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: Why does KDKA have three hours of news on the weekday evenings compared with WTAE and WPXI, who only have an hour and a half? Three hours of local news seems excessive.
— MATT VIA EMAIL
Rob: It is excessive, but the station has likely found it can make more money off more news rather than less news, so that’s why they do it.
Q: Do local newscasters/anchors that have been around a long time get nearly unlimited vacation days? For example, KDKA sports anchor Bob Pompeani frequently takes long vacations every year. Any idea?
— GEORGE, DELMONT
Rob: First time I have heard this in regard to Pompeani, but I heard it frequently from viewers regarding Jeff Verszyla before he was fired by KDKA-TV.
Anchors with longevity and status can negotiate more vacation time into their contracts.
Q: Do TV shows that advertise that they are live with the title “live” in them have to in fact be live or run a disclaimer that the program was prerecorded? “Saturday Night Live,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Smackdown Live,” “Live With Kelly and Ryan,” etc.
— ROB VIA EMAIL
Rob: Interesting question. I was unable to find a definitive answer, but my sense is there are no regulations that require a show with “live” in the title to state it is previously recorded. Rather, it’s a practice some networks have taken upon themselves in the interest of transparency in this social media era when you might see the East Coast broadcast tweeted about three hours before the show airs on the West Coast — and is labeled “previously recorded” — or especially when it is a show rerun weeks or months later to avoid it looking dated.
Q: I just finished watching a marathon of “Toy Hunter” on the Travel Channel from a few years back. Any talk of producing more episodes?
— MICHAEL, MONACA
Rob: Travel Channel canceled “Toy Hunter” after its third season aired in 2014.
Q: I was watching the late airing of “London Has Fallen” starring Aaron Eckhart and Gerard Butler on USA cable network. I noticed that the movie aired with profanity uncensored. Have the profanity regulations on cable networks been relaxed after a certain time during the evening?
— JIM, BROOKVILLE
Rob: They were not relaxed. They’ve always been looser for cable especially later in the evening. USA/Syfy just started taking advantage of the looser regulations in the past year or two.
Ask TV questions by emailing rowen@post-gazette.com, including your first name and location, or submitting the form at post-gazette.com/tv.
First Published: May 9, 2019, 11:00 a.m.
