Submit your question to Rob Owen

This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about "Eli Stone," "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries" and digital signals. As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.

-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor

---

Q: We miss "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. now that Oprah's new show is being aired at that time. When will it return? It's one of the few feel-good, positive shows on TV these days.

-- Vicky & Tom, Pittsburgh

Rob: "Oprah's Big Give" had its season finale this past Sunday. "Home Edition" returns with a new episode this weekend.

---

Q: In the strike-imposed hiatus of my otherwise favorite TV shows, I've kind of grown to love "Eli Stone." Do you know if it will be back?

-- Justin, Squirrel Hill

Rob: That all depends on whether ABC renews "Stone." Reading the tea leaves and TV gossip columns, it's starting to sound like the relatively low-rated "Stone" has a chance, but we won't know for sure until ABC announces its fall schedule the second week of May.

---

Q: BBC canceled "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries" in 2007. That same year they made the last two episodes. Do you know if WQED plans to air these final shows? They have not yet been released on DVD.

-- Lois, Ambridge

Rob: You're in luck! "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Series VII" will air as part of "Masterpiece: Mystery!" Aug. 10 and 17 on PBS. Because of the Summer Olympics and political conventions, PBS has moved its usual August pledge to June, so WQED is almost certain to air "Lynley" at the same time as PBS.

A PBS publicist also notes that Elizabeth George's new Inspector Lynley novel, "Careless in Red," will be released May 6th.

---

Q: Did you watch "In Treatment" and when will it return? The writing was so good and the actors were amazing. They should get many Emmys.

-- Renee, Penn Hills

Rob: I watched the first two weeks of "In Treatment" and though I was intrigued by the experimental nature of the storytelling and some of the performances, I found the show more admirable than entertaining and I didn't stick with it.

As for its renewal, HBO has not announced a second season, but the network's new entertainment president has spoken positively about the series, which could bode a renewal. Or not.

---

Q: What is going on with TV programming? I thought the writers' strike had ended. I was looking through the program listings and noticed a lot of repeats on CBS. Initially, I thought that some series had not started to show new episodes but then I checked new and old listings. For example, "Criminal Minds" aired a new episode on April 16 and turned around with a repeat the following Wednesday. I am sure there are many other series and not just on CBS.

OK, maybe you don't know the answer and maybe I am just "venting" a little but I figure that the writers and the networks owe the viewers about three months of new episodes and not just the six or eight that have been taped.

-- Paul, West Mifflin

Rob: I don't think the networks believe they "owe" viewers anything. That's not their world view.

As for reruns after the writers' strike ended, that won't happen anymore now that we're in sweeps. Expect original episodes through late May and then the summer reruns kick in (plus reality shows and a couple of new scripted series on the broadcast networks).

Why were there reruns in April? Because some networks, CBS most notably, rushed like mad to get new shows on as quickly as possible in late March. That meant in April they needed a catch-up week before May sweeps.

---

Q: With the upcoming switch to digital broadcasting, will the digital signal be stronger or weaker than the present signal? Do you think we won't know the answer to that question until Feb. 17, 2009?

-- Mike, Beaver

Rob: If I can claim any expertise, it's in the realm of software (e.g. programming), not hardware (e.g. technology and regulatory issues), so I defer to an expert on signal strength, WTAE director of engineering Dave Kasperek.

In the past I've heard that with digital, you'll either get a crystal-clear signal or nothing, but Kasperek said viewers' real-world experiences may differ. That's especially true in Pittsburgh, because with the hills and valleys Western Pennsylvania has "tough broadcast terrain."

"What we'll find is cases where someone used to get a poor or barely acceptable signal that they now get a perfect picture and, likewise, people who got a poor picture before will get nothing [in digital]," Kasperek said.

Another issue: In some places, signal strength will vary due to airplane traffic, the movement of trees in the wind and the amount of foliage on trees, depending on the season.

"It could be in a few situations that for a few moments the picture is perfect and then disappears and then comes back perfect," Kasperek said, noting there is no catch-all answer to Mike's question. "We can't simplify it down to the level we'd all like it to be simplified to."

Kasperek said for viewers in a gray area who don't get any or intermittent reception, they'll have to experiment with outdoor antennas.

"The whole system is predicated on having a large outdoor antenna," he said, even though in some locations digital reception will be possible with an indoor rabbit ear antenna.

---

Q: About three weeks back, someone asked a question about how television ratings are calculated. The rep from Nielsen gave a very detailed response but neglected to mention that unless you are part of Nielsen's (very small) sample in Pittsburgh, it doesn't matter what you're watching -- your "vote" doesn't count.

This leads to my question: Comcast is probably the largest cable operator in Pittsburgh, and maybe in the U.S. I'm sure they must have the technology to discern what each customer is watching. Why don't they set up a competing ratings calculator? Their sample, while not perfect, would be much larger than Nielsens, and could lead to a more accurate picture of what America is watching.

-- Chris, Pittsburgh

Rob: I didn't mention that you have to be a Nielsen family to be counted because that seemed sort of obvious, but it is a good distinction to make.

As for Comcast as a ratings service, privacy advocates would go nuts, so I don't see that scenario happening anytime soon.

---

Q: When is "Big Love" coming back? You would think that with all of the news coverage of the polygamy compound in Texas, HBO would want to jump on that bandwagon by getting Big Love back on the air.

-- Tom, Westerville, Ohio

Rob: I have been amazed in watching coverage of this case how much these women resemble some of the "Big Love" wives. But as we noted two weeks ago, the writers' strike delayed the new season of "Big Love," which has not yet been scheduled but is expected to commence sometime this fall.

---

Q: Last Thursday KDKA-TV reported that a local grocery chain was reducing prices on "thousands of items" and then went on to mention specific categories. How is this verified? In my mind all KDKA did was read a press release and give a free commercial to the chain. What's next "This just in ... Macy's is reducing prices on shoes -- tune in at 6 for more details"?

-- Jeff, Pittsburgh

Rob: I did not see the story, but from your description it does sort of sound like a rip-and-read that warranted some actual reporting. KDKA news director John Verrilli did not respond when I forwarded your question to him.

---

Q: Any update on Comcast picking up the Big Ten Network or ESPNU? I have contacted them several times over this, but can't get a straight answer.

-- Mike, Natrona Heights

Rob: "We are continuing to negotiate with the Big Ten Network and Fox for an agreement that is fair and equitable for our customers," said Comcast spokeswoman Jody Doherty.

As for ESPNU, Comcast doesn't carry that channel and it doesn't sound like they're looking to pick it up anytime soon.

---

Q: Did Wendy Bell have her baby? I haven't seen her on WTAE lately.

-- Debbie, Pittsburgh

Rob: No, she's not due until late summer. She was on vacation last week. She's back this week.

Again, unless it's been more than two weeks or we reported that an anchor/reporter has left a station, which you can always look up by doing a search of post-gazette.com for the person's name, it's safe to assume the person is simply on vacation.

---

Q: To save you some work and irritation, why not suggest to the local news outlets that they put something on their Web site when anchors/reporters are on vacation. Or do you secretly enjoy answering the "Why isn't my favorite reporter on the air? It's been two whole days!" kind of question?

-- Heidi, Forest Hills

Rob: Actually, I did suggest that local stations include more information about the whereabouts of their on-air personnel. They should replace a departed reporter's bio with a one-sentence explainer of where the person went -- "Judy Simmons has left KDKA for a new job with WXYZ. We wish her well" -- and leave it there for a few weeks or months. By then, anyone who is interested will have looked for the bio.

Doing that would serve their audiences, but TV stations don't realize that some viewers care more about their on-air personnel than the stories they endlessly promote. It's the same in newspapers: We'd like to think people care about what we write, but in my experience, many readers are more interested in utilitarian features, like network phone numbers or a crossword puzzle.

As for on-air personnel taking vacation, it's viewers who need to chill out. Yes, we can rightfully blame TV stations and their past decisions (KDKA letting Patti Burns go, for instance) for incubating fear and paranoia in Pittsburghers, but viewers need to trust that when a TV personality disappears, I'll report it. I've done so for 10 years and I don't plan to stop.

Of course, that also necessitates that viewers actually read the paper or search the Post-Gazette Web site, which some viewers are too lazy to do.

Q: When I read your Q&A, most of your answers are whiny, e.g. "I already answered that." Not very professional.

-- Max, Shaler

Q: You seem a little testy this week with some of your responses to less than intelligent questions. Well deserved, I think. I love it. Keep up the good work.

I guess that wasn't a question, but I do have one. Do you have a Web site or e-mail newsletter you recommend for quality TV news and gossip?

-- Neil, Cecil

Rob: So here's the deal: We ask people on the submission page to do a search to see if we've answered their question before they submit it. Because I begin with the assumption that that's what people do, if they ask something we have answered, I don't ignore the question, I simply point out where we have covered it in greater depth, noting, "As we reported ...," which does not strike me as nasty commentary but simply an attempt to set the record straight. I think that started after a raft of questions with an accusatory tone, as if we hadn't covered a topic when we had. And, yes, sometimes the questions asked have been answered so many times -- not only in the PG but everywhere in the media -- that I am a little incredulous.

But there are ways to satisfy both Neil and Max and I will try to work harder to achieve that balance. I think I have been more challenged in recent weeks because we debuted a redesigned TV Week -- mandated from above -- and I'm the one of the people on the receiving end of angry, venomous phone calls from readers. After a while, that abuse, for something I had little control over, takes a toll. I'll do my best to snap out of it.

Regarding quality prime-time TV news and gossip, the most popular sites seem to be Ask Ausiello at TVGuide.com and Watch With Kristin at E! Online.

I'm not writing to ask a question, I just want to let you know that, after reading your 'phone calls of the week' feature, I feel your pain and can totally emphasize. I work part-time at a job that requires me to periodically listen to phone calls from customers venting their frustrations over issues that are completely out of my control (and maintaining a positive and professional demeanor while doing so). I imagine that you deal with this sort of thing even more often than I. My hat's off to you.

-- Kevin, Wilkinsburg

Rob: Thanks, Kevin. My job description does not contain any mention of acting as a customer service rep, but I now spend a large part of my time fulfilling that role. This is what happens when we put reporter e-mail addresses and phone numbers in the newspaper.

I was disappointed and somewhat taken aback by a comment Sally Wiggin made on a 4/16 news broadcast. A [weather] anchor joked to Sally that he was a little surprised that she was wearing red that day because that's the color of the Ottawa Senators and this was the day of the Pens/Senators playoff game. Her on-air reply was, "Oh no, it's for political reasons."

It's come to this? I know WTAE is affiliated with the Tribune-Review, which primarily espouses conservative views; however, in my opinion that comment was inappropriate and unprofessional on a news broadcast.

I then noticed Michelle Wright also wearing red. Maybe the [weather] commentator just didn't get the memo.

-- Jack, Speers

Rob: Conspiracy theories, they're for viewers of every political stripe!

Wiggin was not claiming a red state, Republican allegiance with that statement, and was aghast anyone would think she was showing any political preference when I called her.

The colors of the American flag include RED, white and blue. Red is also a color in the station's election graphics, which is why Wiggin and Wright both wore red. In addition, when covering elections and appearing in a crowd at a campaign headquarters, red can sometimes help a reporter stand out among the throng.

It's interesting to think that not that long ago, no one would question a reporter wearing red during the political season -- it's akin to someone wearing red and green on Christmas -- but because of the red state/blue state culture that's developed, the colors red or blue can now elicit this sort of response.