Why isn’t Stacy Smith seen on KDKA-TV’s noon news anymore?
Q: Why is Kristine Sorensen doing the noon news during the weekdays on KDKA-TV by herself and not with Stacy Smith?
— MARILYN, CECIL Rob: KDKA-TV news director Kathy Hostetter said Smith is “reducing his workload here at KDKA so he can enjoy more time outside of KDKA” but will continue to anchor the 4 and 6 p.m. newscasts.
“The station agreed to my request to reduce my workload so that is why I am no longer anchoring the noon news,” Smith said. “I have also used some vacation for the month of September. It is a great month for vacation.”
Sorensen will continue to anchor the noon news.
Q: Do you have any idea why “Talking Dead” after “Fear the Walking Dead” on AMC only appeared four times this past season instead of after every episode like it used to, and will it be the same thing for the upcoming 10th season of “The Walking Dead”?
— JOE VIA EMAIL Rob: AMC does seem to have confused some viewers with its changing and different strategies for “Talking Dead” when it follows “Fear the Walking Dead” vs. “The Walking Dead.”
We reported last year on how “Talking Dead” would air only a couple of times following “Fear the Walking Dead” although if Joe is right that it appeared four times that’s two more times than AMC said it would, which only further foments confusion.
“Talking Dead” will follow every episode of “The Walking Dead” in this current season.
Q: I just saw the news about “Sesame Street” moving to HBO Max from HBO. What does that mean to people who get HBO/HBO Kids through their cable provider and have no need to sign up for the streaming service? Or will we need to drop HBO on cable and sign up for HBO Max? Will “Sesame Street” still be available on demand through Amazon Prime? I have a disabled adult son, and “Sesame Street” is a very important part of his life.
— LINDA VIA EMAIL Rob: The good news is “Sesame Street” episodes will continue to be available via PBS stations, including Pittsburgh’s WQED-TV, for free about nine months after they air on HBO. But original episodes of “Sesame Street” will move from HBO to HBO Max for the show’s 51st season in 2020.
This isn’t a huge surprise. A large part of the reason “Sesame Street” moved from PBS to HBO to begin with is because HBO wanted the show for its HBO Now subscription streaming service. With the advent of HBO Max, which has become a higher priority for Warner Media and seems likely to eventually lead to the shuttering of OTT service HBO Now, it makes sense from a business standpoint to move the show to the prioritized streamer.
“Sesame Street” will be available on Amazon through the end of this year and possibly until fall 2020.
“It is vital to Sesame Workshop’s mission to be as broadly available as possible, to reach all viewers,” said a representative for the “Sesame Street” parent company in a statement. “For your reader Linda and her son, noncable viewing options include PBS, the PBS Kids streaming app (free and downloadable on all devices) and the Sesame Street YouTube channel.”
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