Submit your question to Rob Owen

This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about "Gilmore Girls," "Mad Men" and "The New Yankee Workshop." As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.

-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor

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Q: A few coworkers and myself listened to the TV bands on our radios before the digital conversion in order to hear what was on the local channels. Now that is not an option. Will a radio come out with TV band capable of picking up the digital transmissions?

-- Stephanie, 35, Pittsburgh

Rob: I imagine there will be a demand for such a product so some company will likely manufacture one to meet demand, but from online searches, I haven't found any on the market yet. If anyone else is aware of such a radio, let me know and I'll post the information here next week.

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Q: Many TV ads concerning "Gilmore Girls," new shows starting 6-08-09, but nothing was available on air. Are there really new shows? Please advise.

-- Edward, 68, Sewickley

Rob: Cable channel ABC Family is airing episodes that it has not aired before but they are reruns of the final season that aired on The WB a few years ago. If you watched the entire series in first-run, these episodes will not be new to you.

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Q: Please tell me why I should continue watching "Mad Men." I need a push. Do you plan to? I watched the first two seasons, love the look, the attention to period detail, love the characters and actors, even like the plotlines well enough. (I may have just answered my own question.) But it's just so-o-o-o-o slow. It's excruciating to watch. It's the pacing of a daily soap opera (which I also quit watching years ago) but in weekly format. Why does it move so slowly?

-- Peggy, 57, Speers

Rob: Seeing as it's my favorite current TV show, you can bet I'll watch when season three premieres Aug. 16.

I do understand where Peggy is coming from about the show's pacing. I felt the same way in season one, but I think that's simply the rhythm of the show. Now that I'm used to it, "Mad Men" doesn't feel so slow anymore. Frankly, it's a nice counterpoint to so many fast-paced shows on TV these days.

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Q: Recently I made the mistake of watching an old western I hadn't seen on AMC. After about 30 minutes I was set to change the channel because they were killing it with commercials and promos. I was reading at the time and decided to stick it out to see how far they would go. It got even worse. I find it hard to believe they find an audience large enough to sit through this ordeal. How do they stay on the air?

-- Don, 73, Pittsburgh

Rob: I don't watch movies on TV in part for this reason but clearly enough people do or commercial movie channels would not continue to exist.

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Q: What happens to all of the projects (furniture) constructed by master carpenter Norm Abram for "The New Yankee Workshop" on Channel 13 on Saturday afternoons.

-- Paul, 69, Mt. Lebanon

Rob: He keeps them and puts them to use, according to a publicist for the series.

Abram likes to examine how they age and weather over the years, she wrote in an e-mail, and in some cases determine improvements or variations for future projects. This was the case for the Adirondack Chair, which Norm originally created in Season 2. He later adapted it in Season 14 as the Adirondack Love Seat, then again in Season 20 for the Adirondack Trio.

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Q: Is their a reason all three local TV stations carried the penguin victory parade? I thought that somewhere in TV land a program director would realize that every soul in Pittsburgh is not a hockey fan.

-- Ed, 72, Coraopolis

Rob: There is a reason: If one station sat it out they would be mocked mercilessly and it would hurt their image (or as the TV folks say, "their brand"). This was not a day for counter- programming.

Plus, there was certainly widespread interest among viewers.

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Q: While I am happy to see KDKA finally has an HD set, when are they, or WTAE for that matter, going to get HD field cameras like WPXI? I'll still with them since they are the only ones locally to do HD right...

-- Kirk, 30, Penn Hills

Rob: Just as not every TV owner junked their perfectly good set for an HDTV, TV stations will not replace all of their field equipment at once. It's simply too expensive. Instead they'll do it a little bit at a time. Viewers need to learn to be patient.

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Q: What happened to Jeff Verszyla. I have not see him for a while. I know it's summer but he has been gone more then two weeks.

-- Dale, 37, Saxonburg

Rob: As we reported two weeks ago, KDKA chief meteorologist Jeff Verszyla is recovering from a concussion he received in an accident Sunday while playing recreational softball. Another player's knee collided with Verszyla's face.

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Q: Possibly I am the only one that this bothers, but here goes anyway.

I watch HLN fairly often and get into the program, when Comcast breaks in at .25 or.55 minutes past the hour with a five minute program called "Comcast Local Edition." It can be right in the heart of a discussion or before an answer to a question and they cut away. How stupid is this?

What are your thoughts? Why does Comcast do this? And, does this happen on other channels as well?

-- Don, 71, Freedom

Rob: I feel your pain, Don. There have been times I've wanted to see a story promoted on Headline News that gets run down by Comcast's local cut-ins. (Of course, I watch HLN a lot less frequently now that it's been taken over in prime-time by the likes of Nancy Graceless.)

To the best of my knowledge, Comcast doesn't do this to any other channel. They see it as a public service. I, like Don (and Judy, who also e-mailed to complain this week), see it as annoying.

Here's Comcast's response to Don's query: "Comcast Local Edition (CLE) is a five-minute interview program airing on Headline News that provides local information from people making a difference. Elected officials, civic leaders and organizations as well as non-profits connect with viewers the important issues, events and organizations that are shaping our community.

" 'Comcast Local Edition' is just one of many ways that Comcast uses its technology to reach out and keep our communities connected and up to date on public policy issues.

"Comcast provides these five-minute news segments as a public service to the local community, free of charge, seven days a week. Our intention is to give voice to locally elected officials and community leaders about issues people care about in the communities we serve. There is no other televised forum available for these topics. We realize not every guest or topic will be of interest to every viewer but we endeavor to provide informative programming that will appeal to the greatest number of people. We support local programming as part of our commitment to enhancing the communities we serve."

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Q: I was interested in your comments on "a la carte" cable and the reaction in the most recent Q&A column. I find it interesting that the channels many viewers complain about, such as religious or shopping channels, are the channels that cost the cable company nothing -- or may even generate revenue helping to hold down the total cost.

What I object to is the way the owners of the channels are allowed bundle them when negotiating with cable operators on prices and the tier on which the channel is carried. A prime example is how ABC-Disney can threaten to pull all ABC-Disney channels (including the affiliates they own and operate) from a cable or satellite operator if that operator does not agree to provide ESPN to every basic subscriber and pay an ever-increasing fee for each of those subscribers. If the company refuses to go along, it risks facing the wrath of not just ESPN fans, but viewers of all ages who enjoy Disney's wide variety of channels. Meanwhile Disney turns around and spends the money it has extorted from the cable companies on contracts for sports programming that advertiser-supported broadcasters can't hope to match. I would suggest that before we mandate "a la carte" for subscribers, we first require the channel owners to "unbundle" their negotiations with the cable/satellite companies so that the true value of channels can be determined on an individual basis, and the cable companies would be free to create programming packages based on viewer needs and demands instead of the channel owners demands. I would also prohibit cable and satellite companies from owning any of the channels they carry -- a separate, but related issue.

-- Fred, 48, Wilkins

Rob: Interesting and thought-provoking observations, Fred. Thanks for sharing.

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Q: Buddy, pal-o-mine. This is more of a technical question, rather than the usual maniacal ravings. I thought I was all prepared for the switch to digital TV, but after the switch, I get nothing. I got the new antenna booster, hooked up to the bunny ears and plugged the whole mess into my Comcast cable box. You got to help me buddy. Cousin Ellie Mae wants to snuggle in front of the tube and watch something other than static.

-- Mike, 46, Weirton

Rob: My favorite correspondent returns with a misunderstanding of digital TV intact. Bravo, my hillbilly friend, bravo! Thanks for a good laugh.

"Susan?" (pause)
"Susan?" (pause)
"Susan?" (pause then hang up)

-- Caller of indeterminate gender