Thirteen/ WNET: 40 Years

Congratulations to Channel Thirteen and all its loyal supporters who together have fulfilled the promise made four decades ago of proving in practice that television can be an invaluable educational tool and a protector of our culture.
As a local public television station and a major producer for PBS, Thirteen is an American cultural treasure. For 40 years it has served the New York community and the nation as a bold, intelligent, creative alternative to commercial television. I've been proud to be a part of the celebrated alternative, performing my favorite music, from classical to klezmer, on GREAT PERFORMANCES and, yes, even on SESAME STREET. Happy anniversary, Thirteen! Here's to the next 40 years!
A long time ago, and a very long time it was, I knew nothing about Channel Thirteen. I was teaching high school English and with papers to correct and lessons to think about there was little time for TV. But then some teachers of art and music began to talk about something called UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS. (Teachers of art and music don't have a million papers to correct.) I started watching around the third episode and I was hooked. Forever. To Channel Thirteen. I believed (don't tell anyone this) that children shouldn't be allowed to watch TV at all, AT ALL, but I had a daughter and she led me to ZOOM and SESAME STREET and MR. ROGERS. I've traveled the world with Channel Thirteen. I've explored the human body, the human psyche. I've visited basilica, mosque, synagogue. And when Inspector Morse died I had four beers in his honor. He was a prince among detectives.
Thirteen has always been a place where viewers and artists meet to form the best kind of give and take, aesthetically, intellectually, and humanely. For 40 years Thirteen has been a place of simultaneous comfort and stimulation for every viewer. It's a privilege to be part of the Thirteen family.
As more and more channels are becoming available to us on TV, it has become increasingly clear that there is less and less to watch. While commercial TV is rehashing hash, Channel Thirteen remains a beacon of light in our lives. For creative people like myself who try to achieve excellence in their work, it is a source of encouragement to know that somewhere in this vast wasteland there may be an outlet for our efforts. As an added footnote, my wife, Shelby, would like you to know that the only programming for children she will let our 2-year-old daughter watch is on Channel Thirteen. So here is my deepest thanks and congratulations to you. Long may you brave.
Happy 40th birthday to WNET and our thanks for feeding our souls, brains, and bodies through brilliant programming in the arts, news, finance, nature, history, and cuisine (haute and not-so-haute). Because of its programming, our lives have become a lot more enriched.
Thirteen/WNET is essential to the vitality of life in New York City and the country. The insightful and inventive programming available on Thirteen promotes education and a deeper understanding of culture. That the station enjoys such a loyal and significant audience attests to our community's intellectual curiosity and great interest in the performing and visual arts. Thirteen provides an important service by offering programs that cover all disciplines in the arts, humanities, and sciences.
Congratulations,Thirteen/WNET! Public television has always been a part of my life, and now my children's lives. The value of Thirteen/WNET is enormous, and continuing, thank God! I am grateful for Thirteen/WNET, and thrilled to celebrate and congratulate the 40th year of this invaluable communication, education, and entertainment channel! I hope I am thanking you for being a part of my grandchildren's lives!
Not a day goes by that I don't watch something on Thirteen/WNET. And when I say "watch," I mean exactly that. In an age of channel surfing, it is wonderful to find a station that stops you and holds your attention completely. Once you land there, there is no need to move on. I have been watching Thirteen/WNET for all of my life and, frankly, cannot imagine being without it. It is the very essence of quality.
Congratulations to Thirteen/WNET for 40 years of presenting quality programming that engages, educates, and inspires viewers in the New York community and across the country. As the nation's premier public television station in the art capital of the world, Thirteen/WNET has made a unique and vital contribution to engaging viewers about the arts and advancing New York's rich and diverse cultural offerings. The Asia Society has been privileged to partner with MetroArts/Thirteen to help broaden the exposure of Asian art and cultures among U.S. audiences.
I have been closely associated with PBS for the last 12 years, and these have been extraordinary years in my life. I like the freedom of working for a non-commercial organization; the open-minded attitude of the people at PBS made it possible for me to create the cooking programs that I wanted to make with the highest standard of quality. With all the technology of the Information Age, PBS is on a par with the most advanced commercial stations, and it remains for me the ideal venue for my talents. Through the years, I have worked closely and often with Thirteen/WNET, which is one of public broadcasting's leaders in programming and technology. I've had the good fortune of having my series shown on Thirteen/WNET, and I look forward to working with them in a future that I see as even more vibrant and gratifying than the past. Happy birthday, Thirteen/WNET!
For more than 130 years, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has provided education and enlightenment for citizens of New York, the nation, and the world. For nearly a third of our institutional life, Thirteen has served as a cultural oasis as well -- harnessing the technologies of the information age to provide a broadcast resource for culture. May your viewers long enjoy access to the visual arts on your screens -- and long be inspired to turn from their living rooms to their museum galleries for the authentic encounters with art that you have always helped inspire them to seek.