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This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about "Flashpoint," "Hotel Babylon" and sound problems on a local station. As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.
-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor
Q: Do you know if Amy Jo Johnson is leaving the show "Flashpoint"? Her character was shot a couple of weeks ago and it seems her spot on the team is being replaced by another female.
-- Andy, 45, West Miflin
Rob: The actress is on maternity leave but she is expected to return.
Q: A recent article in the People magazine mentions Missy Peregrym who stars in the "Reaper" on the CW. The article mentions that she is the girlfriend of Ben Roethlisberger. How long have they known each other and where did they meet?
-- Margie, 49, Cecil
Rob: I try to avoid playing the gossip columnist, but I was in a position to talk with her a few years ago and we published an item about their relationship.
Q: I was wondering if BBC America has plans to air the next season (No. 3, I think it is) of their series "Hotel Babylon." I really enjoyed what they've aired so far.
And do they plan to air the 2008 re-imagining of Terry Nation's "Survivors" here in the U.S.? I was a fan of the original series from the '70s.
-- John, 50, Green Tree
Rob: The third season of "Hotel Babylon" will air on BBC America, but no date has been set. That season is now out on DVD in America.
The new "Survivors" will air on BBC America later this year.
Q: Is "Nightly Business Report" broadcasting in high-definition?
-- J. P., S. Fayette
Rob: "NBR" began HD broadcasts, airing in 16 x 9 wide screen, on Feb. 23, according to a show spokeswoman.
Q: This is more of a general complaint that many of your readers may sympathize with. As a satellite or cable subscriber, what is the point of forcing us to pay for literally dozens of channels that are of no interest to so many viewers? I mean the slew of home shopping channels, channels that seem to show only infomercials all day and the Chinese channel (CCTV), among others. Why can't providers offer some kind of a la carte option where we can choose X number of channels for a set fee?
-- James, 34, Burgettstown
Rob: This is not a new issue. Advocates for a la carte cable have been pushing for such a system for years. The problem with it is this: A la carte would likely result in the demise of a great many niche networks, destroying the diversity of channels currently available. Tyranny of the majority doesn't seem like a wise approach at this time.
Q: "The Bold & The Beautiful" switches to Spanish as soon as the words En Espanol flash on the screen even though my VCR is set for English. A while ago a reader asked you about this, and you said it sometimes happens with old TVs. I had an old TV, but now I have one that is only a few years old. It was OK for 6 months, now it has switched to taping in Spanish again. As you suggested previously, I tried disconnecting the TV for a while, but that didn't work. Any more suggestions?
-- Barb, 61, Pittsburgh
Rob: As we've noted before, this has nothing to do with the TV station and everything to do with the TV owner/operator. Barb has inadvertently activated the Second Audio Program (SAP) on her TV, resulting in the Spanish audio track for the soap. It's up to her to consult her TV's owner's manual to restore the English audio track.
Q: This past weekend I noticed that the locally-produced "Midnight Monster Hop" on RTN did not air. I have become a fan of the show and I hope this was only temporary. Do you have any news on the state of the show?
-- David, 36, Pittsburgh
Rob: I'd never heard of this show. Evidently it was produced locally but not by WPXI. Whoever produced it never bothered to do much in the way of publicity -- contacting the local newspaper is sort of PR 101 -- and now, due to "financial shortfalls," per WPXI program director Mark Barash, the show is no longer in production.
Q: On Tuesday I watched a news report at the start of KDKA's 5 p.m. broadcast regarding a case in Coraopolis where men are posing as utility workers and breaking into peoples' homes. I was paying attention because my mother-in-law lives in the Coraopolis area. A new composite drawing has been released, but I had to "tune in at 6" to actually see the photo. In a case where a criminal could be stopped as soon as someone is able to identify him, does it make sense for a news organization to withhold this information longer than they should? As a person with a journalism degree (turned stay-at-home mom), this seemed irresponsible and just annoyed me, so I had to comment to someone.
-- Cathy, Shaler
Rob: Cathy asks a worthwhile question and acting KDKA news director Anne Linaberger offers this thoughtful response: "Nearly every day we briefly report stories in one newscast and tease ahead to a full report in another newscast. There are many reasons for this. As a practical matter, there's not time to fully report every story in every newscast. We also hold stories so we can provide fresh, new material for each newscast and cut down on the amount of repetition. In hindsight it probably wasn't a good idea to withhold the composite for an hour if there was any chance that someone could have been put in danger, which we would never want to do. In the future we'll be more careful to evaluate which stories to tease and which to simply tell."
Q: When are KDKA newscasts going High Definition?
-- L., Pittsburgh
Q: I normally watch KDKA news as my first choice among the three local newscasts. However, I find myself watching WPXI because it appears to me that KDKA does not broadcast in HD with the exception of their prime time shows. Even if I put on Comcast channel 212, the picture is very much inferior to that of WPXI and WTAE. Do you have any idea when KDKA will upgrade their broadcasts?
-- Ron, 36, Elliott
Rob: I've asked about this many times and the answer was "early 2009" most recently. Now it's looking closer to mid-2009.
"The HD equipment has been purchased and is in the building," said KDKA general manager Chris Pike. "We have a contract with a set company to modify our existing set and redo all of our lighting. We are trying to finalize a schedule to coordinate the installation. It will be done in April or June but no later."
Q: Is it my imagination, or has Channel 4 been plagued for many months with sound dropouts -- many per hour?
It seems that no matter when I watch WTAE, there are dropouts -- both for local programs and networks. This happens on no other channels -- both over-the-air and on Dish -- that I watch.
If it is my imagination, please ignore question. If not, why don't they fix it?
-- Lou, 67, Plum
Rob: We answered a question about this phenomenon back in January and the problem persists but for an understandable reason.
"We appreciate the viewer's frustration, and we share it," wrote WTAE director of engineering Dave Kasperek in an e-mail. "It is the same problem and (mostly) not the viewer's imagination. We work on this intensely with our technology vendors and I discuss it with my staff in engineering meetings almost daily. Even as I write this we are trying a different piece of equipment to address this. But I would respectfully dispute the viewer's observation that this type problem is not heard on other channels. I hear similar dropouts, and see video defects routinely on numerous digital channels on satellite and cable systems as well as over the air.
"While we work diligently to correct the problem ASAP, knowledgeable industry insiders will admit this type of DTV issue is both common and often tough to resolve. Part of the complex nature of digital TV, is that while noticeably superior in many ways, it has different problems than analog TV. They are problems none of us are used to and so find extremely annoying, particularly since the video and audio are so much clearer in stark contrast.
"Analog TV technology, its application and its fixes, are fully refined and understood after 50+ years development. Meanwhile, DTV technology is a relative infant in technological terms -- not fully matured, with lots of reliability improvements yet to come. Bear with us, it will get fixed."
Q: In case you didn't see this, it looks like WTAE-TV may finally be available over the air in the North Hills in the near future.
-- Bob, Ross
Rob: I've known since last year that WTAE is exploring the possibility of a translator (although leasing space on WQED's tower is a new wrinkle), but that last thing I heard was that the lousy economy is likely to delay any plans for implementation.
WTAE general manager Rick Henry said there are no specific plans to move forward on adding a DTV translator because the station won't be able to establish the need for it until after the shutoff of the station's analog signal on June 12.
I imagine the need will manifest itself. Anecdotally, I hear more complaints from viewers unable to get WTAE's digital signal than any other channel, which doesn't really surprise me. For as long as I've lived in Pittsburgh -- in Shadyside and Squirrel Hill -- I've never been able to get Channel 4's over-the-air analog signal either.
Q: Until very recently, I was able to receive the broadcasts from two Johnstown/Altoona stations over digital channels 8.1 and 8.2. Have they stopped transmitting in Pittsburgh?
I was watching over the air using a digital TV. Channel 8.1 was transmitting WWCP's broadcast; channel 8.2 was transmitting WATM.
-- Leo, 59, Wexford
Rob: Force your TV to re-scan for channels. That may bring WWCP back.
When WWCP turned off its analog signal on Feb. 17, cable and satellite companies were having difficulty receiving the station's VHF signal. As a courtesy to them, the station left the UHF transmitter on until they could get their problems corrected. On Feb. 23, WWCP turned off its UHF signal and now broadcasts in digital on a VHF station. You may now need an outdoor VHF antenna to receive WWCP, according to a station spokeswoman.
