Post-Gazette TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions online every Friday in Tuned In Journal blog at post-gazette.com/tv. Here’s a selection of recent queries.
Q: What happened to Jeff Verszyla? He isn’t on Channel 4 anymore on the Sunday news?
-TONY VIA FACEBOOK
Rob: His role with WTAE-TV is as a fill-in freelancer so there should be no expectation that he’ll be on the air every week.
“I did not work [July 25-26] (my decision). I worked [8/1]. I will not work [8/8-8/9] (my decision)...but will be back the following weekend and every weekend through the end of August, including a weekday shift or two,” Verszyla writes. “As is the case with freelance, they ask me to work as needed...and I am usually able to accommodate. However, there are days when I’m not available. The gig is still going through, at least, the end of August.”
Q: With KDKA-TV adding a 7:30 p.m. newscast, I wonder what that means for the Sports show they are running on Friday's at 7:30?
—SCOTT VIA FACEBOOK
Rob: “Living Room Sports” will cease to exist. Instead KDKA-TV will create a new local program, “Fan Nation,” which will air at 7:30 p.m. Saturdays beginning in mid-September. “Fan Nation,” which like “PTL” will not be produced by the news department, will be hosted by Rich Walsh and Daisy Jade and will feature fans, sports stars and celebrities.
Q: I would like to know why registered dietitian Leslie Bonci is no longer a regular contributor on “Pittsburgh Today Live.” Also Chef Anthony Marino from Don’s Appliances is no longer there.
-NANCY, GREENSBURG
Rob: Years ago there were suggestions that KDKA-TV’s “Pittsburgh Today Live” had sold segments inside the broadcast but station management said that was not the case. That has since changed.
“I was informed by KDKA in January 2019 that it would be pay-for-play only so unless I had a sponsor I would no longer be a guest on the show,” Bonci said in response to Nancy’s question. “Makes me quite sad as food, eating habits and good nutrition are so necessary to help us eat well, live well and stay well. Thanks for asking. After 12 years I was sad to see it end. They said that ‘PTL’ was moving to a new format with sponsored segments only.”
It’s one thing to sell ads around a show – that’s the norm with commercial news programming – but to sell off what’s happening in a show, especially a show hosted by employees from the news department, is more concerning.
Yes, it was done long ago in the past in local news (Bill Burns had a sponsor’s logo on his anchor desk) and is still done today in some large markets and nationally (see: sponsored segments like “CBS This Morning’s” Eye Opener and Green Room, once sponsored by Toyota). And, granted, this is a difficult time for media companies due to the pandemic, but this pre-dates the pandemic and it’s a practice frowned upon by news ethicists even as it’s become more pervasive. The late KDKA news anchor Patti Burns made a documentary about the ethical dilemmas of TV news as it transformed from public service to profit center: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP_w6M2WtY4.
KDKA general manager Chris Cotugno said advertisers paying to be featured on “Pittsburgh Today Live” began under the tenure of his predecessor, Jay Howell. Cotugno says it’s not a “pay to play” situation because plenty of people and companies appear without paying to be on “PTL,” which he said is its own division and not produced by KDKA’s news department.
“There’s no possible way everybody on there, with all the content created, [we can] have everybody pay for everything,” Cotugno said, noting that segments that are paid for are fronted by Mikey Hood, not newsroom employees Heather Abraham and David Highfield. Cotugno said sponsored segments are identified as sponsored both in video and audio.
“Anytime there is a paid sponsor it’s clearly stated in audio and video that it’s sponsored,” Cotugno said. “There’s no such thing as ‘pay to play.’ CBS would never allow that, neither would we.”
Cotugno gave the example of segments on Tall Ships on Lake Erie in August 2019.
“They bought a regular ad campaign of 30-second commercials and had appearances on the show and Mikey went up to Lake Erie” to report segments for “PTL,” Cotugno said. Hood also does non-paid segments, like one where she and Celina Pompeani played soccer with the Riverhounds.
“It’s just another service we bring to advertisers and services,” Cotugno said. “Some are paid for and some are not paid for, it depends on what their budgets allow and what they want to do.”
Anthony Marino did not respond to queries sent to his Facebook account. Cotugno said Marino worked for Don’s Appliances which provided the previous kitchen set for “PTL.” Cotugno said Don’s opted not to use Marino anymore. The current kitchen set was provided by a different sponsor.
Ask TV questions by e-mailing TVQandA@gmail.com, including your first name and location.
First Published: August 12, 2020, 11:28 a.m.
Updated: August 12, 2020, 11:56 a.m.
