TV Q&A: Where did Ray Petelin’s ‘Hey Ray’ sidekick go?

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: Why hasn’t Elizabeth Petelin been on the “Hey Ray” segments recently with her dad, KDKA-TV meteorologist Ray Petelin? The banter between them was priceless.

— Ed, via email

Rob: She’s just been living the life of a busy 16-year-old high school junior.

“We hit the end of summer and now she’s old enough to have a summer job — she was doing lifeguarding — and it was the start of the volleyball season so between that and my work schedule, we just didn’t have the time to do that so she got to take a little vacation,” Ray Petelin explained.

Never fear, by the time you read this, one new “Hey Ray” with Elizabeth has already aired and more will follow.

These science-focused segments — Petelin calls them “scientific shenanigans” — air on KDKA-TV during the Saturday morning newscasts. They’ve also been collected in one spot online at cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/local-news/hey-ray.

“Teachers ask all the time, ‘Can I use this in class?’ You can, 100%,” Petelin said. “We want everybody to use those for learning.”

Q: Why did Royce Jones abruptly and mysteriously leave KDKA?

— Beth, McCandless

Rob: Without station executives or Jones responding to requests for comment, viewers are left to speculate.

It’s not unusual for TV stations to not renew contracts of on-air talent. That happens in the TV business with some frequency. I don’t know for sure if that happened in this case but it certainly seems like a possibility. Based on the polarized reactions I received to the news of Jones’ departure, one could imagine he may have scored high positives and high negatives in station research.

Jones did post to Facebook, thanking viewers for their support and writing in part, “I hope my impact here in Pittsburgh has inspired you, created a ripple of change and pushed forward diversity and inclusion in a lasting manner for a city that so desperately needs it. I know there is a lot of discourse online regarding my departure. All I will say is, I am very much looking forward to expanding my career in an even broader, creative and fulfilling capacity.”

Q: How can KDKA not have at least one Black news anchor or Black news reporter on staff? The news department uses many Black people as experts and it covers any Black-related positive story on an almost daily basis but the reporting is always done by white people.

— Jack, Penn Township

Rob: I forwarded Jack’s very legitimate question to KDKA-TV news director Shawn Hoder, who did not respond.

The executives at KDKA have to be aware that the optics are quite bad for them at the moment in this regard and they really can’t afford to be in light of issues at other CBS-owned stations in recent years. I expect they will take steps to rectify the representation misalignment in the near future. In addition to the open position that Jones’ departure leaves, the station still needs a weekend morning anchor since the departure of Briana Smith in May.

Q: Given the impact of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, will Hallmark Channels have as many Christmas movies this year as promised?

— Elaine, Mt. Lebanon

Rob: This question arrived a couple of months ago but I could not get a straight answer from a Hallmark publicist on an exact count of Christmas movies until Sept. 19 when Hallmark announced it will debut 40 new movies across Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries this holiday season beginning Oct. 20. The channels also had 40 new movies in 2022.

Q: I know that NESN broadcasts the Red Sox and Bruins games in 4K as it comes up on my DIRECTV guide almost every game. Any word yet if this might be an offering here for Penguins games on SportsNet Pittsburgh?

— Josh, via email

Rob: My understanding is NESN, which will have operational control of SportsNet Pittsburgh beginning Oct. 2, is continuing to evaluate ways to enhance the presentation of its telecasts, including possibly the addition of 4K telecasts, but there are no immediate plans for 4K telecasts on SportsNet Pittsburgh.