TV Talk: Local artist competes on Netflix’s ‘Blown Away;’ sweeps ratings

The fourth season of “Blown Away,” like the third season in 2022, features a Pittsburgher who works at the Pittsburgh Glass Center.

Sharpsburg’s Leana Quade, who works at PGC as an instructor and in production, is one of 10 competitors in a season that filmed last May and June in Hamilton, Ontario. The new season streams Friday.

Cleveland native Quade, 44, moved to Pittsburgh two years ago but she’s worked in glass art for 22 years. She said a “Blown Away” producer contacted PGC seeking contestants and Quade applied. She previously applied to seasons one and three of the show.

“I talked to [previous PGC ‘Blown Away’ contestant] John [Sharvin], who was here at the time, and he said it’s unlike anything that you are ready for as a glass blower,” Quade said, explaining that in making glass art, one doesn’t usually create a masterpiece on a first effort. “The first one looks very different from the 10th and maybe on the 50th you’re finally happy with it.”

She compared the show’s “random prompts” for creations to the experience of “cooking in someone else’s kitchen.”

“It was just having to do it so quickly; you didn’t have time to practice,” Quade said. “You didn’t have time to plan as much as you normally would. That was the hardest part.”

The world of glass art is so small that Quade knew half of her competitors.

To celebrate her role in “Blown Away,” Quade will participate in a “Blown Away”-themed “Hot Jam” 6-9 p.m. April 5 with two other contestants from this season (Jon Capps and Ryan Thompson), demonstrating glass blowing at the PGC, 5472 Penn Ave. on the border of Friendship and Garfield.

Quade said being on the show was “an experience,” which is what she wanted.

“It’s not that I want to be famous, but I want the exposure because it’s going to help my career I hope. It’s great advertising,” she said.

Quade said she could tell producers had their favorite contestants and she noted it’s not an actual shop, it’s a set in a studio.

“Things don’t flow like they should,” she said. “They did their best but they don’t know what a hot shop should be like because they’re not glassblowers. ‘It’s a set, don’t go near that wall, it’s cardboard and could catch on fire.’ But it was awesome because we all became really close friends. We have a group text and we talk every other day.”

Quade plans to use her Instagram, Instagram.com/quade_quade, or possibly Tik Tok to explain what viewers see on “Blown Away.”

“The show has done so much for the glass world, putting it back on the map, but the show does not explain or educate people enough,” she said. “I plan on posting about the educational side of things once the show comes out.”

Sweeps ratings

The local TV news ratings race remained competitive during the February 2024 sweeps period with these notable results:

• A tightening race for second place in the morning as KDKA-TV edged out a win over WPXI-TV in households at 5 and 6 a.m. KDKA won in the key ages 25-54 demo at 5 a.m. while WPXI came out on top in the demo at 6 a.m. As usual, WTAE-TV was first in households and the demo in both time periods.

• In the competition between WPKD-TV and a new newscast on WPGH-TV at 7 a.m., WPKD drew better household (1.2/5 vs. 0.3/1) and demo (0.4/5 vs. 0.1/2) ratings.

• WTAE-TV won at 4 and 6 p.m. in households and tied KDKA at 5 p.m.; WTAE won all three time periods in the demo, a nice close to Jim Parson’s tenure as Channel 4’s news director.

• WPXI’s 6:30 p.m. news on WPGH-TV came in fourth in the time period ahead of WPKD-TV and WPNT-TV in household (0.6/1) and the demo (0.3/2).

• The 7:30 p.m. newscast on KDKA ranked third in households and the demo.

• The new 8 p.m. newscast on WPKD came in fifth behind programming on KDKA, WPXI, WTAE, WPGH but ahead of WPNT-TV in rating (0.4/1) and demo (0.2/1).

• At 11 p.m. KDKA was No. 1 in households and the demo with WTAE second in households and WPXI second in the demo.

Viewership data released last week by Nielsen includes household ratings that reflect a measure of popularity and the more important-to-stations demographic ratings, including the key demo of ages 25-54, that are used to set ad rates. A TV rating is the percentage of all TV households (or of the demo) in the DMA; share is the percentage of households (or of the demo) watching TV at the time.

Penguins animated

For the second year in a row, ESPN+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney+ will present a live, animated presentation of an NHL game, this time featuring the Penguins at the Boston Bruins (3 p.m. Saturday).

“NHL Big City Greens Classic” features real-time animation that uses tracking technology to recreate the action with NHL players modeled after characters from Disney Channel’s “Big City Greens.” (The traditional telecast will be on ABC and ESPN+.)

Disney says with the blessing of Sidney Crosby, “Big City Greens” character Cricket will coach the Penguins.

RIP Janice Burgess

Squirrel Hill native Janice Burgess, creator of Nickelodeon’s early 2000s animated series “The Backyardigans,” died this week at age 72 in New York from breast cancer.

Burgess, who won two Daytime Emmys and also worked as a Nickelodeon creative executive, told me in 2006 that in her mind the unnamed setting for “Backyardigans” was the Pittsburgh backyard where she grew up.

“As a child, I had a group of friends, and we played in our backyards and I always thought of that as the place where we had extraordinary adventures — we sailed ships, we fought off lions,” she said. “It’s the starting point and ending point of every show and, in my mind, that’s my backyard in Pittsburgh.”

‘Pickers’ visits PA

History Channel’s “American Pickers” plans a visit to Pennsylvania next month and producers are seeking historically significant or rare items and unforgettable characters and their collections to consider for including in upcoming episodes for the series.

If you or someone you know (no stores, flea markets, museums of auction houses; individuals only) has a unique item or story to tell, send your name, phone number, location, description of the item/collection to americanpickers@cineflix.com or call 646-493-2184.

Renewed

CBS renewed freshman drama “Tracker” for a second season.

Fox will bring back the Joel McHale-hosted “Crime Scene Kitchen” for a third season to air during the 2024-25 TV season; it’s not part of a summer schedule Fox announced this week.

Netflix renewed its live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender” for a second and third season that will wrap up the series.