TV Q&A: Did a WPXI reporter exit?

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 saw that WPXI has a new reporter, Rachel Pierce. Who did she replace?

— Gary, via Facebook

Rob: It’s unclear if Rachel Pierce is a full-time station employee or a freelancer. WPXI news director Scott Trabandt did not respond to Gary’s query; Rachel Pierce did not respond when I reached out to her via social media.

To answer the next question I’ll receive, she is NOT related to WPXI anchor/reporter Rich Pierce.

Looking around online, it appears this Rachel Pierce, a New Jersey native, was formerly with WBOC-TV in Salisbury, Md., where she’d been a reporter/MMJ since graduating from Syracuse University in 2021.

As for who Rachel Pierce replaces, it could have been reporter Jillian Hartmann, who exited Channel 11 in late March for a job at the Fox affiliate in Houston. Or maybe Rachel Pierce replaces reporter Antoinette DelBel, who posted about her departure after two years at WPXI on May 27, writing on Facebook, “Yesterday was my last day at Channel 11 News. It’s been a great experience but I’m looking forward to a new chapter in my life. I’ll be sure to keep you all posted. For now, I’m taking some much-needed time for myself.”

Q: Why aren’t PBS shows ever nominated for Emmys, Golden Globes, etc.? Is it because of their unique government/public funding status? There’s no finer show on than “All Creatures Great and Small,” yet it’s never nominated.

— Jeff, North Side

Rob: PBS shows are nominated for the awards Jeff mentions, just not as often (being publicly funded is irrelevant).

Hollywood awards shows are often popularity contests, even if the contest is among the awards body voters and not the viewing public at large.

While “All Creatures” is a hit in PBS circles, it hasn’t broken through in the general entertainment zeitgeist in the same way “Downton Abbey” did. “Downton” was nominated for 69 prime-time Emmys and won 15. The series received 11 Golden Globe nominations and won three.

In addition, PBS shows often get nominated and win in other, non-primetime Emmy races, including most recently the 46th Annual News Documentary Emmy Awards, which announced nominations for “PBS NewsHour,” “Frontline” and other PBS shows.

Q: Will WQED-TV air more episodes of Sunday 11 p.m. drama series “Velvet”?

— Cathy, Apollo

Rob: Have to admit, I’d never heard of this show. Looking online, it seems to be a Walter Presents series that is carried by some PBS stations. The 16-episode first season and 13-episode second season are available on PBS Passport, a streaming service included with an annual $60 donation (or $5 monthly) to PBS member stations.

“Velvet” is a four-season Spanish drama set in the late 1950s, produced from 2014-16, that some PBS stations started airing with English subtitles this year.

WQED finished airing the first season on May 18. Given that season two is already on PBS Passport, it seems like PBS already has the rights to season two. My understanding is season two will be made available for linear airing on PBS stations, likely this fall.