TV Q&A: Why isn’t Chris DeRose on KDKA-TV in the mornings?

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 Chris DeRose still at KDKA-TV? He’s been on sporadically in the morning.

— Dave, via email

Rob: He’s still there, just no longer working mornings.

“After a year working the mornings, I am happy to say that I have gotten a bit of a bump up and I am now working dayside with most of my stories airing during the evening broadcasts,” DeRose explained. “While I am still able and willing to fill in whenever and on whatever story comes my way, my focus dayside is largely on telling community feature stories.”

Q: I see CBS is promoting “Ghosts UK.” Will this be a limited or regular series? I assume these are original episodes the American “Ghosts” is based on.

I like “Ghosts,” but am a little surprised they are showing these as it forces a UK vs. US comparison … especially if the UK version is better. Thoughts?

— Beth, McCandless

Rob: The British “Ghosts,” which inspired the American series, was already available in the U.S. on Max when the American “Ghosts” premiered. And some folks already decided the British show was better. (The American episodes largely have their own stories — beyond the similar premise — especially after its first season as the characters and relationships evolved.)

The American show is a hit. Airing the British version seems unlikely to damage the brand because American viewers have attachments to the characters in the American version. I think it’s a brilliant scheduling move that was necessary due to the U.S. writers’ and actors’ strikes.

The British season ran for five seasons, but as is customary in England, “Ghosts UK” produced at most seven episodes per season for a total of 34 episodes over its entire run.

The American “Ghosts” returns for a new season at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 15, at which point “Ghosts UK” will come off the CBS schedule. If CBS continues airing two episodes per week, there will still be some unaired “Ghosts UK” episodes when the American show returns. Season two of “Ghosts UK” begins airing Dec. 7.

Q: We enjoy watching the local news on KDKA-TV through the CBS News Pittsburgh app while on the West Coast, along with the nightly sports show at 10:35 p.m. on KDKA+.

We attempted to watch the “#1 Cochran Sports Showdown,” but we were unsuccessful. Is this show available live to watch online?

— Marilyn, Pittsburgh

Rob: It is, but often during the NFL season the CBS prime-time schedule is delayed, which delays the late news and “Sports Showdown.” That’s what happened on Nov. 19 when Marilyn tried to watch.

Q: Netflix offers the first eight seasons of “Suits,” but not the ninth. I was wondering why that is the case. And will season nine eventually be offered on Netflix? Season nine is available on Amazon Prime with a subscription, but not the first eight seasons. You are able to rent all nine seasons from Amazon.

— Alex, via email

Rob: NBCUniversal-owned Peacock streams all nine seasons of “Suits” so that is the place to watch for completists.

It’s possible that the ninth season could come to Netflix eventually – licensing deals tend to be fluid and ever-changing – but for now, it seems like NBCUniversal, which owns “Suits,” wants to keep the entire series as an exclusive for its own streaming service.