TV Q&A: What happened to a reporter seen on WTAE?

Rob Owen | Wednesday, February 26, 2025 7:00 a.m.

Courtesy Hearst

Jeff Rossen has filed reports for Hearst stations, including Pittsburgh’s WTAE, since 2019. New reports have not aired since late December 2024.

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: Is “Rossen Reports,” with reporter Jeff Rossen, still on WTAE news? I haven’t seen it in a few weeks and the station didn’t respond to an inquiry.

— Jeff, North Side

Rob: The last Rossen Reports posted to WTAE’s website in late December. Rossen was announced to be joining Hearst, providing reports for Hearst stations including Pittsburgh’s WTAE, in December 2019. Given his December 2019 arrival at Hearst and his last reports airing in December 2024, it’s conceivable that his contract expired in December and was not renewed or he is still in negotiations for a new deal. Rossen did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

“Hearst Television is continuing to explore a partnership with Jeff going forward,” a Hearst spokesperson said.

Just in the past couple of weeks, Rossen launched a YouTube channel where he’s posting new reports.

Q: Why hasn’t Norah O’Donnell been on “CBS Evening News” lately?

— Fran, Westmoreland County

Rob: O’Donnell exited the anchor chair of “CBS Evening News” in late January to take on a new role getting big interviews and investigations for CBS News programs. Her departure is also CBS’s effort to save money by putting less marquee talent at the anchor desk; yes, even though there are now two anchors instead of one, it’s supposedly a less expensive broadcast. The show’s format has also switched to more of a newsmagazine style, which seems to have hurt both ratings and morale within CBS News, per Puck.news.

Q: What’s taking so long to complete a TV program that used to run 30 minutes?

It’s been going on for a couple of weeks now, that shows on Family Entertainment Television run at least five minutes longer for half-hour programs and 10 minutes longer for hour-long programs. Heck, “Leave It to Beaver,” a 1950s 30-minute sitcom, now has a running time of 38 minutes; it now takes Perry Mason an hour and 15 minutes to show up Hamilton Burger. I know there were no “lost” minutes that have been “found,” and it doesn’t take Dan Mathews an additional five minutes to solve crimes on “Highway Patrol.”

— Dan, Pittsburgh

Rob: Actually, there are lost minutes that have been found.

When these shows originally aired, there was more program time per half-hour and per hour than there is now and less commercial time then than there is now.

To make these older shows fit into the 30- and 60-minute time slots as more commercials have been added, older shows have had scenes edited out and have aired missing scenes for decades. To add back those missing scenes, while maintaining a modern-day commercial load, requires the off-the-clock start and stop times.

“Starting this February, we are now airing the original, uncut versions of most of our TV series, rather than the syndicated, shorter versions you see on other networks,” explained Adam Sumrall, executive vice president of FETV. “The several additional minutes from the original versions expands the amount of time needed on our schedule to complete these episodes.”

Q: Will “The Cleaning Lady” be back on Fox? I believe that you said it would be back, but so far I haven’t seen it. What about “The Resident”?

— Sue, Jeannette

Rob: Fox canceled “The Resident” in 2023. Fox’s “Cleaning Lady” is back at 8 p.m. March 25.