CET awarded $200,000 grant from PBS

CET, Cincinnati’s public media provider, has been awarded a major grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting so it can continue developing its Web site, CETconnect.org. The $200,000 grant will also be used to develop a Web site model that public television stations around the country can emulate, says Susan Howarth, CET’s president and CEO. CET previewed some

new features of CETconnect.org at a donor reception Monday with the help of PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger. The site, which offers more than 1,000 local videos on demand, was launched a year ago.

The grant “is a recognition of CET’s leading role in the development of local video over the Internet,” Howarth says. In addition to a new look for CETconnect.org, CET is planning improvements, including personalization of the site. When Web site viewers visit CETconnect.org, they’ll have the option to register their interests. Once registered, each time they return, CETconnect.org will highlight content within those interest areas. CET also plans to make the site more interactive, offer more content and make some of it available through audio podcasts. “We’ll continue to add content and features that respond to the interests of our community,” Howarth says.

Writer: David Holthaus
Source: Susan Howarth, CET