Broadcast television will have 16 gay and bisexual regular characters in prime-time series this fall, more than double the seven of a year ago, a new study has found.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said it was a positive sign of networks making their shows more representative, although more work needed to be done. These characters accounted for 2.6 percent of all the regular characters in TV series, up from 1.1 percent last year and 1.3 percent in 2006, according to the study, released Monday.

GLAAD president Neil Giuliano singled out Fox for having five such regular characters this fall, considering there were none a year earlier. The character Thirteen on "House" is bisexual, while the new "Do Not Disturb" has a gay man. (Last week Fox pulled "Do Not Disturb" from its schedule, making it the first cancellation of the season.)

None of the 126 regular characters on CBS shows are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, GLAAD said, and only one recurring character -- Brad on "Rules of Engagement" -- is gay.

ABC will have seven characters that are either gay men or bisexual women this fall, NBC will have three and the CW will have one, according to GLAAD.

"As the networks gradually add characters from all backgrounds and all walks of life to prime-time programming, more and more Americans are seeing their LGBT friends and neighbors reflected on the small screen," Giuliano said. (Associated Press)

Beginning Wednesday, WQED will add "BBC World News" to its evening news block at 5:30 p.m. weekdays.

Children's show "Wishbone" will lose its time slot, but WQED viewers will see more kids shows early next year when the station begins airing children's shows 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. (Another world news program will air at 5 p.m. starting in January.)

A new digital subchannel will be added to carry programs that get pushed out (think "Charlie Rose" and the 12:30 p.m. rerun of "On Q.")

"We haven't branded that channel yet, but I'm calling it the lifelong learning channel," WQED program director Chris Fennimore said Tuesday. "It will have lifestyle programs, gardening, painting plus two significant news blocks, noon-to-3 p.m. and 9 p.m.-to-midnight."

News from Thursday's WQED annual board meeting can be found in Tuned In Journal at post-gazette.com/tv. (Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor)

With a Steelers game tonight, WTAE will pre-empt ABC's prime-time lineup. "Dancing With the Stars" will air at 9 a.m. tomorrow. "Boston Legal" will air at 2:05 a.m. Wednesday. (R.O.)

It's a "Monday Night Football" day on ESPN today, leading up to the Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore game.

The radio sports network, heard here on WEAE-AM (1250), will broadcast live from Pittsburgh, starting with the syndicated "Mike & Mike in the Morning" show with Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. They'll be broadcasting from the Jerome Bettis Grille 36 on the North Shore from 6 to 10 a.m. The "Stan & Guy" show will also broadcast live, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by Mike Tirico's syndicated show -- both live from the Bettis Grille -- from 1 to 3 p.m.

"Steel City Game Day" with Scott Paulsen, Mike Logan and Ed Crow will broadcast from the Gateway Clipper Fleet docks from 3 p.m. until kickoff time. (Adrian McCoy, Post-Gazette multimedia writer)

A new local morning drive sports show launches today on WPYT-AM (660): "The Kegs and Eggs Show" will focus on both professional sports and outdoor sports (fishing, skiing, mountain biking and more), mixed with comedy. It airs weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. with hosts Randy Tantlinger and Matt Davis. The show will broadcast live from Firewater's North Shore Saloon prior to tonight's game, 5 to 7:30 p.m.

A local afternoon sports talk show, "Barstool Talk," will launch in mid-October. (A.M.)