Stewart Cheifet, PBS host who chronicled the PC revolution, dies at 87

Stewart Cheifet, the television producer and host who documented the personal computer revolution for nearly two decades on PBS, died on December 28, 2025 at the age of 87 in Philadelphia. Chefet created and hosted Computer Chronicleswhich aired on public television from 1983 to 2002 and helped demystify a new technological medium for millions of American viewers.

Computer Chronicles covered everything from early IBM PCs and Apple Macintosh models to the rise of the World Wide Web and the dot-com boom. Cheifet has conducted interviews with computer industry figures, including Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos, while demonstrating hardware and software to the general public.

From 1983 to 1990, he co-hosted the show with Gary Kildall, the founder of Digital Research who created the popular CP/M operating system, which predated MS-DOS on early personal computer systems.

From 1996 to 2002, Cheifet also produced and hosted Net Caféa companion series that documented the beginnings of the Internet boom and introduced viewers to new websites such as Yahoo, Google and eBay.

A legacy to preserve

Computer Chronicles began as a local weekly series in 1981 when Cheifet was station manager of KCSM-TV, the College of San Mateo’s public television station. It became a national PBS series in 1983 and aired continuously until 2002, producing 433 episodes over 19 seasons. The format remained consistent throughout: product demonstrations, guest interviews, and a closing news segment called “Random Access” that covered industry developments.

After the show ended its run and Cheifet left television production, he worked to preserve the show’s legacy as a consultant for the Internet Archive, helping to make episodes of Computer Chronicles And Net Café.