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This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about "Bones," "The Golden Girls" on Hallmark and TV reporters who interview kids. As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.
-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor
Q: What happened to Zack on the TV show "Bones"? The interaction between everyone was so much better when he was there.
-- Judy, 68, Aspinwall PA
Rob: Hmmm, did you miss the episode where Zack was sent to jail after it was revealed he was the apprentice to a serial killer? Actor Eric Millegan is no longer a series regular on "Bones," but he has appeared as Zack behind bars in a guest spot and is expected to appear again this season.
Q: Is there a connection between "CSI: Miami" and "Kyle XY" because on the last three episodes of "CSI" there has been a person from "Kyle" on it?
-- Gloria, 64, Gibsonia
Rob: Pure coincidence, according to the folks at "CSI: Miami."
Q: What is lower than the present state of the economy? I already know the answer. It's the mentality of the idiots who cancel TV shows like "Eli Stone" and "Life on Mars."
-- Anne, 69, Brigantine, N.J.
Rob: Nope, it's the people who constantly whine to me that there's nothing good on TV, nothing spiritual and uplifting, and then they fail to support shows that meet their very definition of quality, programs like "Eli Stone" and the biblically-based "Kings," which debuted to lousy ratings Sunday night.
Q: First, I must say that it is weird watching "The Golden Girls" on Hallmark. It's like having all of my furniture in my mom's apartment, or something.
Here's the deal: I have the dialogue of every episode memorized. Since the show has moved from Lifetime, I've noticed that these episodes are either recut or edited differently. I could give specific examples, but I'll spare you. I was just wondering what the reasoning is. This isn't "cleaner" situational editing, either. It's simply the addition of a scene I've never seen before, or the swapping of one line for another (as if one of the actors were ad-libbing and, again, one cut was used for the version Hallmark airs and one for what Lifetime aired). Is this a common practice? I'm not obsessive over any other show, so I don't know. I always imagined there to be only one syndication copy of an episode, but I guess I am wrong!
Thanks for any insight!
-- Ethel, 27, Bethel Park
Rob: According to Michelle Vicary, senior vice president for scheduling and acquisitions at Hallmark Channel, "Episodes of 'Golden Girls' currently running on Hallmark Channel are the syndicated versions acquired by the network from Buena Vista and are running in tact as received from the distributor."
Of course, that doesn't mean that there are not alternate edits out there that have aired, but Hallmark did not undertake editing of the episodes itself.
Q: Will Discovery Channel be airing new episodes of "Man vs. Wild"?
-- William, 42, Mt. Lebanon
Rob: Yes, but a date for the new episodes has not been announced.
Q: In the late 1980s I fell in love with a PBS miniseries called "The Ginger Tree." I have never been able to find a copy of this series to buy. Is it available to buy through the BBC UK or BBC America? Help to obtain this video would be very much appreciated.
-- Nancy, 61, Tarentum
Rob: As always, if a show is not available at Amazon.com (and this one is not), then it's not officially released. There may be bootleg versions available, but you'll have to search for those online. (It's also not available at Amazon.co.uk either.)
Q: Just curious (and frustrated) because most of the networks show episodes of their show online after they have been telecast, but CBS never shows "Cold Case." It just shows clips. I missed last Sunday's episode and went to CBS.com, but could only see a few minutes of the show. Many of their other shows are available; there is quite a long list of these, but no "Cold Case." Do you know why?
-- Alison, 77, Edgewood
Rob: Good question, and one I had, too, about another CBS show I haven't found online in its entirety, CBS's "Big Bang Theory." Both "Big Bang" and "Cold Case" are produced for CBS by Warner Bros. and the two companies have not reached an agreement on online streaming of episodes. That's why those series are MIA when it comes to official online streaming sites.
Q: Why does KDKA show the time and temperature only in the mornings?
-- Alex, 15, New Castle
Rob: Are they the only ones to only show them in the morning? I had to check the other stations to see that WTAE and WPXI do indeed include the time and temperature on-screen in tiny type in evening broadcasts.
According to acting KDKA news director Anne Linaberger, there's no particular reason for this practice except that time and temperature are more important in the mornings because viewers are getting ready for school and work want to know what time it is to make sure they're on schedule and what the temperature is outside so they know how to dress.
Q: How can local TV stations air interviews with school children without obtaining consent from the parents? My child was recently interviewed outside of his school while waiting for his bus. KDKA aired his comment, identifying him by name. And today, Ralph Iannotti stood outside of another school and recorded a student making disparaging remarks about a classmate. These are minors who cannot legally give their consent or use proper judgment about what they say on camera. Aren't there guidelines about featuring children in news reports?
When we called KDKA to ask them to pull our son's interview, the woman from the newsroom was reluctant -- until we reminded her that our son is minor and they did not have a consent release. Then they removed him from their Web site and the next newscast.
-- Joan, Point Breeze
Rob: There are no laws that prevent journalists from interviewing youth, nor should there be. Being interviewed by a journalist requries no parental "consent" and certainly not a "consent release."
My friend Legal Eagle sent this link to a legal article on the subject and summarized it, saying, "There's no law against interviewing youth per se, and in the great majority of cases, there's no reason (either ethical or legal) for a newsroom to avoid interviewing minors who are in public or publishing those interviews. In some very limited circumstances, like child molestation cases, interviewing or publishing photographs of a child can lead to liability under a 'false light' or 'causing extreme emotional distress' theory. Similarly, journalists who seek out minors at their homes risk more liability than journalists who are interviewing minors in public."
That said, journalists should take care when interviewing children and teens (especially live, which I would say should be avoided except in rare instances), and the Radio-Television News Directors Association offers up these useful guidelines for journalists to follow.
Acting KDKA news director Linaberger said her station adheres to the RTNDA guidelines.
"If interviewing a minor or broadcasting the interview could harm the child in any way, we don't do it, and if a parent calls asking us not to air an interview with their child, or in this case to not re-air it, we will consider the request and make a decision depending on the circumstances," Linaberger wrote in an e-mail. "We've been known to turn down interviews with minors even when we have the parents' blessing because we think it's not in the best interests of the child."
Q: We recently moved to Oil City and get the Pittsburgh stations, rather than Erie. We've noticed that the stations rarely mention areas north of I-80 in the weather forcasts. Why don't they cover our area too?
-- Jenny, 53, Oil City
Rob: Because the majority of their viewers live south of I-80. Majority rules. But if there's a weather alert from the national weather service, rest assured that Pittsburgh stations will air it, much to the annoyance of many of their viewers.
Q: What are the best and worst aspects of your job? I would go nuts watching as much TV as you write about.
-- Jim, Shadyside
Rob: Yes, there's a lot of bad TV out there, so it's hugely rewarding to find the good stuff and bring that to light for readers. TV critics have an obligation to be advocates for quality TV, and that's one of the best parts of the job. I also enjoy the variety of stories I'm expected to write: Columns, reviews, features, trend pieces, blogs, this Q&A. There is never a dull moment.
I think what drives me the most insane is the nasty tone of questions I often hear from people by phone and e-mail. Their questions are often framed as an accusation that we failed to cover something, when 95 percent of the time we actually did cover it. They just didn't read it. That's why I always include a link back when I re-answer questions here, so people know we were on top of it and to provide easy access to more information on the topic.
Q: Thank you for getting the answer to my question about the show "Medium." I guess when you call someone "lazy" it will spark a strong response. Writing is the most important part of any show and I wouldn't be a fan if I didn't respect the previous work. I was more concerned about the use of a "writers crutch" and taking the easy way out. Or in this case my perception (just have her dream more). Because of Craig's response, I now have a different perspective on how they approach the writing of the show (e.g. the rules of the show). And more importantly, it makes a lot of sense. Please tell Craig, I'm still watching, will continue to watch and THANKS for putting on a great show!!!
-- Jeff, 48, Washington DC
Rob: When I ran Jeff's initial letter last week, I was a little reluctant, not because of the question itself but because of the tone and the use of the word "lazy." I know enough about a TV drama's writers room to know those folks are not lazy, whether I like the show or not. But I used the question and sought out a response from co-executive producer and Pittsburgh native Craig Sweeny because I hoped it would be instructive and help readers gain an understanding for the work involved in writing a TV show. It looks like my gamble paid off.
