TV Talk: Channel 19 to rebrand as KDKA+, change call letters
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Pittsburgh’s CBS-owned WPCW-TV, Channel 19, will become a fully independent station when it disaffiliates from The CW at the end of the day on Aug. 31. Channel 19 will also get new call letters and branding.
As expected, WPCW will become WPKD-TV with KDKA+ as the channel’s colloquial name in promotions. Channel 19 is a sister-station to KDKA-TV, Channel 2, with both stations under the same ownership and management. Promos for the rebranding began airing today.
WPKD’s new programming will include updated stories from CBS’s “48 Hours,” executive produced by Pittsburgh native Judy Tygard, at 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday beginning Sept. 11 and at 11:30 p.m. Friday following high school football games that begin airing this week at 7 p.m. Friday (first up: Blackhawk vs. Beaver Falls).
Future listings show WPKD airing “Family Feud” at 8 and 8:30 p.m. and “Friends” reruns at 9 and 9:30 p.m. until “48 Hours” begins on Sept. 11. (The syndicated version of “48 Hours” will air on all the CBS-owned stations that are disaffiliating from The CW.)
Channel 19 will continue to air a newscast at 10 p.m. and “Nightly Sports Call” at 10:30 p.m.
On Sept. 1 WPNT-TV, Channel 22, will become Pittsburgh’s CW station.
CNN goes Max
Although CNN+ didn’t last long, the cable news channel will try again when Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max subscription streaming service adds a 24/7 CNN Max live stream beginning Sept. 27 at no additional cost to Max subscribers at least at the start.
Due to cable contracts, CNN Max will not be an exact duplicate of what airs on the CNN linear channel – CNN’s 9 p.m. show hosted by Kaitlin Collins will not be included – but CNN Max will draw from the network’s U.S. and international feeds and will feature some new programming including “CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta, Rahel Solomon, Amara Walker and Fredricka Whitfield” and “CNN Newsroom with Jim Sciutto.”
CNN linear programs that will also appear on CNN Max include “Amanpour,” “Anderson Cooper 360,” “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”
Channel surfing
HBO’s “The Gilded Age” returns for its second season at 9 p.m. Oct. 29. … A more traditional Barbie than the meta, blockbuster summer movie will return to TV screens in Netflix’s animated series “Barbie: A Touch of Magic” (Sept. 14) as Barbie “Malibu” Roberts and Barbie “Brooklyn” Roberts team up for an adventure involving a mysterious Pegasus. … Per The Wall Street Journal, Nielsen will incorporate viewing data from streaming services for live programming which will likely boost the ratings for Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” and allow the company to charge more for TV ads. … New series “PBS Arts Talk” (7:30 p.m. Tuesday beginning Sept. 5, WQED-TV) will feature artists and cultural icons breaking down their craft and careers beginning with Henry Winkler and Seal in the first episode and Rhiannon Giddens and Brian Stokes Mitchell in the second episode.