The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will turn living room sofas into front row seats at Heinz Hall for its season-opening concert with cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

If you turn the channel to UPN, that is.

Its local affiliate WNPA will broadcast live the symphony's gala concert from 8 to 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 10. Sister station KDKA will rebroadcast the concert, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 17.

"What a great way to reach such a wide audience, to show them what a great orchestra they have in Pittsburgh," said Jody Doherty, the symphony's vice president of public affairs.

"The symphony is one of the real assets of the community and we've tried to be supportive of the symphony's efforts," said KDKA/WNPA general manager Chris Pike. "When you look across the whole community -- the universities, the professional sports teams, the terrific things this region has to offer -- the symphony is one of the premier ones and we'd like to see it continue to be a world-renowned symphony. We're [airing the concert] to support their efforts. We hope it serves their purpose."

While WNPA and KDKA will offer the air time to broadcast the concert, the telecast will be produced by an outside production company with concert telecast experience. The broadcast is sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The PSO has not had a simultaneous broadcast of a local concert in decades, said Doherty, although WQED-FM airs the opening night performance each year. The musicians' contract allows for up to three local TV broadcasts per year.

The PSO gala will replicate the experience of the BBC's "Last Night at the Proms," a 110-year old tradition in Britain that culminates the Proms concert season at Royal Albert Hall in London. Coincidentally, "Last Night" will occur the same day as the PSO's gala. The concert in London is a spirited affair, brimming with stars, lighter music and patriotic strains, and the PSO plans on bringing that festive ambiance to Pittsburgh, said Doherty.

Davis, who begins his tenure as artistic adviser with the PSO in September, has extended experience with the Proms. When he headed the BBC Philharmonic from 1989-2000, he often led "Last Night."

The PSO was once involved in a TV broadcast at the BBC Proms. Two years ago, the orchestra preformed at Royal Albert Hall in a concert televised nationally on BBC2 the next day. Last year, the symphony's Vatican concert was televised on WQED.

While the gala opens the season and formally introduces Davis, it is also a fund-raiser for the PSO. But Doherty does not expect the simulcast to affect attendance, even for those paying $500 for a dinner/concert package.

"The concert has so much star power that I have no doubt it will be a sellout," she said. "This broadcast is a great way for us to enable others to experience it."