Why do some local news anchors do double duty?
Post-Gazette TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions online every Friday in Tuned In Journal blog at post-gazette.com/tv. Here’s a selection of recent queries.
Q: Why does WPXI frequently have their regular news anchors doing sports? Why don’t they employ three sportscasters like KDKA and WTAE do?
— MATT, MUNHALL Rob: WPXI-TV news director Suzanne Nadell doesn’t agree with Matt’s assessment.
“I wouldn’t say that we regularly have a news anchor doing sports,” she replied. “We do on occasion, based on schedules, etc. We also continue to use Bill Phillips when Alby [Oxenreiter] and Chase [Williams] are either traveling or off. I don’t think having a third sports anchor would eliminate the occasional need to use a [news] anchor when you cover as much sports as we do. We are also lucky that several of our news anchors have been sports anchors in the past. So, it’s not something that’s completely new to them.”
And as we have noted in the past, the amount of time devoted to the “sports segment” near the end of a newscast has shrunk in recent decades for many reasons (sports news available via cable channels and the internet) as sports news often moves into the newsier beginning portion of the newscast, especially in Pittsburgh where Steelers (and to a lesser extent Penguins and Pirates) news keeps viewers tuned into a newscast.
Q: Is NBC going to air more episodes of the game show “The Wall”? — MICHAEL,
MONACA Rob: NBC renewed “The Wall” for a third season in March 2018. Then, host Chris Hardwick faced allegations of misconduct by an exgirlfriend. He was suspended from “The Talking Dead” as an investigation ensued and was later cleared to return. Presumably NBC wanted some distance from that before airing new episodes of “The Wall,” which will be back at 8 p.m. June 20.
Q: Has the show “Instinct” been canceled or when will it be back on? The show was on CBS. — STEPHANIE, PENN
HILLS Rob: CBS executives evidently liked “Instinct” enough to renew it for a second season but not enough to air it in-season. “Instinct” returns for its second season at 9 p.m. June 16.
Q: The documentary “Science Fair” is one I’ve looked forward to watching for a long time. Your information on it being offered on May 9 on National Geographic was great news. Imagine my surprise to learn it’s not listed in the Guide on my Comcast Infinity. It looks like it is only available if purchased. Could you look into this please?
— JONI, BRIDGEVILLE Rob: Imagine my surprise (re: incredible frustration) to learn Nat Geo’s “Science Fair” premiere, announced in February, was yanked one week prior with no notice sent to TV writers.
Nat Geo now says “Science Fair” will air sometime this fall, but no airdate has been announced.