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new local TV show 30. Wait a minute that's all you've been hearing about for months we're finally here and we're live tonight with 30 years in the making for Pittsburgh. It's a big part of local TV history starts right now. Hello I'm Chris Moore and I'm Carol ESB. And I am Stacey Smith and welcome to the premier

edition of On cue. Congratulations you found us a brand new live local television magazine. So how will all this work and what will you see when you tune in every day. Well for the answer. Watch this. How do you know that Pittsburgh will begin production of a live nightly local show from our studios in January. It's January it's night. We're in the WQED studio. And on cue is like today may be our birthday. But on cue was conceived years a new nightly local program the first one in 21 years. Our goal to examine celebrate and showcase life in Western Pennsylvania on cue is a lie. It's 100 percent local. It's a magazine show. Sometimes hard hitting sometimes just plain fun.

But don't confuse us with the local news you won't see fires or murders or sports and weather. You also won't see commercials or endless teases for what's coming up next. Here's what you will see. It was kind of a compelling lead story from the Correspondent Michael Bartley real life issues told an unexpected new ways no 10 second sound bites. Instead we'll offer context and perspective on stories and dig up a few stories that you don't normally see on television. Next comes the live discussion with guests. You want to hear from key decision makers and just plain interesting people who are doing important things. Will then move on with the story from one of our contributors 20 of them in all offering different opinions and points of view and what a diverse group they are from former astronaut Jay Apt to Paddy Burns who joins us tomorrow night with a story about how the Mon Valley is bouncing back by developing its

abandoned steel mill sites during the steel boom U.S. Steel's national plant McKeesport supplied the world with products manufactured in its pipe mill eight thousand five hundred people were employed on this site. The pipe closed in 1987 and thousands lost their jobs. That was then. Today the site is undergoing a metamorphosis. He's becoming a park to house many different kinds of industries and ideally thousands of workers. Will cover the arts business medical breakthrough politics music high tech gifts in Education City look at ethnic diversity religion local history you name interesting stories packed with information. But that doesn't mean we can't have fun.

And then we'll wrap up our show with live performance right here in our studio two nights a week. Tonight it all begins my local daily on the updated does begin tonight so let's get started. Well as you know today is the national holiday to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Well Chris Moore and on cue correspondent Michael Barkley teamed up for today's feature story. We've all seen more than 30 years worth of Martin Luther King Jr. stories on television so it makes you wonder is there anything new to tell. Well right here in Pittsburgh the answer is yes and. If you've ever wondered what it's like to live a successful comfortable life

come inside the Williams house they have a spacious living room a modern kitchen with expensive appliances a well-appointed family room and check out the back deck. A stunning view of downtown Pittsburgh. Irvin Ginny's Williams have four successful children. Some of their neighbors compare them to the family on the old Cosby Show. Some of my friends in the US you know joke and say ah you got the Huxtables here. Irvin Jennie's could live in any expensive suburb but they're the happiest right here in this city neighborhood with the newer homes. Twenty years it's a short walk to downtown and the new home construction just keeps going. And after all it's the neighborhood where both Irvin Ginny's screw up it is Pittsburgh's Hill District. Right here this is also

whatever drug called Dr. King would cry he would be very very crushed to see this have all he worked for have gone down the drain. Mike Nichols keeps this part of the hill clean. He's a street sweeper for the Department of Public Works. He sees the good the bad and everything else. Well the worst I've seen found a dead body. You know needles on the street cut up below. It's a never ending battle you know you always find something new every day of the weight despite seeing some of the worst life passed off. Mike also sees plenty of reason for optimism. That's why he volunteers at local schools to read to kids right places like this

one. HELP MIKE stay focused. You see you can't let things get you down. You know reading the kids is like Hey you open up a bull and you get a reading. Then a keeper when with the mike you go come read to me again or you come with me to school again. Yeah I'll be at the school. I'll be there and I look for that. They really look for that. People would tell more lies that they had just like right now it's a best kept secret. People who come and service my house who hasn't been in her district for a montage that doesn't know anything about this is like money going to these houses up here you know how most of this is these houses cause the Williams bought their house on the Hill for a hundred forty thousand dollars four years ago and think they can get upwards of $200000 today.

I think the development here in her district is going to continue to be I think the housing is going to hopefully good business for them. It will continue to boom of the Williams of both of them developers have anything to do with it. My daughter says boy swear this is William square Williams success took off when he built William square an office building and now urban journeys are ready to build more hope square on Center Avenue is their next project. It's fully funded and will bring retail stores to the Hill District. I'm about writing the resolution that was. Yeah I know you are always a diplomat and right now Herb Williams is negotiating a partnership with the Hill District Community Development to buy the old Granada Theater on Center Avenue. His dream is to bring back dancing live music and a gourmet restaurant to the hail similar to life on the Hill 30 plus years ago was

was. The romance of the Queen out of fear and all of the grace of have actually performed there from Lena Horne James Brown is performed via the great jazz greats have performed even cap Callaway performed in the Savoy ball which is the second floor of a Granada theatre able to bring that the theatre back to its splendor and that splendor and grandeur is when it will be much greater than what it was of the yesteryear. But actually having facilitated with some of the Bennett here and to be second to none. There's

a lot of work yet to be done to make those dreams a reality. Mike Nichols knows just how bad some people would be like he told me. You know the way I would be crushed the king had a dream and he had a ball and he wanted his people to go to the mountaintop. We have to get there. We want to get there. Thank you. I know we can we put together a home in the community.

Dumb like water and righteousness like a mighty The Herb Williams says his vision of the Hill District was also in part inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a vision of equality of financial success in spite of race. But ironically Irv Williams doesn't take a day off for the King holiday discussion. We want to take a day off to celebrate his accomplishments celebrate on a demand by going to work that day to work to make his dream come alive. That's when you know folks ask me why you did Martin Luther King's birthday you get to take out a guy go to work that day this day of all days I need to be at work. But Irv Williams says don't accuse him of being blind to the problems of the hill. He's one of many who says it's an uphill battle. Man in the hill. So much stuff going on. Oh man you know I'm out here every day every day working. We're going to

get together dude you got a new idea you know they don't ask me why do you do this. You come back the next day and it's still on the ground. You know our face a lot of negative people sometimes and most of the time I think a lot of other people they come up here and say You're doing a fine job. And you know some say just wasting your time. But they're on the stand because they don't have to do it right if you know some people are not from the Hill says a waste of my time. But most people say it's a job well done. He was different he is not will be the same

people who want to come back to the way it used to be. You know they don't want to come back to what they display. Well I mean you know you have to give a shit what part of the money is not everything. It's an important item in our economy but it's not everything that one needs to look back at as to gauge the value of themselves. The Williams were both raised in the Hill District in the projects Jennie's took us to the Francis Street projects where she grew up. You know essentially you live your block like you know what you think about when you come up here. And later when I go to work you know hallways play jacks. We actually had to clean our hallway. Daughter Casey is free to best you can

be and I try my best and work hard. I'm not backing when Dr. King was murdered. Everything was just tore down. People would just given up hope saying just the hell with it. Because when Dr. King was assassinated the dream was shattered the dream was shattered. Some people just gave up hope. Meanwhile Irvin Ginny's Williams goal is to give people hope and to help by rejuvenating business and attracting new investors to the Hill. Here we have one of the greatest proximity to a major metropolis. And there's no real infusion of capital.

There is no real development that has gone on to create a business environment. William says he'll scratch and claw until the blight is erased and he will not be discouraged. We have to say to the other guys if they feel resentment they feel jealousy about your success and maybe you know what the other guy's problem and I don't know I try not to take it personally but at the same time Herb Williams knows life in the Hill District is about more than economic development. Pizza Hut still doesn't deliver to our neighborhood. Some of those and you know dominoes hasn't come here either. Williams expects Pizza Hut and dominoes and others to one day compete to be located in the Hill District. That said his future plan works out if his vision inspired by Martin Luther King is realized. Well the neighborhood

I'm not really in the street but nevertheless here they are. This morning Dr. King's dream we have to talk to the kids. When I was 8 years old you know I was at home and I heard he was shot. And that day when he was shot I didn't leave the house and the dead people was routed

routed all robbers everything crowd took apart part of us. It has power and resonance today in many ways it is right even when least expected. It takes shape and through bricks and mortar and in the dreams of all Americans who strive to be the best they can be. There's still a lot of us the hopeless still alive in here and in here.

We've got to keep up stairs as African-Americans realize that you know we go by only the grace of God. Number one while we're on the backs and shoulders of our forefathers. Well two very different pictures of the same Pittsburgh neighborhood and Chris we heard Mike Nichols say a moment ago that at 5 or 6 years people may not recognize the hill from what it is now. What's your guess what is your perspective what the hell's going to be like in five years I think Mike is right you can see the brick and mortar change right now but there are a lot of concerns too about the changes in attitude. I think there's a positive feeling about what's going on in the hill and at the same time there's a concern about gentrification that those white folks who left the hill and moved away after the riots probably some with good reason left and left some folks to hold the bag and the decline and now they're going to come back and not everybody is going to be like urban journeys and be able to buy that kind of home there. But they've been living there all their lives.

Michael Carona King was quoted today as saying The best way to preserve Dr. King's memory is to serve others. How do you see that working on the Hill. Well if you talk to Irv Williams in his mind that's exactly what he's doing of course yes he's making money he's making profit but Irv Williams would say all his profit is going back into the Hill District if you talk to the whole district community development they believe that they're doing the same thing as well they want to get more money do more homes new homes to rehab the older homes and the goal in the end I think if you talk to the whole district people is in the coming years. A neighborhood that's been a troubled neighborhood. They would come to the whole district and say look at what Pittsburgh's Hill district did. Everybody else going to the same ground you know. Absolutely gentleman an absolutely excellent report thank you. Gratulations coming up next as a look into this strange new year 2000 from a uniquely Pittsburgh perspective.

But first here's what's coming up tomorrow on cue. Tomorrow on cue Patty bird's returns to local television to show you the metamorphosis going on in the Mon Valley. That's right. Just wait till you see where you'll be shopping and maybe even living in the coming months and years. And the men behind the music of on cue Jim despaired of Rusted Root and Dave Hann are at the core of a hand or band perform live in our studio heads all happening tomorrow at 7:30 on cue. OK Stacey All right we're 17 days if we counted correctly into the new year. Now do you make resolutions. I made one resolution this year and it was not to start any new programs when your two have already broken up. How about you making resolutions. I think no chewing gum on the set. Well we send on cue contributor Jimmy Maguire down to Pittsburgh Strip District to see who's making changes in the year 2000.

A new century and best of all a clean slate for everybody. I'm down at the Strip District One of my favorite places in Pittsburgh. Asking you what are some of your year 2000 resolutions. Why bring it sir can I talk to you about the Y2K you know one of the on OCD Happy New Year question like you know someone want to buy the bullies like boy you are loving the bad boys you know and I am Ricky Martin my new year's resolution of more fights more fights for everybody hey guys the year 2000 got a clean slate. Any resolutions have more fun.

Relax a little more. Oh yeah WHAT THE FUDGE. Nothing not positively nothing. You're my man. Positively nothing you know I gotta try that. Any resolutions for the New Year stay out of the water are going to be healthy. Me my kids and I you know earn a respectable living Don't we all live in libido loca. Yeah. Oh my goodness. Can you say there's always lose weight if you're not heavy. I'm big on this. Yeah I want to lose my belly your belly. Yeah I want to get out a little a little streamer lower trim or maybe exercise a little bit. How are you going to change any resolutions. Yes I'm going to meditate twice a day for 20 minutes.

Happy New Year. I'm on it but meanwhile morning you along with a lot of notice on the letter that I was out of touch with you know I didn't really know what moment evil money money money money like you know when you're going to get money. You know money from Pokey mon life is just going to go on. It's just going to go on and on and on and on it never ends. No I don't make resolutions. I looked on one day the kind everything's great you know experienced the good the bad. Oh resolutions for the new years wore hats the smell you smell really good. Quit smoking I know that. Drink lots of water. Very a lot of water yes. But your resolution that is my resolution more fish in 2000. Yeah I agree I just am. I'm going to be richer this year I make more money. Can you recommend the fish for the new year.

Probably salmon all day and it's wonderful to help explain how you can make out a spaghetti sauce. How a bit with this big Yeti sauce. Any resolutions for the New Year live a better life living a bad life right now. How's your sandwich. Very bored now you faggot. Oh that's my resolution. More talian sandwiches in the New Year. I'm telling you I'll never get rich but I don't play the lotto. That's a tough way to go to try to you know get money you know your work is probably a better idea of what your New Year's resolution that's up. Just quit smoking that's all you want to do about it. Make more money. Don't we all. Well you do this pretty well maybe there's a market in it for you. Happy New Year and happy New Year to you to All right thank you. Yeah we're going to have a smoke. You know life.

That is a Jenny McGuire one of the 20 or so contributors who will produce stories for you and that's it for us. Thanks so much for watching our very first live broadcast. And for more information about Q You can check out our website WQED org. Just click on the on q icon. You can catch our encore broadcast tonight at 11:30 or tomorrow afternoon at 12:30. Until tomorrow good night everybody good night good night.