TV Q&A: Why has KDKA's Heather Abraham been off so much lately?

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: What is up with KDKA-TV’s Heather Abraham missing work so often? I’ve never seen someone on a highly rated TV show disappear so often. Is she in contract negotiations and playing hard ball? I hope she’s OK.

— Al, North Huntington

Rob: This was the third question I got about Abraham’s recent absence from “Pittsburgh Today Live” and “Talk Pittsburgh.” There’s nothing funky going on. She was most recently on a scheduled weeklong vacation, which she posted about on her social media, and prior to that she was out due to covid, which she also posted about.

People who work in TV get vacation time and sick days, too.

Q: Do you know if Channel 11 is going to continue with “Chiller Theater” after its original run is supposed to end?

— Randy, Butler

Rob: Channel 11 has not announced any sort of extension for the series.

In a Facebook post, the new “Chiller Theater” host and WPXI-TV meteorologist Scott Harbaugh wrote, “The decision to not continue them right now is WAY above my level. My understanding is it could come back down the road … maybe a fall thing next year.”

Q: Why is Ellis Cannon not on PCNC? He always had extremely interesting guests from the city/county.

— Pat, via email

Rob: I reported in July that Cannon’s “Night Talk” and Chris Moore’s “Pittsburgh Now” were put on hiatus until at least the end of the year.

WPXI/PCNC general manager Kevin Hayes and news director Scott Trabandt did not respond when I sent them Pat’s question seeking an update.

Q: Is there any reason why the studios can’t air pilots from shows that never sold? That’s assuming that they still make pilots.

— Eric, via Facebook

Rob: If they have the rights, which I’d think they would, networks can air pilots that never made it to series but my guess is they see no financial/ratings upside and haven’t since the “CBS Summer Playhouse” of busted pilots in the ‘80s/‘90s.

It’s also true that networks make fewer pilots now, often just ordering shows straight to series. NBC did make a pilot for a new medical drama last spring that it then ordered to series last month, “Dr. Wolf” starring Pittsburgh native Zachary Quinto.

Q: What happened to “Project Blue Book” and have they had any second thoughts about canceling it considering that Congress has recently conducted sessions about UFOs?

— Cal, via voicemail

Rob: History canceled “Project Blue Book” in May 2020 despite fairly decent ratings. The network exited the weekly scripted series business following in the footsteps of sister-networks A&E and Lifetime. So, no, I don’t think History has considered reviving “Project Blue Book” or any weekly scripted shows.