On first glance, WTAE's Kelly Frey's sweeps report last week about pole dancing as a new exercise craze was not "pornography described as exercise" as one complaining viewer said in a phone call.

The report is easily defensible as a feature on a new fad, right up until the point that Frey takes to the pole herself. Then it crosses the line into pandering -- "Check out our saucy morning news anchor as she gyrates for your viewing pleasure!"

Worst sweeps story ever? No. But it was February's cheesiest sweeps piece in a month that's been relatively tame on the sweeps horror meter.

KDKA's Paul Martino offered a useful report on a liquidation store that doesn't live up to the hype in its ads. The pot-calling-the-kettle-black nature of this TV news report did not escape me, but that doesn't matter. Martino's report still provided useful information to viewers.

Similarly, WTAE's Jim Parsons did a public service explaining how Pennsylvania handles handicap parking tags (compared to neighboring states) and how some citizens abuse the program.

PBS president visits WQED

Paula Kerger, president of PBS for almost a year now, visited WQED Multimedia in Oakland yesterday to meet with staff, donors and a few WQED viewers who submitted questions via the station's Web site.

Because PBS is a membership organization, Kerger said visiting stations across the country offers her a good sense of the membership and how those needs differ from station to station.

"We're not selling toothpaste," Kerger said. "We don't measure success in the return to stockholders. Our stockholders are you, the community. How do we become the glue of our community?"

The glue is threatened -- as it routinely is this time of year: President Bush has proposed a 25 percent cut to funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in his budget for the next fiscal year. CPB funds PBS.

Kerger said 15 percent of PBS's budget comes from the federal government, but for smaller, rural stations, the percentage of their operating budgets can be much higher.

A General Accounting Office report released this week warned that such cuts could not be made up without adding more commercial-like elements, something most PBS stations want to avoid.

Kerger, who noted that funding for public television and radio amounts to less than $2 per year per person and is 10 times less than what the BBC gets from the government in England, said she's optimistic that the proposed cuts will be reinstated in the spring when the budget is finalized.

Kerger is the sixth president and CEO in PBS history, and of the three I've covered, is easily the most forthright and down-to-earth, with the best grasp on the many constituencies -- internal and external -- that make up public broadcasting.

Kerger's visit to WQED was also a reunion of sorts. WQED president George Miles hired Kerger at WNET in 1993, when he was CEO of the New York station and she became a vice president and director of development and government affairs.

'Jordan' crosses schedule

NBC's "Crossing Jordan," in what's likely a prelude to cancellation, moves to a new suicidal time slot March 7, when it shifts to 9 p.m. Wednesday opposite Fox's "American Idol" and CBS's "Criminal Minds."

As part of the same shakeup, "Deal or No Deal" lands at 9 p.m. Sunday March 4, pushing "The Apprentice: Los Angeles" to 10 p.m. with "Grease: You're the One That I Want" at 8 p.m.

More lousy DVD releases

And then there's "Maude," but not much else on that show's first-season DVD release, out March 20 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. How could Sony put out such a historic series and not offer any extras?

Also out soon with no extras: "Bosom Buddies: Season One" (March 13) and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Season One" (March 6).

Channel surfing

The Wall Street Journal reports ABC has a "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff in the works that would focus on Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd (Kate Walsh), who's been a bit of a gloomy gus in recent episodes. Perhaps her new co-star will cheer her up: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Taye Diggs will co-star in the proposed "Grey's" spinoff. ... The N has ordered a third season of "South of Nowhere." ... "Stargate SG-1" star Amanda Tapping will resurface on "Stargate Atlantis" when the show returns for its fourth season in the fall. ... Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute on NBC's "The Office") hosts "Saturday Night Live" this weekend with musical guest The Arcade Fire. ... America is finally sick of watching reality stars Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich on TV, or maybe they're just sick of "The Amazing Race." Either way, "Amazing Race: All-Stars" premiered to lower ratings than the season premieres last fall or a year ago. ... On the other hand, America appears to like Fox News Channel's not-very-funny comedy "The 1/2 Hour News Hour," which drew 1.5 million viewers in its premiere, a good number given the network and 10 p.m. Sunday time slot.

TV Q&A

Today's TV Q&A responds to questions about "What About Brian," "The King of Queens" and "The Fedko Zone." Read it online at www.post-gazette.com/tv.