Submit your question to Rob Owen
This week's TV Q&A responds to questions "Scrubs," "Chuck" and RTN. As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.
-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor
Q: "Scrubs" was never a hit in the ratings, yet it's everywhere on the TV dial -- reruns on Comedy Central, TV Land, the local Fox affiliate, WGN, and now new episodes on ABC. What accounts for its longevity and ubiquity?
-- Gerald, 48, Greenfield
Rob: Any show that runs as long as "Scrubs" is going to get syndicated, especially when there's a drought of half-hour comedies in syndication, which there is these days owing to the lack of prime-time comedy hits.
As to why "Scrubs" has been around so long in first-run, it supposedly remains cheaper to produce than other shows. ABC Studios has made the series for NBC so when NBC didn't want it anymore, ABC was happy to pick it up to get more episodes for revenue from syndication and DVD.
Q: I e-mailed you in the fall of 2007 regarding "Chuck" on NBC. I stated how the show really drew me in. At the time I asked whether it would possibly fit in better on the USA Network. I know the show's ratings have slipped since it ended last season, yet the ratings continue to climb each week it is shown.
Is there a possibility with NBC adding Leno in its prime-time lineup, and "Monk" entering its final season that "Chuck" is moved to the USA Network? The show features the odd and quirky characters that many USA shows also have.
Also, it appears as though the show has re-entered your good graces. I suppose you aren't reaching for a magazine as often anymore. May I ask what changed your mind? Is it the added focus on the secondary characters at the Buy More? Adding Tony Hale from the forever loved "Arrested Development" didn't hurt either.
-- Alex, 23, Glenshaw
Rob: I like it better for the reasons I wrote in September (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08272/915119-42.stm) and again last month (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08356/936737-67.stm). The show has found ways to better integrate its two disparate story engines: Chuck's missions and the antics at BuyMore.
As for the show moving to USA, that seems unlikely. Series created for broadcast networks are budgeted using a different economic model than lower-budgeted cable series and so far studios and networks have been unwilling to renegotiate down in mid-stream. Perhaps as broadcast network ratings continue to fall that will change, but at this point the only example we have is the "Friday Night Lights" move to DirecTV with a second play on NBC, and it's too early to know if that experiment is deemed successful.
Q: Why is it when a local station that is in HD shows highlights from a game that was in HD, the highlights are not in HD?
-- Joe, 35, Allison Park
Rob: I suspect because the station did not capture the game in HD and took highlights in SD from a feed.
Q: Where can I find the updated listings for RTN? They changed their broadcasting lineup and I can't find the updated listings anywhere. This is one of my favorite stations.
-- David, 36, Pittsburgh
Q: What is happening with the WPXI channel RTN? Not only have they abandoned their schedule but the shows are not even ending on the hour or half-hour. And don't get me started on the endless blocks of commercials.
I realize the various television guides are printed in advance, but Comcast's on-air guides haven't caught up yet either. Thought you might have some inside information.
-- Jay, 59, Mt. Lebanon
Rob: Who knew so many viewers were craving reruns? RTN's schedule didn't change. There was a dispute between RTN management and a former owner and technical issues also arose (http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2009/01/05/daily.5/), according to WPXI program director Mark Barash. The customized feed for Pittsburgh was replaced with a national feed. The local feed with its local schedule should return in a few days.
Q: Over the holiday's I was watching Channel 4 news and Jon Burton said that it was his last broadcast. That is a blow to Channel 4 sports. He is a good sportscaster. Did he leave town or did he take a job at a different local station?
-- Dave, 49, West Deer
Q: What happened to sportscaster Jon Burton (JB) at WTAE. I heard the news anchors tell him good-bye and wish him good luck?
-- Margaret, 71, Bethel Park
Rob: As we reported last month (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08352/935531-42.stm), Burton was let go by the station and is seeking new employment.
Q: This has been going on for a while now, and I finally decided to put the question out there in an effort to discover whether or not I'm alone in experiencing this phenomenon.
I've been a subscriber to DirecTV for about a year now and have noticed that, every now and then (though it seems to be becoming more and more frequent), the audio on WTAE/ABC breaks up. (It has the effect of making whoever is talking onscreen at that particular moment sound like they have a stuttering problem.) Not only that, but every now and then if the picture is too brightly lit (or the onscreen graphics have too much white elements, say) the video portion of the signal breaks up until a less brightly image comes on screen.
At first, I thought this was just a problem with my particular receiver (by the way I have three of them in my house and the same thing happens on all three). However, when I visited my parents (also DirecTV subscribers) recently, I discovered that they too have experienced the same phenomenon that I have.
Has anyone else been having this problem and, if so, what is WTAE/ABC/DirecTV's explanation?
-- David, 38, Coraopolis
Rob: WTAE engineer Dave Kasperek, who also has DirecTV, has seen this problem and describes it as "very sporadic and intermittent." He's working on it but he's also noted that "overall I am seeing more total video and audio dropouts on all DirecTV channels recently, so this may be exacerbating the viewer's experience. It is certainly affecting mine!"
Q: We subscribe to Comcast cable and have an analog TV. Do we or do we not need a converter box for digital TV. Or is the box for HD?
Now that WQED/TV has divided their programming into three sub-channels, we receive only E1. Why did they do this before Feb. 17?
-- Anne, 74, Wexford
Rob: We've answered this one many (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08230/904393-28.stm), many times (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08070/863959-371.stm), but I'm starting to think some viewers won't be satisfied with the answer until I come to their homes and deliver it personally.
One more time: If you have a cable connection -- any cable connection, it doesn't have to be digital cable -- you don't need to do anything. If you get your TV reception on a set over-the-air, then you do need an analog-to-digital converter box for that TV set.
WQED made a switch in programming just a month early, probably to avoid confusion with the digital conversion. Makes sense to me.
Q: I recently came up to speed and purchased an HDTV. The new digital channels are up the dial, and have a different channel structure, as I am sure you know. They have a primary number, such as 85, then sub-channels -- example 85-1, 85-2, etc. Unfortunately, I do not have a guide that tells me what is on these channels or which channel is which.
-- Chris, 33, Pine
Rob: For listings on digital subchannels, consult the station's Web site. For instance, WQED lists programming for all its digital subchannels at WQED.org. WPXI does the same for RTN at WPXI.com. These channels are also included in the Post-Gazette's online listings (http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCGrid.do?aid=papipg).
Q: As someone who has known Meg Parris for literally her entire life, I take offense at the article you wrote for today's issue of the Post-Gazette (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09003/939264-67.stm). I know you're a voice for the TV networks and that helps you sell newspapers. However, in all fairness, I think you would be wise to remember that this is a reality television show and as such, the networks are going to feed you (and you, in turn, will try to feed your readers) all kinds of salacious tidbits in order to increase readership and viewership.
To state that "Parris, who isn't shy about using profanity that ABC bleeps …" is an incredible overstatement of actual accounts. Also, keep in mind that producers of the show are all about getting ratings and consequently many events that occur on "The Bachelor" are staged, scripted and edited to create supposed conflicts where none occur.
-- Cheryl, Moon
Rob: Cheryl wrote to me before "The Bachelor" aired Monday so how she knew "actual accounts" of what appeared in the program is a bit of a head-scratcher.
I'll ignore the nonsense about my supposed role as a voice for the networks -- really? NBC wants me to publish stuff like this? (http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/tunedin/archive/2009/01/07/press-tour-journal-let-the-nbc-bashing-begin.aspx) -- but at this point in TV history, given all the reality shows that have come before, anyone who goes on a reality show and doesn't anticipate that he or she may come off looking like a jerk is woefully naive, at best.
And of course the shows are edited for drama to maximize ratings. That's an accepted aspect of all reality shows and one that doesn't need to be repeated in every article about a reality series.
First Published: January 9, 2009, 5:00 a.m.
