T.J. Lubinsky, the former WQED producer who created the doo-wop-themed pledge specials that proved enormously popular for PBS stations nationwide, has continued to create several PBS programs each year since leaving WQED in 2003 and striking out on his own with TJL Productions.

The producer, who works out of a home office in Gibsonia, ignited the doo wop craze 10 years ago and his programs have raised millions for PBS stations over the past decade.

For his latest program, he moves into a slightly more recent era with "My Music Presents: Ed Sullivan -- The Sixties" (9 p.m. Nov. 28, WQED-TV).

It's not Lubinsky's first experience working with the video image of Sullivan: In 2001, Lubinsky repackaged "The Ed Sullivan Show" for PBS stations. For the new all-archival-footage program, Lubinsky edited together the music acts -- The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Herman's Hermits, The Doors, Petula Clark -- and left Sullivan's plate-spinners on the cutting room floor.

Sullivan actually isn't seen much, except to introduce the acts, with narrator Jay Thomas setting the cultural scene and narrating brief interludes between classic performances.

But this latest pledge special was not an easy sell.

"There was a lot of resistance to this show," Lubinsky said. "I don't know if it's because certain management at PBS felt it maybe was too old, but it was a real challenge to get people to focus on the fact that this is The Beatles, The Doors, the Stones.

"It's a great relationship [with PBS] but people are generally unfamiliar with new, untested areas. There's risk and such pressure for funding. ... Thankfully, nine times out of 10, the shows still work."

Lubinsky said although some may think of "The Ed Sullivan Show" as old news, the music featured on the program remains popular with many viewers.

"My Music Presents: Ed Sullivan -- The Sixties" was tested earlier this year on PBS stations in Detroit, San Francisco and Iowa and it did well. It was the biggest fundraiser for a single-play special in three years at the Detroit station, according to a producer there.

Of course, they can't all be hits.

"The one we did on movie songs was a big bomb," Lubinsky acknowledged. "I learned when you try to be master of all, you're master of none. It was too broad with music from the '50s, '60s and '70s and too many people and [viewers] couldn't connect to any one person."

The two-hour Sullivan show -- about 80 minutes without the pledge breaks that were taped earlier this year in San Francisco -- will air in about 85 percent of the country, Lubinsky said, which is pretty standard for his pledge specials.

Although his programs are produced and edited locally, Lubinsky hasn't taped a show in Pittsburgh in many years -- costs for some labor unions proved prohibitive -- but he's hoping to end that drought next year.

His next big project: Developing a "Hullabaloo" special, using footage from the 1965-66 NBC prime-time variety series. He'll continue to provide pledge shows to PBS through 2013 and possibly beyond, according to a PBS spokesman.

PBS senior vice president and chief TV programming executive John Wilson said Lubinsky's shows have been "among the consistent top-performing programs we've offered our stations, so they look forward to them and know their audiences like them and are willing to support them."

Unlike some pledge programs, Lubinsky's shows do not deviate wildly from part of PBS's mission to provide cultural programming.

"One of the things we want, whenever possible, is to make sure the pledge schedule is connected to the regular schedule so the audience that's watching for 'Great Performances' and 'Austin City Limits' and 'Soundstage' find something appealing to them in pledge drive where they can express their support," Wilson said. "It's connecting the dots between our pop music performance programs and pledge specials."

For Lubinsky, the goal with his shows is to connect music and viewers' memories.

"We try to bring the audience back to the point that they're in their living room again," he said. "Music is the vehicle but the real goal is connecting that crowd and audience.

"Anybody who grew up in the late '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s, this is how we all got together," he said of Sullivan's show. "This was 'American Idol' before there was 'American Idol.' "

Next week is the annual TV turkeys column, so it's only fair to show local broadcasters some love this week.

On Nov. 4, WTAE's Wendy Bell offered an emotional, moving report -- she appeared to get choked up after the taped piece aired -- on two boys with Batten disease. Channel 4 investigator Jim Parsons took a worthwhile, watchdog-critical look at waste among state legislators who have multiple offices, some of whom benefit (or relatives benefit) from rent payments.

KDKA's Andy Sheehan reported on the state of the Southern Beltway and the continued use of eminent domain to take homes for a highway that has no funding for construction. The report was a worthwhile eye-opener.

WPXI's Rick Earle reported on crime in local cemeteries. Although it's a subject that could be fear-mongering, Earle's report was pretty sober as he interviewed a victim and pointed out the need for caution. WPXI's Trisha Pittman also offered some common sense advice for drivers after a traffic accident. Sometimes these types of stories can provoke a "no, duh" reaction but this one was framed by useful dos and don'ts, some obvious, some less so.

Coming next week: WTAE will air its first story on morning anchor Kelly Frey's baby, Bennett Ryan. The report by Mike Clark will first air at 5 and 6 a.m. Monday and then in newscasts later in the day.

The much-requested listing of holiday TV movies and specials will publish in its usual spot as the Post-Gazette's Magazine cover the day after Thanksgiving.

The Celebrate the Season Parade will air at 9 a.m. Nov. 28 on WPXI with news anchors Peggy Finnegan and David Johnson hosting the telecast.

Celebrity guests include soap star Joe Mascolo (Stefano on "Days of Our Lives"), former Steelers player Jerome Bettis, Jimmy McGuire of the "Jeopardy!" Clue Crew, Mr. McFeely ("Mister Rogers' Neighborhood") and musical acts The Legendary Drifters, BE Taylor, Mark Milovats and The Softwinds.

Locals who were cast as guest stars and extras in the recent Pittsburgh shoot of CBS soap "As the World Turns" are invited to a cast/wrap party to watch the first of four episodes with scenes shot locally. The gathering will be held today at 2 p.m. at the Damon's Grill at the Waterfront.

Organizer Jeffrey Lawrence Pollock encourages those attending to bring canned food for donation to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

On Sunday CBS is experimenting with its lineup by moving "Three Rivers" to 10 p.m. and airing "Cold Case" at 9 p.m.

After preliminary numbers from Sunday's episode of "Rivers" with guest star Mandy Patinkin suggested a ratings bump, The Hollywood Reporter found revised final ratings showed only a slight gain and no improvement in the key demo.

We've previously reported on Comcast's plan to move many standard tier channels (e.g. TCM, TLC, FX, HGTV, History, TNT) to digital in the City of Pittsburgh as part of its "World of More" initiative. (By the end of 2010, this process will have extended to all Western Pennsylvania Comcast cable systems.) Customers can get free digital adapters to continue receiving these channels.

Now Comcast has announced the date the channels will make the move to digital: Jan. 26, 2010.

WQED-TV made some final adjustments to its digital signal this week, so if you received the station in the past and are now having difficulty, it's time to direct your TV or digital-to-analog converter box to re-scan for channels. ... On Dec. 17, Comcast will add NHL Network-HD on the digital classic and sports entertainment levels of service as Channel 858 on all local systems. On the same date, PCN will move from Channel 48 standard tier to Channel 100 on the digital starter tier. ... The eighth season of "Real Time With Bill Maher" will premiere Feb. 19 on HBO.

Follow TV news from the Post-Gazette on Twitter or Facebook. I'm registered as RobOwenTV on both sites.

Today's TV Q&A responds to questions about "V," "Scrubs" and baby birthdays on KDKA's morning news. Tuned In Journal includes blog posts about showrunners, "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and HBO's "Terror in Mumbai." Read online TV coverage at post-gazette.com/tv.

In this week's Tuned In podcast, enterprise reporter Maria Sciullo and I discuss "Modern Family," January Jones on "Saturday Night Live" and "The Amazing Race." Listen or subscribe at post-gazette.com/podcast.

TV columnist Rob Owen's Tuned In+ is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.