TV Q&A with Rob Owen

Friday, November 02, 2007

This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about the new fall season, FiOS TV and DVRs. As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.

-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor

• Q: My favorite new shows this season are "The Big Bang Theory," "Chuck" and "Reaper" (obviously, I'm more of a geek than I thought). What do you think of them and do you think they'll be renewed? I know "Reaper" wasn't doing great in the ratings.

-- Margie, Pittsburgh

• Q: So with the new TV season a couple weeks old, which new shows are you enjoying and which are you waiting to just go away? My two new favorites are "Chuck" and "Reaper," and I have to admit I do enjoy "Cavemen" (I think I'm the only one). "Aliens in America" started out good, but seems to be sliding back. And I couldn't get into "Journeyman" or "Back to You."

-- Mike, Forest Hills

Rob: Funny you both should ask. I just finished writing my annual "second looks" column that will run in the Nov. 11 TV Week.

Among the shows you've mentioned, I'm liking "Back to You" and "Aliens in America," disappointed in "Reaper" but still watching it. This week's episode was an improvement in that it seemed at least a little different in format from every episode before it. It's too soon to say whether it will get a second season.

I'm enjoying "Big Bang Theory" a lot and it's doing better than its lead-in, "How I Met Your Mother," so I think it stands a decent shot at renewal.

I never cared for "Journeyman" or "Cavemen," although last week's episode was somewhat better. I stopped watching "Chuck," but I should go back and give it another shot. So many shows, so little time ??

• Q: I would like to know if the mystery shows ("Midsomer Mysteries," "Sherlock Holmes" and "Poirot") on Biography Channel will return on Sunday afternoons?

-- Yvonne, Pittsburgh

Rob: According to a network publicist, the "Midsomer Murder" will air at 9 a.m. Saturday throughout November on Biography Channel. "Holmes" and "Poirot" are not scheduled to air, but the publicist noted all three titles can be purchased at www.shopaetv.com.

• Q: Your story on DVR creating a dilemma for the TV industry got me thinking. Won't a simple answer be to start airing commercials during the actual show like they do in some live sporting events? Things like banner ads in the top corners or so forth that say this portion of the show being brought to you by Snickers (as an example). They can still do the regular commercials but this would be a way to augment those commercials.

-- Chris, Shippenville

Rob: Smart business plan, terrible idea for viewers, but one the networks have no doubt thought of. Chris is right that we may see more of that. Already, there's more product placement in shows and there's even talk of advertisers keeping their logo on screen throughout commercials so that even those fastforwarding through on their DVR at least know what's being advertised.

• Q: Can you please tell me what has happened to the actor who played Gideon on "Criminal Minds."

-- Kathryn, Pittsburgh

Rob: As was widely reported this summer, actor Mandy Patinkin, who played Jason Gideon on CBS's "Criminal Minds," abruptly dropped out of the series. He was replaced this week by actor Joe Mantegna as a new character.

• Q: Do you know if episodes of "Beauty & the Geek" are being rerun? In the past they ran episodes a week later at a different time, but I can't find them listed anywhere this year. I'd sure appreciate any info you can offer. I tried taping last night's episode, but our dang VCR automatically switched out of daylight savings time early and taped the wrong show!

-- Jim, Carnegie

Rob: "Beauty & the Geek" is not rerunning on TV, but episodes can be seen online at CWTV.com.

• Q: I got hooked on BBC America's "Ultimate Force." I really enjoyed the first five episodes of season one and now I can't find it on BBC America's schedule or Web site. Was it canceled???

-- George, Mount Lebanon/Summit N.J.

Rob: Looks like it was. Or it's at least on hiatus. Here's the network's statement on the matter: "BBC America, like most television networks, is often forced to make changes to their schedule based on the ability for a show to attract an audience. At this time, the decision has been made to pull Ultimate Force from our schedule. However, please note that this title could likely return in the future."

• Q: Why must WTAE pre-empt Dancing with the Stars for the Steelers Monday Night Football Game next week? Isn't that what ESPN is for? There is no point broadcasting at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, because the phone voting is over and you can watch all episodes on ABC's Web site the following day.

-- Becky, Baden

Rob: Actually there is a point: Many viewers, especially in Pittsburgh, do not have access to broadband. There are a lot of elderly viewers here who don't have a computer let alone high-speed Internet. For their sake, I'm glad WTAE will air "Dancing with the Stars" in daytime.

As to why WTAE would pre-empt ABC prime-time for a Steelers game, the answer is, of course, for money. The station will make far more money airing a Steelers game than it would sticking with ABC's schedule. And I suspect any viewers without ESPN support the station's decision.

• Q: I admit this is a strange question but what is up with Sally Wiggin's eyes? She apparently has new contacts or had eye surgery because she has been wide-eyed all week. By the way, my wife agrees with me on this!

-- Mike, Beaver

Rob: I heard about this from another viewer who claimed Wiggin no longer blinks. When I watched myself I saw plenty of blinking but also some wide-eyed moments, although I never would have noticed them if I wasn't looking for it.

Wiggin said she recently had ptosis surgery, a medical procedure.

"It's not cosmetic," Wiggin said, explaining that she had been raising her eyebrows to compensate for droopy eyelids for 12 years. She was getting headaches and having difficulty seeing the TelePrompTer and the condition also affected her peripheral vision.

"Now I'm trying to get out of the habit of raising my eyebrows or opening my eyes up wide," Wiggin said.

• Q: I am trying to find out if WPXI is going to have their new channel RTN on DirecTV.

-- Florence, Jeannette

Rob: According to WPXI program director Mark Barash, "There are no immediate plans for that."

• Q: A photographer at WPXI wrote a lengthy response last week on B-roll.net about the fiasco going on at WPXI. With all of the issues Ignite! is causing over on Summer Hill, this statement really grabbed my attention: "it's frustrating, painful and embarrassing. And despite the show we put on every night, I understand the ABC station in town has already committed to Ignite and the CBS is looking into it as well."

-- Bill, Washington

Rob: Don't believe every rumor you read online. Both WTAE and KDKA deny they have any plans -- or any plans to make plans -- to install automated production systems.

• Q: I just saw a story on KDKA that Joe Hardy's ex-wife has obtained a PFA against her current husband from whom she is separated. This is newsworthy? If the former Mrs. Hardy had obtained a PFA against Joe Hardy, that's a different issue altogether. He's an elected official in Fayette County and a public figure because of Nemacolin. Unless there's something about the former Mrs. Hardy that I'm missing, I don't understand how this merits airtime.

-- Aileen, Center Township

Rob: It wasn't just KDKA. WTAE and WPXI reported it and WTAE even made it the lead story at 5 p.m. Wednesday. For the record, the Associated Press reported on it and the Post-Gazette had that AP report as the 22nd story under "latest local news" when I checked Wednesday evening.

Is it news? I suppose it is in a tabloidy, grasping-for-a-local-Paris Hilton-type-story way.

• Q: The TV Q&A for 10/26/07 has a question about FiOS TV. I checked Verizon's Web site yesterday and found that my phone number in Bethel Park is now available for FiOS TV. I will be ordering and readers of your column can check on Verizon.com to see if their home is FiOS TV ready.

-- Eric, Bethel Park

Rob: It's a soft launch. Most people cannot order FiOS TV yet, only select homes in Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon, Peters, Upper St. Clair, Ross, McCandless and some other North Hills communities (Ohio Township, O'Hara), where franchise agreements between the municipalities and Verizon have been signed.

Verizon media relations manager Lee Gierczynski explained that, "While we haven't officially announced the availability of FiOS TV in the Pittsburgh area, we have initially introduced the service on a small scale in those communities and several others, since we have just a few approved markets to sell in at this time.

"On Verizon's Web site, we've included channel line-ups, based on zip codes, for the Pittsburgh area, even though the service is not yet widely available to the majority of customers. This is all being done in preparation for a ramp-up to offering the service more widely."

• Q: The Verizon Web site says that FiOS TV is available at my house in Ross Township. I do not see Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh HD or Versus HD on the channel lineup. The SD versions of those channels are available. Do you know if they will offer the HD versions?

-- John, Ross

Rob: According to Verizon's Gierczynski, "We expect that FSN Pittsburgh HD and Versus HD will be available by early next year as we continue to enhance our channel offerings."

Verizon announced plans yesterday to increase the number of HD channels to 150 and to offer HD content through FiOS TV's video-on-demand service in 2008.

• Q: It is my understanding that the city of Pittsburgh will not get FiOS TV. I include a response that I got regarding the service from the City of Pittsburgh's Rodney R. Akers, deputy director/special counsel for City Information Systems:

"To answer your first question, as I suspect you are aware, Verizon Communications announced with great fanfare last week its intention to bring its FiOS TV service to the Pittsburgh region. While that may be good news for many of our suburban neighbors, you may have noticed that the City of Pittsburgh -- the hub of the Pittsburgh region -- was conspicuously absent from the list of 19 communities where Verizon plans to begin its FiOS TV service. Verizon has not approached the City about negotiating a contract to provide FiOS TV service in Pittsburgh, but the City has been on record since February 2005 indicating its willingness to do so.

"What Verizon also did not disclose is that its strategy for deploying its product, to date, has consisted of seeking to serve mostly affluent suburbs around major cities; for example, Verizon has negotiated agreements with "over 100 municipalities" in southeastern Pennsylvania, but does not serve the City of Philadelphia. Verizon has repeated this pattern in other states as well.

"You are probably asking at this point "why hasn't Verizon sought to serve the cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia (and other central cities) with FiOS TV?" The short answer -- at least in Pittsburgh -- is that the City of Pittsburgh has long embraced a principle of "ubiquity" in its franchising arrangements. Simply put, the City insists that a provider who seeks a franchise to serve the City must promise to offer service to all residents, not just residents of select neighborhoods. Unfortunately for Pittsburghers, the City's nondiscrmination policy apparently does not comport with Verizon's current business strategy regarding its deployment of FiOS TV.

"You should be aware that Verizon and other telephone companies have sought nationwide (and in many states, statewide -- including a failed 2006 effort in Pennsylvania) video franchising legislation which would trump locally-negotiated franchises, and remove local governments like the City of Pittsburgh from many aspects of franchising negotiations. The City has opposed, and we expect that we will continue to oppose, any legislation that allows a company to discriminate among neighborhoods and residents in the provision of video services.

"Now, as for your DSL question, Verizon's DSL service is regulated at the state level. We suggest that you make the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission aware of your concerns (if you have not already done so); while the PUC might be able to offer some assistance, it has traditionally refrained from regulating DSL service in a way that would impose a ubiquity requirement.

"Thanks again for your enquiry. We hope that you find this information helpful."

-- Phil, Pittsburgh

Rob: That's a new one. Verizon has been telling me the city will get FiOS TV service eventually, just not as quickly as the suburbs. I asked the Verizon folks for a response and Verizon's Lee Gierczynski said Verizon is in the early stages of building out its all-digital, fiber-optic network.

"When Verizon began this project two years ago in southwestern Pa., our goal was to deploy the network as quickly and as economically as possible, and the company initially targeted key suburban facilities that presented the least number of engineering and construction challenges. Now that we've established a solid foundation to build out from, we will continue to expand the availability of the fiber-optic network to more customers. So, if we're not building the fiber network in other city neighborhoods today, that's not to say we aren't planning to do so. ??"

"Mr. Akers' claims regarding Verizon's strategy for deploying this network are far off the mark and disappointing, to say the least. Verizon is not significantly investing in its new fiber network just to serve some customers and not others. That makes no sense from a business standpoint where a company is trying to maximize return on its investment. Verizon's fiber-optic network currently serves all or parts of the following city neighborhoods: Banksville, Beechview, Bloomfield, Brookline, Carrick, East Hills, East Liberty, Friendship, Garfield, Highland Park, Homewood, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, Overbrook, Point Breeze, Regent Square, Stanton Heights and Swisshelm Park. In addition, Verizon's fiber-optic network serves a number of nearby municipalities including Wilkinsburg, East McKeesport and East Pittsburgh. It is clear that Verizon is rolling out its fiber network to a host of diverse communities throughout the area and to suggest otherwise is flat-out wrong."

That doesn't get to the point about FiOS TV, though. Gierczynski said Verizon just recently completed its video hub office to provide FiOS TV across the region.

"When Verizon officials met with city officials, including Mr. Akers, in 2005 to discuss our fiber-optic network project, the Verizon officials indicated to the city that when Verizon made the decision to deploy video services on this new network Verizon would apply for a cable franchise with the city," Gierczynski wrote. "When the time is right, we will do so, and we look forward to working with the city at that time. As a company, we'll have more to say about when that may happen as our project continues.

"Mr. Akers' comments about video franchising legislation are not consistent with Verizon's position on the issue. Verizon's goal has been to bring consumers cable TV choice as quickly as possible. Under the existing law, Verizon has obtained 164 franchises in Pennsylvania, with more pending. Those efforts will continue. Verizon supported state legislation last year that sought to expedite the process, which can take up to a year or more to finalize. The legislation we supported preserved the legitimate rights of municipalities in areas such as franchise fees, access to rights-of-way and public access channels. Last year's legislative session ran out with no action on that proposed legislation. We will continue to work through the existing cable franchising process and support efforts to bring cable choice to Pennsylvanians and are not actively supporting any cable franchise legislation on the state level."

As to the bottom line question -- when will Verizon approach the City of Pittsburgh about getting a franchise agreement for FiOS TV -- Gierczynski said the company did not want to telegraph its intentions to its competition.

"We still have a lot of fiber construction work yet to do over the next several years, not only in the city, but throughout the region as well," he wrote. "I believe it took the city's incumbent cable provider and its predecessors plenty of time to build its cable network in the city of Pittsburgh. FiOS TV is part of Verizon's long-term strategy for success, and when the time is right, Verizon will approach the city about applying for a cable franchise. We'll have more to say about the time frame as our fiber-optic project continues."

For city viewers looking for an alternative to Comcast anytime soon, this news is disappointing. When FiOS TV does make it to the city, it makes me wonder if we'll just be trading one media behemoth (Comcast) for another (Verizon).

FEEDBACK

In response to: "-- these viewers have accidentally activated a Second Audio Program on their TV that offers the show in Spanish."

• I've had this happen too, but I'm very aware of the SAP feature on both my TV and my VCR so I double-checked that before calling my cable provider. She, too, had obviously heard this question many, many times. After asking me a few questions she was able to help me correct the situation. I thought you might want to share this solution with your readers.

You see, our TV is older -- at least 10 years or more. And like all electronic appliances it has computer chips which can over time (and after much use) "act up," if not give out altogether. The cable service representative suggested that a computer chip in my old TV just decided that Spanish should be the language and did the switch on its own! To correct it, she suggested I unplug my set and wait several minutes before plugging back in and turning it on. Sure enough, that did the trick. This still happens from time to time, especially if we've had the TV on for several hours straight.

-- Vikki, O'Hara

Rob: Thanks for the tip, Vikki.

Last week, a Comcast spokeswoman said DVR viewing on Comcast cable boxes in Pittsburgh is not counted in the ratings as part of Nielsen's new "live plus seven" ratings that take into account playback of shows on DVRs. The head of sales at WTAE disputed that notion, so I tossed the argument to Nielsen to settle and received this response from a Nielsen spokeswoman:

• "Gotta go with the folks at WTAE here. In local markets we have been including DVR playback in the ratings since spring of 2005. If a Comcast cable household with a DVR is part of Nielsen's sample in Pittsburgh then their viewing is contributing to the Live + 7 ratings. (As would any sample home with a stand-alone DVR such as TiVo or through a satellite service, etc.)"

Rob: Another DVR stat: While about 20 percent of homes nationally have a DVR, only 13.2 percent of homes in the Pittsburgh market have DVRs. according to Nielsen.

FAN CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK

Proving every series has its fans, no matter how much the American public has expressed a disinterest in their fave show, some fans of HBO's "John from Cincinnati" are trying to establish a dialogue with the network about bringing it back.

When. Pigs. Fly.

PHONE CALL OF THE WEEK

An elderly caller wanted to know an address for Fox News Channel, which I was happy to give her, but I also let her know all the network addresses are available online.

"I don't believe in computers," she said. "That's a lazy man's way of doing things."

Take that, Bill Gates, you lazy so-and-so!

(Actually, I thought she said "lady's man" not "lazy man's," but my co-workers suggested "lazy man's" makes more sense, and it probably does, but both are funny.)

And why did she want to write to FNC?

"Those anchor women should not cross their legs when sitting on stools," she said. "It doesn't leave much to the imagination. I'm a senior and I just don't like it."

First published on November 1, 2007 at 3:34 pm