pbrtv.tripod.com/ for their coverage of the Pittsburgh market, and postings links to story about news developments there.

2) Maryland Public TV http://www.mpt.org/ will be starting Doctor Who late most weeks for the next month or so. After Genesis of the Daleks started at 12:20AM instead of Midnight last weekend, I checked, and MPT had updated their online schedule. They are airing a locally produced show called Independent Eye Saturdays at 11PM. Originally each episode was listed as 1 hour long. Now, each episode is a different length, as the indpendent films included in each run for different lengths. So Doctor Who will start at varying times until June:
April 27 - 12:14AM - Revenge of the Cybermen
May 4 - Midnight - Terror of the Zygons (Independent Eye pre-empted)
May 11 - Midnight - Planet of Evil
May 18 - 12:03AM - Pyramids of Mars
May 25 - 12:21AM - The Android Invasion
June 1 - don't know yet, final week that Independent Eye will air

This has been a report from This Week In Doctor Who.

Benjamin F. Elliott