Rob Owen stories, Page 31
TV Talk: WOW wrestling star Rachel Kelvington has roots in Western Pa.Video
On the first-year, nationally-syndicated series “WOW — Women of Wrestling,” wrestler Chantilly Chella is from Indio, Calif. In real life, the woman who plays Chella, Rachel Kelvington, is from Western Pennsylvania. But the rest of Chella’s backstory, as revealed in a November episode (supportive mom, alcoholic dad), syncs up with...
TV Q&A: Who’s the new KDKA-TV anchor?
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: I turned KDKA-TV on as a newscast was concluding at 7 p.m. Dec. 2. There was a new female anchor with Kym Gable. Who is...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking ‘White Lotus’ season finale, Steve Byrne, ‘A League of Their Own,’ Beau BermanVideo
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including the status of Pittsburgh-filmed “A League of Their Own.” It’s now been roughly four months since the premieres of filmed-in-Pittsburgh series Amazon Freevee comedy...
TV Talk: Everything you need to know about the state of subscription streaming TV, top streaming services
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers viewing tips for would-be streaming service subscribers. The business of streaming TV, which impacts the offerings subscribers receive in their home, is in a state of confusion. Until earlier this year when Netflix saw a 200,000 decline in subscriptions — it’s first...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh native Antoine Fuqua directs Will Smith in ‘Emancipation’ on Apple TV+Video
Pittsburgh native Antoine Fuqua (“The Equalizer,” “Southpaw”) directed Will Smith in Apple TV+’s action-heavy, would-be awards contender “Emancipation” well before Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars earlier this year. “Four hundred years of slavery is bigger than one moment,” Fuqua told Vanity Fair. “My hope is that people will...
TV Q&A: When will KDKA-TV’s Jon Delano escape his attic?
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: I’m wondering if you could find out when KDKA-TV will let Jon Delano out of his attic? — Ken, South Park Rob: In fairness, he...
TV Talk: ‘QED Cooks’ returns with first episode since the pandemic, ‘When in Rome’Video
WQED’s Saturday morning cooking franchise series “QED Cooks” returns with its first new episode since the March 2020 onset of the covid-19 pandemic with “When in Rome” (10 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturday and airing in the same time slot Dec. 17 and 20). Taped in late October and once again featuring...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking local TV news ratings, ‘Greg Donny,’ Top 10 TV of 2022
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including the return of Yinzer-accented web comedy series “Greg Donny.” Owen and Benz also discuss November sweeps ratings for local TV newscasts, which station came...
TV Talk: Best scripted TV/streaming series of 2022
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. While TV and streaming offer fresh programming year-round, December remains one of the quieter TV months — that makes it a good time to catch up on shows you’ve missed. Below, you’ll find my favorites...
TV Talk: ‘Greg & Donny’ returns; sweeps ratings favor KDKA-TV, WTAE-TVVideo
Yinzerific web comedy series “Greg & Donny” hasn’t produced regular episodes since 2016, save for two pandemic specials in March and April 2020, but the series returns Dec. 6 with the first in a batch of new episodes. Unlike in past seasons where episodes were shot in advance and rolled...
TV Talk: ‘Willow’ returns as Disney+ fantasy seriesVideo
In the ongoing quest to revive and dump everything-and-the-kitchen-sink onto streaming platforms, Disney+ introduces “Willow,” a series follow-up to the 1988 fantasy film about young farmer Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) who is tasked with protecting the baby Elora Danan from evil queen Bavmorda. At the time, “Willow” was a modest...
TV Q&A: How do evening newscast hours differ from one another?
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: Local news now starts at 4 p.m. weekdays and goes for several hours. At the top of each hour, the anchors sometimes change and they...
TV Talk: Gift ideas for TV fans of Mister Rogers, ‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘V’
For the TV fan on your gift-giving list, consider one of these options: “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” — For those who crochet, this Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood crochet set ($25, Thunder Bay Press) includes 12 colors of yarn and step-by-step instructions to crochet Mister Rogers and finger puppet characters from the Neighborhood...
TV Talk: WPXI-TV off DISH Network just in time for Steelers game
It was odd enough that the ESPN “Monday Night Football” game featuring the Steelers is being simulcast locally on WPXI-TV — for years WTAE-TV has carried the local simulcast — but now it’s even stranger because Channel 11 is no longer being carried by DISH Network. Again, a retransmission fee...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking Steelers Monday night move from WTAE to WPXI, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ holiday specialVideo
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including why the local simulcast of tonight’s ESPN Steelers game, usually on WTAE-TV, is on WPXI-TV. It seems likely that WTAE parent company Hearst lost...
TV Talk: Local TV stations set holiday programs
This year, broadcast networks have gone all-in on holiday programs, including CBS’s new animated special “Reindeer in Here” (9 p.m. Nov. 29) and three CBS holiday movies (8:30 p.m. Dec. 4 and 18, 9 p.m. Dec. 11), PBS’s 2022 “Call the Midwife” holiday special (9 p.m. Dec. 25, WQED-TV) and...
TV Q&A: Are there sponsored segments on ‘Pittsburgh Today Live’?
Q: How does KDKA-TV’s “Pittsburgh Today Live” decide where they do stories at? They seem to frequent a lot of the same places every few weeks/months, like Nemacolin or Uniontown’s Neubauer’s Market. “PTL’s” Celina Pompeani typically does these stories. Does she get to decide on the location, or are these...
TV Talk: ‘Criminal Minds’ returns, sadistic as ever; Wednesday Addams is back on NetflixVideo
The dirty little secret of all the streaming services: Even though they pour all their energy into promoting their original series, it’s often the reruns of existing shows that keep subscribers watching. It’s why HBO Max reclaimed “Friends” and Peacock clawed back rights to “The Office.” (The week of Oct....
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: ‘Christmas Story’ sequel, ‘Spirited,’ ‘Best in Snow,’ ‘Andor’
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including a quartet of Pittsburghers on Disney+’s “Best in Snow.” Owen reviews HBO Max sequel “A Christmas Story Christmas” and Apple TV+’s “Spirited.” Benz previews...
TV Talk: McCandless native Greg Nicotero directs ‘The Walking Dead’ series finaleVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Things were not looking great for the humans in the penultimate episode of AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” They were surrounded after zombies breached the perimeter of the Commonwealth just as Daryl (Norman Reedus), Maggie (Lauren...
TV Talk: Pittsburghers compete on Best in Snow;’ ‘Christmas Story’ sequel debuts on HBO MaxVideo
Four friends who met working at the Pittsburgh Glass Center formed a team competing on Disney+’s snow-carving special “Best in Snow,” streaming Nov. 18. It’s unlike other crafts competitions – Netflix’s “Blown Away,” “Drink Masters” – because while those series rely on competitors’ experience and skill, “Best in Snow” pairs...
TV Q&A: Which Penguins games will air on WTAE-TV?
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: In a TV spot, WTAE general manager Mr. Wolfertz said Channel 4 will carry four Penguins games this year, but he didn’t say which ones...
TV Talk: Ryan Houston will leave WPXI-TV; more ‘Cartoon Academy’ on WQED-TV
Ryan Houston, who joined WPXI-TV as weekend evening and night anchor in December 2019, will depart the station Nov. 28. He’s returning home to his native Pine Bluff, Ark., to help care for an ailing family member. “My stepfather has colon cancer and my mother told me she needs some...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking ‘SNL,’ Steelers time slot change, ‘Tulsa King,’ ‘Virulent,’ ‘American Rust’ needs extras
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including the Steelers game on Nov. 20 getting downgraded from prime time to a late afternoon starting time, a call for extras on season two...
TV Talk: ‘Fleishman is in Trouble’ marks worthy screen adaptation
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Produced by FX for Hulu, “Fleishman Is in Trouble” proves frustrating but ultimately rewarding. Frustrating because it teases a mystery and then goes off on character tangents for multiple episodes, but ultimately rewarding because when...
