TV Q&A: Questions about KDKA-TV on-air talent answered
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Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLIVE.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review.
Q: Stacy Smith has not been at the KDKA-TV anchor desk in some time. He was giving reports from his home. Is this health-related? Also, I wrote a few months ago about Kym Gable’s status at KDKA. She has become an integral part of the KDKA new team. Is she now under contract? Is Mary Ours at KDKA expecting?
— Elaine via email
Rob: Ours posted about her pregnancy on her Facebook page. She’s due to give birth to a boy in March.
Gable remains a freelancer for the station.
My understanding is Smith chose to work from home, filing “Around the Table” and “Business Notes” reports, as covid-19 cases began to rise. He was scheduled for vacation the weeks of Dec. 20 and 27.
Q: Do you know where Kevin Benson, the Channel 11 weekend weatherman, has been? Been a long time since I’ve seen him. He was the best at explaining our weather.
— James, Jeannette
Rob: Benson was charged with a DUI in October 2019. By November 2019, Benson was no longer working at WPXI-TV.
Q: Several Pittsburgh TV stations have begun test broadcasts of Nextgen tv (ATSC 3.0). This new over-the-air standard requires a different tuner to receive those broadcasts. Currently, the tuners are available in some new high-end televisions or set-top boxes which are relatively expensive and in limited supply.
The new standard can broadcast 4K quality in addition to other features.
Are the stations currently testing 4K broadcasts, test patterns or regular HD content? I can’t seem to find any information on the internet and without a new tuner I can’t check the broadcasts myself.
— Mike, Loyalhanna
Rob: Per WTAE-TV chief engineer Paul Nowakowski: “WTAE is airing an ATSC 3.0 signal. WTAE, WPGH and WPNT are all multicasting on the former WPNT RF Channel 21 in an ATSC 3.0 format. As part of this arrangement, WTAE is airing the three subchannels of WPNT on our RF Channel 27.
“This ATSC 3.0 signal is currently a simulcast of our normal main HD channels. No 4K is planned in the immediate future.
“ATSC 3.0 does require a special tuner. It cannot be viewed on a standard ATSC 1.0 TV. Certain large Samsung consumer TVs have an ATSC 3.0 (Nextgen) tuner built into them.”
Q: Over the past season on “Magnum P.I.,” Higgins (Perdita Weeks) has played a much more significant role on the show. It’s more of a 50-50 show now. What gives? Jay Hernandez doesn’t command the role and the gender-bender Higgins is a much more interesting character at this point.
— Thomas via Facebook
Rob: Presumably the show’s writers recognized what Thomas considers the show’s best element, too, and have opted to lean into it, resulting in a greater emphasis on Higgins than in the past.
As to the timing of that change in emphasis, the original “Magnum” reboot showrunner Peter Lenkov was fired in July before the current season started filming and perhaps the new showrunner opted for the change in direction. A CBS rep declined to respond to Thomas’ question.
Q: Who sings the “Sunday Night Football” theme song?
— Mary via phone
Rob: The singer is Carrie Underwood.
Q: I’m an avid viewer of Fox News Channel and I haven’t seen Ed Henry lately in the 9 a.m. slot. How come?
— Ray, Monessen
Rob: Henry was fired in July following a Fox Business producer’s charges that he raped her in 2017.
Q: I thought Alex Trebek’s final “Jeopardy!” episode would air on Christmas, but last week WPXI showed reruns. How come?
— Irma, Ambridge
Rob: When Trebek died Nov. 8, “Jeopardy!” announced his final episode would air on Christmas Day.
But when the show later announced Ken Jennings as an interim guest host beginning Jan. 11, “Jeopardy!” producers also said “best-of” episodes featuring Trebek would air the weeks of Dec. 21 and 28, pushing back Trebek’s final episodes to the week of Jan. 4.