TV Q&A with Rob Owen

Friday, November 30, 2007

This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about "October Road" and TV show credits and marks the return of voice mails of the week. As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.

-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor

Q: Two quick questions: I must have missed an episode of "Cold Case." Can you explain why John Stillman was put "on leave"? Is he leaving the show?

Second, on "The Bachelor," did the producers know that he was not going to select either woman? That was a disappointing ending! Was it planned to end that way?

-- Margaret, Cecil

Rob: My understanding is that on "Cold Case," Stillman fought against a suspension for Valens and ended up taking the suspension in Valens' place. Now he's talking early retirement and will decide whether or not to take that step in the Dec. 9 episode.

According to an ABC publicist, no one involved in "The Bachelor," not even the producers, knew that Brad wasn't going to pick one of the two final women.

"There really was no indication, because, as was revealed on the 'After the Final Rose' special, Brad had asked for DeAnna's father to be flown out so he could ask him for her hand in marriage," the ABC publicist said. "It was a last minute decision on Brad's part and a surprise for everyone."

Then again, there's this theory to ponder, too.

Q: Quick question: What is the deal with "October Road"? ABC advertised the new episode on Thanksgiving a sneak preview and then the season premiere is on the following Monday? Seems a bit confusing since both are apparently new episodes.

-- Matt, Allison Park

Rob: This isn't a new network strategy. It's something networks have done for a long time: Premiere a new show after an existing hit (in this case, "Grey's Anatomy") and then move it to its regular time slot. CBS did it earlier this fall, previewing "Viva Laughlin" on Thursday before airing a new episode in its regular Sunday time slot.

I suppose the use of "preview" and "premiere" could be confusing, but networks have been using that terminology for situations such as this for many years.

Q: Is there any difference when the credits for an actor are preceded by "with" in the opening sequence? I noticed on several shows, the "CSIs," "Criminal Minds," "Shark," to name a few, that this happens. I thought maybe they had a smaller part in the show, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Why aren't they just listed with the regulars instead of "with"?

-- Diane, Pittsburgh

Rob: It's been a while, but I wrote a story explaining these credits not long after joining the PG. Basically, the "with" and "and" credits are little bonuses, seen by Hollywood agents as a way to make their actor clients stand out from the rest of the cast.

Q: I know that the Spike TV show "The Kill Point" is not having a second season but I would love to buy it on DVD. However, there is almost no information about the show that I can find.

-- Dana, Tuckerton

Rob: I've been trying to find out about a DVD release date for "Kill Point" myself, but I haven't had much luck. I imagine it will be out sometime next year. When I get a release date, I'll put it in the PG.

Q: Last week, the character Sara Sidle departed "CSI," leaving behind a very confused Grissom. Will she be returning or is she out of the show?

-- Peggy, Bridgeville

Rob: She's gone as a series regular, but she may return as a guest star.

Q: I stumbled on "Moonlight" last Friday and fell in love and on Nov. 23 my sentiments were confirmed. I've tried to find out how it's doing in the ratings, and it doesn't seem very hot. I have the same feeling I did with "Heroes" last season: the promos looked stupid, but then I couldn't get enough. What's your take on this show? Will it be renewed? How will the writers' strike affect shows like this, that appear to be borderline?

-- Elizabeth, Pittsburgh

Rob: "Moonlight" has been doing pretty well actually, usually coming in first or second in its time period. Last week, it was No. 2 in the age 18-49 demo, which is quite good for a CBS Friday night series. If the writers' strike ends soon, I think it should last a full first season. It's too early to speculate on season two.

As for the show's quality, I can't say I've watched it much since the first two episodes. It's one of those shows I should go back and try again, but so far I haven't had time to do that.

Q: When do you see the writers' strike really starting to affect the media? Right now with new episodes still in the can, no real effect can be measured but when all programming goes dark, how long until the crunch is felt? Six months? One year?

-- Mike, Philadelphia

Rob: Much sooner than that. I've said since the start that we won't feel a real impact in prime-time until early next year when new episodes of existing shows begin to run out. But for some shows, it's already happened.

"The Office" was a rerun last night because they're out of episodes. "Bionic Woman" on Wednesday aired its last completed episode. "Heroes" runs out of fresh episodes after Monday's telecast.

Normally, all these shows would probably be in reruns in December anyway. But when they don't return in January and particularly in February, another sweeps month, that's when the loss will really be felt.

Q: Am I the only one who wants to take Channel 4 to task for failing to broadcast the "Dancing with the Stars" episode Monday? I am a Steelers fan, too, but why are loyal viewers to a show brushed aside for yet another football game, and one that is easily seen a few channels up the dial? The sellout of local news as shills for the Steelers and their owners is one thing, but are we that shallow a city that we cannot respect some diversity?

-- Dee, Pittsburgh

Rob: A quick answer to your last question is a resounding, "Yes we are, and no we cannot."

Trust me, you are not the only one annoyed at WTAE for pre-empting "Dancing with the Stars," which did air at 9 a.m. Tuesday. I heard from plenty of other peeved viewers, and I suspect Channel 4 heard from them, too, given the barrage of on-air notices directing viewers to the Tuesday morning broadcast.

The reality is, Channel 4 will make more money off a Steelers game, even one that also airs on ESPN. WTAE is a for-profit business and they're going to do what's in the best interest of their bottom line. But let's not forget that, if you took a poll, I suspect the results would show more viewers in favor of the Steelers game than ABC's regular lineup.

Q: Are the WPXI "Today" show fourth-hour weather updates live?

-- Matt, Pittsburgh

Rob: Not usually. News director Corrie Harding said those updates are taped following the noon news to air during the 2 p.m. hour of "Today." But in the case of severe weather, the cut-ins can be done live.

Q: Could you tell us if Patrice will keep using her King Brown name on TV instead of Nemiroff, her married name.

What is Bruce Pompeani doing since he is no longer with KDKA?

What is Shelia Hyland doing these days?

-- Catherine, Pittsburgh

Rob: Welcome to another round of 20 (nebby) questions!

Yes, as we previously reported, Patrice King Brown is married to Dr. Paul Nemiroff, who once did medical reports for KDKA but has been MIA for quite some time and now his bio has been dropped from KDKA.com (KDKA news director John Verrilli would not comment on Nemiroff's status with the station, but if viewers haven't seen him and he's off the Web site, it's probably a safe bet that he's no longer with KDKA-TV). But Brown has no plans to change her name.

"Professionally, as a television person, that's who I am," she said. "As long as I am on the air, I will have that name."

As for Bruce Pompeani, he no longer works in television. He works at Lamar Advertising. I left a message on his voice mail there, but he did not return the call.

As for Sheila Hyland, the former WPGH anchor continues to run FosterHyland & Associates, a media coaching/crisis communications business with former corporate spokeswoman Debbie Foster.

"We have been doing this now for close to a year and have taken on many diverse clients, including everything from small nonprofits to large corporations, utility companies and those in the financial industry," Hyland wrote in an e-mail. "We help our clients with how to better understand and work with the media, and how to prepare for and respond to the media in a crisis. I still get to do what I love -- interviewing -- only now I conduct mock on-camera interviews that never air on TV!"

Hyland said she continues to do on-camera and voice-over work on an occasional basis.

"I'm able to do most of my work from home which allows me to be here when the kids get off the school bus. After 22 years of working nights, weekends and/or early mornings, I finally have a 'normal' schedule and I'm loving it!" Hyland wrote. "People ask if I miss TV. I still love television, but I don't 'miss' it. I'd never rule out a return to television, but for now, I'm thrilled to be doing what I'm doing."

Q: I read in great agreement your article, "Turkeys from newscasts can leave a bad aftertaste."

I, too, have a pet peeve. Lately, Channel 4 has adopted the annoying practice of prefacing almost every story with a question, then stating the answer. Just as an example: "The house? Well, it was engulfed in flames;" "The fire chief? He wants answers;" And, "The family dog? Well, they were able to save him."

I first noticed it with Kelly Frye in the morning, but have since noticed it, though not as often, during other broadcasts. I've implored them to stop this amateur and annoying method of offering a story.

Whoever thought that was a great way to state the news? I love watching Channel 4 in the morning (actually, more often listening, as I'm getting ready for work, which makes it more noticeable), and really don't want to change channels, but it has become difficult to continue.

-- Gigi, Brentwood

Rob: The reaction? Well, this style of writing is not a directive from on high.

WTAE news director Bob Longo said he isn't telling anyone at the station to write that way.

"In fact, we strive to eliminate it," he wrote in an e-mail. "Seems like the specific references may be ad libs. Sometimes questions work, but only in the right context."

Q: Why do the three local stations tease us with the weather at 11 p.m. in two and sometimes three parts?

It is my habit to watch the 11 p.m. news, and the monologue of Jay Leno. If he has a guest I'm interested in, I will watch that.

There are nights that I am very tired, and all I want from the news is tomorrow's weather. It gripes me when they give a bit of today's weather about 10 after the hour. Then you hear a number of teasers, "stay with us for my complete report in a few minutes," usually around 20 after the hour. Once in a while they will have a weather comment just before signing off.

I've checked the three stations' news and they all have a number of pleas to keep you with them until you get the five-day report.

What is wrong with just giving the complete weather after the lead in news item?

-- Al, Coraopolis.

Rob: If their primary purpose was to serve you, the viewer, then they ought to give you the weather in a brief report in the first 10 minutes. The fact that they do not do that shows that viewers are not their primary concern. They drag it out because they want to drag your eyeballs along in an effort to maintain their ratings and serve you up on a platter to their advertisers. The folks who pay the bills are of greater importance to TV stations than viewers.

Q: I think it is hilarious how each of the Pittsburgh TV stations are tripping over each other to find a Stillers story to put on their newscasts. I am a big sports fan. However, I would prefer that they put sports news in the sports segment. Some of the newscasts Stillers pieces have been ridiculous to say the least. Whether the stations realize it or not, many people who I know have commented on this and see through it. Even more ludicrous is that they continue with these silly stories after football season and all year. I guess they figure that most area people feast on this type of reporting and really don't need to get a life. Furthermore, some of the reporters come across as "hero worshippers" when interviewing team members, as fans rather than as reporters.

-- Phil, Brownsville

Q: What is up with WTAE's Steeler coverage? I realize that all things Steelers are holy with the local news. But WTAE seems to try to milk it more than the other stations combined!

This week alone they have had 90 minutes of pregame for the Steelers/Dolphins game Monday Night, carried Mike Tomlin's press conference live after the game, two live reporters for on-the-spot reports at a darkened Heinz Field Tuesday morning at 6 a.m., a Big Ben interview Tuesday night and a "lets go hunting with the Steelers" fluff story.

All stations favor the Steelers because this IS Pittsburgh, of course. But why would the 'TAE station management insist on this much coverage?

If ratings were 100 percent related to the Steelers, why don't KDKA and WPXI milk the Black & Gold as much as WTAE does? Is this successful for them? Are WTAE's ratings "higher" because of this coverage?

I feel bad because WTAE, in my opinion, has the best news coverage overall, but I catch myself flipping the channel when the opening seven minutes of every 11 p.m. newscast is Steeler's fluff. I am a Steelers die-hard, too, which tells you how much it's milked.

Your thoughts?

-- John, West View

Rob: Can't find anything to disagree with in either of these.

As for the ratings, all the Steelers hype didn't help WTAE, which was down at 5 p.m. and down by a hair at 6 p.m. in the November ratings.

Q: I can't believe that Channel 11, in reporting on Light Up Night, is calling the Christmas Tree a Unity Tree. What gives with this? Is there a law somewhere that says we have to call it that? I would like to know. I have not checked out the other two stations yet but I intend to do so. This is absolutely ludicrous.

-- Jeannine, Baldwin

Rob: You're directing your ire in the wrong direction. WPXI just called the tree the name it's been given. The tree is listed as a "Unity Tree" in a holiday guide put together by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. Maybe that would be a place to start, but don't blame Channel 11 for this one.

Q: Nothing earth shattering, but I clicked on a promo on WPXI.com and found this.

Not only was the video loaded improperly, but the first two on-screen character-generated dollar amounts the retirees make doesn't match with the third or with what Karen is saying.

-- Bill, Washington

Rob: Oops. The more a news outlet attempts, the more opportunities for things to go wrong. I know from experience (see Feedback below).

Q: I am extremely annoyed by the commercials, masquerading as interviews during the news, of the "UPMC Minute." The first time I saw one of them, I actually thought it was news. In my mind, this is worse than outdated or incorrect "breaking news." Positioning them during the news adds to the imposture.

On a softer side -- if murder and mayhem is softer -- I miss "Meerkat Manor" on the Animal Channel. Do you know if it will be returning?

-- Anne, Squirrel Hill

Rob: While I know the "UPMC Minute" is designed to look like news, I tend to think viewers are discerning enough to know it's not, especially because it airs with commercials and outside the bounds of a newscast. It would be much worse if one of the stations actually aired this infotainment in the news, giving them the station's imprimatur. (It also helps that a giant UPMC logo hangs on the wall of the set, something you don't see on a newscast.)

I suppose it cuts both ways that some of the "UPMC Minutes" are hosted by Leslie Merrill. Granted, she's a former WPGH news anchor, but over the summer she worked as an actress, playing a reporter in "The Kill Point," so it's not like the host is someone currently employed as a broadcast journalist.

As for "Meercat Manor," the little critters will be back for season three in late spring or early summer.

Q: While I have seen various references to the change of Channel 11's call letters from WIIC to WPXI, which I believe occurred in 1981, I can't remember the reason for the change. Was there a change of ownership that could have forced the change? I always thought that the channel number (11) being used in the middle of the logo (in place of the II) was an incredible marketing gimmick. This really placed emphasis on "The Ones To Watch."

-- Dan, Pittsburgh

Rob: The change in call letters did occur after Cox bought the station. Your e-mail sent me sprinting up to the fourth floor to look through dusty old clips. The first reference I found was a November 1980 Pittsburgh Press article by TV critic Barbara Holsopple. She wasn't wild about the change, pointing out that it took her some time to realize the XI in WPXI is the roman numeral for 11.

Before it belonged to Channel 11 here, WPXI was used as the call letters for a radio station in South Carolina. The station's general manager at the time, Jack McCarthy, attributed the change to the new ownership.

Q: You mentioned on Nov. 18 that someone at WPGH fell asleep at the switch, causing WPGH to lose sound to cable customers for 90 minutes. However, what is their excuse for the fact that all of their football on the HD feed suddenly turned to SD at the same time, and stayed that way even through the second game? And this was true for both cable and OTA feeds.

Also, why do they not provide any means for customers to contact them on the weekend to report problems? They have no phone that answers on the weekend. Even an e-mail address that is monitored would be nice.

While I'm at it, it would be nice to get some sort of answer from WPXI as to why their prime-time lineup in HD (including Sunday Night Football) is providing only 3-channel mono audio instead of 5.1 Dolby. This has been discussed by numerous people on and AVS forum to no avail.

-- Bob, Ross

Rob: I didn't write that someone fell asleep at the switch, but that the problem was caused by an audio switch on WPGH's transmitter. I sent your query to WPGH general manager Alan Frank, who responded in an e-mail: "They can call the main switchboard at 412-931-5300. Master control operators check messages."

As for Channel 11, director of engineering Annette Parks explained that the move to the new building earlier this fall is the culprit.

"One aspect of relocating our technical plant is 'proofing' the system," she wrote. "As we continue to commission new devices, we find that one setting on one card may make another non-functional and we have hundreds of new cards to review and commission. We understand the importance of Dolby digital 5.1 to our viewers and we're working fervently to locate the source of the incongruence."

Q: What has happened to C-SPAN 2, which used to be on Channel 17 in Penn Hills? Has greedy Comcast removed it from the last remaining few channels left on Basic? Seems so. Was there any advanced warning? About all that's left on basic anymore is what I used to get with my rooftop antenna. Was that their plan from the beginning?

-- Rob, Verona

I've got the cheap-o $12.93 basic cable package from Comcast. A few weeks ago, Comcast saw fit to remove C-SPAN 2 from the basic package and move it up to the digital starter package. Unfortunately, I've now been cut off from viewing three-to-six hours of "BookTV" on the weekends (in truth, however, this is not seen as an entirely "bad thing" -- and, in fact, was viewed as fairly positive in a recent poll of my girlfriend).

Nevertheless, Comcast's actions seem to be an unnecessary fillip to the back of the heads of us peasants who simply enjoy spending our weekends watching boring people stand behind podiums and talk. Of course, with basic cable, I've still got a lot of options: I can shop on three channels, be "saved" by two different Christian denominations, peruse BET or its spin-off and listen to the Doo-Wop Channel (formerly known as WQED). Yet, despite this myriad of tasteful options (and to paraphrase a music channel mantra from the '80s): I want my "BookTV"!

-- John, Dormont

Rob: We reported in October about Comcast moving some channels, including C-SPAN 2, to a digital tier in some communities, but now it seems to be spreading beyond the areas Comcast first announced: Penn Hills, Darlington, Elderton, Rural Valley and Parks Township. (Verona is served by Rural Valley.)

It turns out Comcast in October also moved C-SPAN 2 on the Castle Shannon head end, which includes Dormont. It's now on Channel 186 on the standard and digital tiers.

As for those other channels that moved in Penn Hills, etc., the new channel positions are: TV Guide Network on Channel 182, MSNBC on Channel 183, EWTN on Channel 184, Court TV on Channel 185, C-SPAN 2 on Channel 186 and Hallmark on Channel 187. TV Guide Network remains part of the basic service package, C-SPAN 2 is on standard and digital, but the others have moved to the digital starter tier.

In October, a Comcast spokeswoman said the change was made 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."

Conveniently enough for Comcast, migrating the networks could force some viewers who want to continue receiving them to subscribe to a more expensive package. Basic cable in Penn Hills costs $12.15, while standard costs $51.99 and digital starter is regularly priced at $56.39 ($33 a month for three months in a current special).

It's particularly galling that Comcast would do this with a C-SPAN channel. After all, C-SPAN was started by the cable industry as a public service "to provide public access to the political process, " according to the C-SPAN Web site. "C-SPAN receives no government funding; operations are funded by fees paid by cable and satellite affiliates who carry C-SPAN programming."

FEEDBACK

Thanks for the nice remarks in your Tuned In Journal last Wednesday regarding what to be thankful for in local TV this Thanksgiving. I had to laugh, though, at your misspelling of the word "glitches" (you spelled it, glicthes) in reference to our technical problems.

I hope everyone had a great holiday.

And remember, good copy editing is nobody's misteak.

-- David Johnson, WPXI news anchor

Rob: Now, David, how do you know that wasn't an intentional misspelling, an effort to goof on the mistakes at Channel 11? Alas, I'm not that clever. Typo corrected.

VOICE MAILS OF THE WEEK

"Just a question: It was on the news there, this has probably been three weeks ago, but there was some kids and their mother went in the house to get something and while she did that they swiped the car and took off and they wrecked the car and the driver of car run off and it seemed like some of kids might have been hurt or something but there was never anything on about it. Just curious what happened or was it somebody's kid and they had money to pay somebody off or something."

-- Older caller

"Hey, you know, Rob, long time watcher of television in the local area, uhhh, can't you, uhh, on a Sunday afternoon in November can't you just relieve us of watching Channel 11 pat itself on its back for all of the things they've done. We're all appreciative of the great job they've done. How about a good movie on a Sunday afternoon. We don't need to know what we already know. Come on, get with it, this is not nursery school, let's get it together. Let's put things in perspective, lets's just give us something to entertain us before the Stillers game. You know, I'm watching this self-aggrandizement of Channel 11 because there's nothing else on and all I see, to be quite honest with you Rob, I see a little bit of foot dragging and a little bit of laziness, not you, but on the collective part of the team that puts together the programming. Come on, get with it, thank you."

-- Viewer of Channel 11's "WPXI: 50 Years of News," most likely drunk dialing

My name is Stanley. I just wanted to check something with you folks. I've been trying to tape some of these 007 movie that Spike is running now and I have tried on AMC, both for 007 and John Wayne, and all I seem to get is ruined tape. Is that something they're doing and when did they start doing it? ... I just wonder what's going on and you took the addresses out of the TV book for the stations and besides that I called AMC and they were gracious enough to not return my call. I'd appreciate a call back.

-- Stanley, who failed to leave his phone number

Rob: Maybe that's why AMC didn't call Stanley back?

Actually, Stanley called me back after he realized he hadn't left his phone number, but too often that doesn't happen. I've said it before, people, if you want a call returned, leave your phone number. My ESP doesn't work when it's cloudy.

First published on November 30, 2007 at 12:00 am