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This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about glitches galore on WPXI, a Bloomberg reporter and A&E's "Intervention." As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.
-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor
Q: I'm a huge fan of WPXI's new look, music, open, etc., but their technical snafus are getting out of hand. I know that they went automated at Television Hill, but I thought that was only to lighten the crew's load during the transition to the new studio. Can we expect some improvements for WPXI anytime soon?
-- Bill, Washington County
Q: What is wrong with WPXI and their broadcasts? I watch the news most mornings and some afternoons. Is it my imagination that the glitches are happening more and more? I am not impressed with their new studios when they keep missing cues, have the wrong graphic up during a story, not sure who is to be speaking, etc. What's up with them?
-- Sue, Pittsburgh
Rob: Both of these questions came in before these viewers saw Tuesday's Tuned In Journal post about Channel 11's major malfunctions and before Wednesday's noon news crash.
The good news is Tuesday's evening newscasts had fewer mistakes, although the microphones were still open too long going to a commercial (viewers could hear anchor Peggy Finnegan say, "OK, so here they did take a shot ..." before the mike was cut off). After the noon meltdown Wednesday, the evening newscasts were almost flawless, but some problems returned yesterday.
An automated production system was installed and viewers endured this whole shake down cruise for several weeks this summer. But in moving to the new facility last weekend, the system had to be re-calibrated and made to interact with other new components, which has resulted in more gaffes.
In recent days, Channel 11 executives have been quick to defend the Ignite! automated production system and say not all the glitches can be attributed to it, that it's more about integration among all the components in the new facility.
"To be fair to us, not every technical hiccup is Ignite related," WPXI general manager Ray Carter wrote in an e-mail Wednesday. "It is an increasingly high-tech business that can bring you to your knees. The systems on their own work beautifully. With each passing hour we are getting the different systems to 'talk' to each other. We'll get there. I promise."
But I have to think the automated production system plays some role given that most of the glitches now are identical to the ones that began to appear when the system was introduced this summer.
It wasn't the decision of local WPXI executives to install an automated production system; it was a decision made by the station's parent company, Cox Broadcasting. Cox executives were in town this week for a ribbon-cutting on the new WPXI building, and Sterling Davis, Cox vice president of engineering, said some stations have made the switch to automation in "pretty flawless" form. He said the Cox-owned station in San Francisco has no problems using it on the air, but other stations (Cox and others) with automation have had meltdowns similar to or worse than those on WPXI. Reports of stations cutting to commercials during newscasts and filling time with network and syndicated programming have been reported.
Replacing humans with robots isn't a new trend, but it remains an unfortunate attempt by bean counters to save money that can result in damage to their core product.
Q: I was a Channel 11 (Fox at 10) viewer and all I ever heard was "you heard it here first" and "only on 11." I was sick of it because all I want is the news, not the hype. With all of their new problems in the past several months, it was extremely difficult to watch. My wife and I watched it for the last time on Monday.
Looking ahead, I'll get my news from the Internet. That way I can choose the stories that I'm interested in with no hype or technical screw-ups.
-- Paul, Kennedy
Rob: May I suggest post-gazette.com?
This letter points to the missed opportunity WPXI had to dazzle viewers. The station's new facility is beautiful, and although they will hopefully get the kinks worked out, the first impression has been blown.
The new set looks great, but few of the viewers I've heard from seem to care in light of all the technical glitches. It was an excellent opportunity for a fresh start for Channel 11 that got dashed by all the missed cues, tapes that didn't play, wrong graphics over the shoulder and the understandable slow burn by anchors caught on air when they should not be.
Actually, a few viewers have complained to me about the swirling blue background behind the anchors (one said it made her switch to KDKA), but that doesn't bother me. Ann Curry has a similar white swirling background behind her on NBC's "Today," although her segments are only a few minutes each morning; viewers don't see the swirl there throughout the program.
Q: I understand that WPXI had recently moved into a new studio on Summer Hill. However, the noon broadcast from the parking lot of WPXI had to be the straw that broke the camel's back. I have never seen such amateurish operations of a news station in my life.
Kudos to Rick Earle who tried to keep the newscast together. Anyone else would have walked off the set. I understand the need to go to HD TV. However, you need people who know how to work the equipment and equipment that works. I really can't see viewers staying with watching this high school production. Too bad for WPXI, a $30 million dollar station with a high school AV class news production.
-- J., McCandless
Rob: I'll second the kudos to Earle. One of his colleagues said he deserved the broadcasting equivalent of a Purple Heart for his efforts Wednesday. Earle also had an intriguing report this week on one of the city's "Redd Up" work crews not redding up but working on a boat dock on the Ohio River that was dedicated to the late Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor.
At first, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke "Blame the Media" Ravenstahl didn't know anything about the dock, then he remembered dedicating it, then he didn't want to talk about it and his press secretary didn't call Earle back (bad, press secretary, bad).
Too often Channel 11's investigative pieces seem a little soft (can't we do better than lazy city workers? again?), but this one had more value because it showed the consequence of the Redd Up crew not doing its assigned task on behalf of city residents.
Q: It seems that WPXI was blissfully (although not anymore) unaware that anytime you introduce a new software or operating system, you will have problems. But if you are professional, you work on them and work them out behind the scenes BEFORE you go live with the system.
Its called Quality Assurance, and its sole purpose it to keep you from looking like a high school-produced public access channel. ?? Of course, the entertainment and schadenfreude factors have been tremendous. But why would WPXI go live with a system that they didn't understand and couldn't control?
-- Paul, O'Hara
Rob: "We spent week upon week testing and re-testing the systems," said WPXI general manager Ray Carter. "We, more than most, understand quality assurance. When one integrated piece of equipment or software has a serious hiccup it can dramatically affect others. There is no way to know what software hiccups will do to other technologies and related software. Individual vendors point fingers at each other and try to lay blame. We are the ones caught in the middle. It is not a comfortable position."
Q: Is Shelly Duffy still part of the KDKA radio morning show? She was doing the entertainment segments and I haven't heard her for a while.
-- Janet, Crafton
Rob: Since I don't cover radio and rarely have a chance to listen, I put this question to Post-Gazette radio writer Adrian McCoy, who says:
KDKA-AM (1020) has added a syndicated entertainment reporter to its morning show. Ross Crystal, who is based in Hollywood, does the customized reports.
KDKA's Shelley Duffy, who had been anchoring entertainment news in morning drive, continues to do the "Now You Know" features, which air twice during morning drive (at 5:40 and 8:40 a.m., and evenings at 6:53 p.m.
The switch has some local radio observers speculating that Duffy will return to the B94 morning show when KDKA's sister station announces its personality lineup. Duffy was part of the original WBZZ/B94 morning team.
KDKA program director Marshall Adams said he's not expecting to make any changes to the KDKA morning show.
Q: I've waited the requisite two weeks, so I presume it's not a vacation. What happened to Bloomberg Business reporter Nicole Petalides, who gave live business briefs on Channel 4's morning news? When Lori Rothman left (subsequently replaced by Petalides), the anchors gave her a warm send-off. I noticed nothing of the like this time, or even a mention of a maternity leave (a possibility?).
-- Mike, White Oak
Rob: Thank you for waiting two weeks, which is what I ask since 9 times out of 10, I get questions about "Where X went?" when the person is simply on vacation. Petalides was not a WTAE employee, but she was an employee out of Bloomberg in New York. The response from Bloomberg was simply, "Nicole no longer works at Bloomberg Television. Lori Rothman is still here."
Q: Did Fred Honsberger leave "Off Q"? I noticed on Friday night he was not mentioned as being absent.
-- Roy, Elizabeth
Rob: Honsberger did not leave "Off Q," but he is concentrating on his radio show while he continues to see to his medical needs that we've previously reported. Bill Green has been filling in for Honsberger on "Off Q," but the door remains open for Honsberger to return.
Q: Last year, my favorite TV judge, Alex Ferrer, appeared on the WPMY-TV at 6 p.m. This year, he is not to be found, except in repeats around noon on Fox TV. His Web site lists him as still appearing on WPMY, although the station now features "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy" during that time. Is his current show running on any station in Pittsburgh? I miss him!
-- Rebecca, Regent Square
Rob: According to a WPGH spokesman, new episodes of "Judge Alex" air weekdays at noon on WPGH with repeat episodes at 12:30 p.m. on the same channel.
Q: Does WPXI have any footage of their old "Studio Wrestling" program that they plan to air on their new Retro Television Network? I know in those days tape was reused to save money, but they have a clip from it on their Web site as an example of the "classic programming" that once aired on Channel 11. A whole generation of Pittsburghers grew up on Bruno Sammartino, so it seems like something that would fit well on the new station.
-- Sam, Penn Hills
Rob: According to WPXI program director Mark Barash, most studio wrestling footage from the '60s and '70s is gone, although the station has a small amount, some of which you saw in the special.
Barash said the 50th anniversary entertainment special will be issued on DVD; details to come at WPXI.com.
"Additionally, we will be airing wrestling documentaries and such on Retro TV from time to time," he said.
Q: In regards to shows such as "The Daily Show" and "The Soup," how do they go about getting the clips from the shows that they make fun of?
-- Mike, Philadelphia
Rob: According to "The Daily Show's" spokesman, that task is spread around, although there is a core group responsible for compiling clips.
"Similar to the NYC Transit campaign of 'If you see something, say something,' on any given day anyone on the staff of 'The Daily Show' might mention something they saw," the spokesman said. "That said, there is a studio production department comprised of eight staffers which is headed by one of the show's co-executive producers that is dedicated to recording and watching anything and everything and pulling clips of interest."
Q: Why is "CSI" so hung up on oral sex? There's hardly an episode that goes by without some woman with skinned knees or a bang on her head or giving her boyfriend a "birthday present." I think it's disgusting and totally unnecessary, especially for network TV.
By the way, how's "Chuck" doing? I think it's a great show.
-- Dan, New Castle
Rob: I suppose "CSI" producers can argue that because the show is set in Las Vegas, where professional sex workers are part of the economy, sex is part of the show. Also, Las Vegas has the "sin city" nickname for a reason. I don't watch often enough to have an opinion on whether oral sex is an overused plot device, but if you don't like it, turn it off.
"Chuck" is doing OK in the ratings, but not great. NBC has ordered additional scripts from all four of its freshmen series, but that may be less of a show of confidence than an attempt to get a few more scripts in hand before a threatened writer's strike next month.
Q: I'm wondering why A&E seldom carries the "Intervention" series anymore. They had announced a new season was coming, but I don't see the shows scheduled in the PG.
-- Susan, Pittsburgh
Rob: "Intervention" is not on the A&E schedule this month, but it will return with at 9 p.m. Monday starting Nov. 5. A new season begins airing in December.
Q: Why is CBS the only station that Comcast On Demand lets you watch a prime-time show and not also NBC and ABC?
-- Debbie, Shaler
Rob: That's an easy one: Because only CBS has a deal with Comcast to make its shows available via Comcast On Demand. But it's also easy to catch up online with NBC (NBC.com) and ABC (ABC.com) series.
Q: I'm a DirecTV subscriber. I have a home theater setup, but no HD yet. I know they are planning to roll out a lot more HD channels by the end of the year. My interest is Surround Sound audio. Currently we get it on HBO, HBO-W, Starz, Starz-W, and all the Showtime channels. Do you know or can you find out if they will expand the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound as a simulcast for the new HD channels?
-- Frank, Imperial
Rob: According to a DirecTV spokeswoman, "All of our HD broadcasts come with AC-3 audio, which means that they are capable of supporting surround sound. If the program provider delivers their signal with surround sound, we will broadcast it that way. What we've seen is that most of the HD movie material is transmitted with surround sound as well as some prime time television shows, sporting and other special events. Also, come the end of October, we will have around 70 HD channels, and up to 100 HD channels by year end, which means that we will have more surround sound options for customers."
Q: I understand that the NHL has a deal with Comcast to create a NHL Network similar to the one in Canada. However, in the Business section it states that Comcast paid a $15 million penalty to the NHL for not having developed it already. Do you have any knowledge of when this channel is going to come to the Pittsburgh area? The region has ratings through the roof when it comes to Penguin games and it doesn't make sense for the network to not be carried here.
-- Diane, Moon
Rob: Comcast says the NHL Network will launch on Oct. 16 as part of the Sports Entertainment Pack.
Q: 1) Any word on when Comcast might give us hockey fans here in the South Hills of Pittsburgh the NHL Center Ice package? The excuse before from Comcast was that the Castle Shannon facility was too old to give me in Jefferson Hills the NHL Center Ice package.
2) Do you also know when Verizon might post their HD packages for all us future FiOS users?
-- Rob, Jefferson Hills
Rob: 1) It appears that may still be the reason.
"The NHL Center Ice is available on pay per view throughout much of our Comcast coverage area in the Three Rivers Region," wrote Comcast spokeswoman Jody Doherty. "However, it is currently not available in the Castle Shannon area in which the viewer resides."
2) Verizon won't be posting any FiOS TV channel line-ups until the company begins offering the service in Western Pa., which a spokesman said will be soon.
"When we do, FiOS TV will offer more than 20 local and national HD channels," said Verizon's media relations manager Lee Gierczynski. "If you check out www.verizon.com/fiostv, you can check out the channel line-ups for other markets where we currently offer FiOS TV to get an idea of what we offer."
Q: I know you get a lot of complaints about Comcast, well here is another one. About a month ago they decided that those of us who pay for HBO only needed to get the East channels. The West channels were taken away except for basic HBO West. We used to get the West version (Channels 209-214) of all of the East channels (Channels 202-207).
When I called they said the reason was because if something was on one of the HBO East channels, then it was available on demand also. So if you missed the beginning of a show you could just go to On Demand and see the show from the beginning. I thought that made sense until I tried to use it. Seems not all of the shows are available. So they took away channels I am paying for and did not add the programing to On Demand as they said they would. So I am still paying but getting less content. I think they should lower my bill if I don't have the same content as I had before they made the change.
-- Chris, Mt. Lebanon
Rob: That seems fair to me, but I somehow doubt Comcast would agree.
"We currently provide West Coast feeds for HBO Signature and Cinemax West," Comcast's Doherty said in response to your query. "These two channels are not available in the traditional Comcast area."
Q: Could you please explain to me why my Comcast DVR has such a hard time determining which shows are "new"? When I set a series recording to record only new episodes I frequently get either duplicates (e.g. "Reaper" running its season premiere twice, both listed as "new"), old episodes (especially "Law & Order" on TNT where even several years-old episodes are shown as "new") or near disasters (for some reason I have to manually record "House" as my series recording is repeatedly ignored). Is this a hardware issue, or just another example of Comcast being in the wrong business?
-- Kevin, Bellevue
Rob: I don't think we can blame Comcast for this one. Comcast does not tag the shows as new. That's done by the listings provider (TV Guide, I believe), possibly at the direction of the networks.
Here's how I think the networks think about it. I have my Comcast DVR set to record Showtime's "Weeds" and every episode that premieres on Monday gets recorded multiple times after Monday and throughout the rest of the week. I think the network views it as a "new" episode throughout the week of its premiere. That's not how I would choose to characterize it, but I also don't get upset by it. I just delete the extraneous recordings.
As for your "House" issue, Comcast techs suggest that if you programmed it off of the reruns on USA, that's why you're not getting the new episodes that air on Fox. If that isn't the case, Comcast will swap out your DVR box.
Q: I received a notice from Comcast in the mail today that if I want to continue receiving MSNBC, EWTN, Court TV, C-SPAN2 and Hallmark Channel, currently included in standard cable, that I'll have to get the digital starter tier which requires a box. They presented this as "a wonderful opportunity" and will give it to me for free for 12 months, no charge, on one television or $1.99 per month on other TVs. After 12 months it will cost $3.99 per box. There's no mention of cost for the digital starter tier.
When I called Comcast to complain, they told me it was because MSNBC raised its rates. Is this discrimination against liberals so we can't see Keith Olbermann?
-- Julie, Edgewood
Rob: Hmmm, I haven't gotten that notice myself. Then again, Comcast hasn't sent me an updated channel lineup in years, so I'm not too surprised.
As for the conspiracy theory aspect, no, this is not discrimination against liberals. If it were, EWTN, a Catholic station, and Hallmark, a comfy, conservative-friendly family channel, would not also be getting moved. When it comes to decisions like this, it's all about money.
A Comcast spokeswoman said the reason for the change is because of the "high demand by customers for HD programming. It is necessary to move some existing channels to create space for the new HD channels."
I'm not sure why some customers who subscribe to less expensive cable packages have to be punished to satisfy HD customers who routinely pay more, but there you have it.
If you want to read about more Comcast inspired outrage, go here and here.
