Stewart Cheifet, PBS host who chronicled the PC revolution, dies at 87
Stewart Cheifet, PBS host who chronicled the PC revolution, dies at 87
Publish Date: 2026-01-05 15:28:00
Source Domain: arstechnica.com
- Stewart Cheifet, a television producer and host, died on December 28, 2025, at age 87 in Philadelphia.
- He created and hosted Computer Chronicles, a PBS series that ran from 1983 to 2002 and educated millions of viewers on personal computers.
- The show covered major technological advancements from early PCs and Macintosh models to the World Wide Web and the dot-com boom, showcasing hardware and software through demonstrations and interviews.
- Cheifet co-hosted Computer Chronicles with Gary Kildall from 1983 to 1990, interviewing notable figures like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Jeff Bezos.
- From 1996 to 2002, he produced and hosted Net Cafe, a companion series focused on the early Internet and emerging websites such as Yahoo, Google, and eBay.
- Computer Chronicles started as a local series in 1981 and became a national PBS series in 1983, producing 433 episodes over 19 seasons.
- After the show ended, Cheifet worked to preserve its legacy by consulting for the Internet Archive, ensuring the episodes were made available to the public.
