TV Q&A: Why cover a water main break that affects few viewers?
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: Breaking news! Water main break! With six hours of local news per day, it is amazing that reporters from KDKA-TV, WTAE-TV and WPXI-TV spend so much time reporting on water main breaks. These are not breaks that close major roads but mostly breaks in small neighborhoods around the city. A handful of residents may be affected, but no significant disruptions to traffic or business. Apparently, with so much time to fill for six hours of news per day, we now have reporters chasing water authority vehicles to get breaking news. Let’s get real about what is news and what is fluff and filler to support six hours of local news.
— Rob, Greensburg
Rob: Crime and/or public works news is easy to cover — it’s not resource-intensive — and that’s one reason why it gets an inordinate amount of coverage. Another, perhaps, is that some surveys show viewers want to know what’s happening “down the block,” hence, hyper-local coverage that is of keen interest to a few and a big yawn to many.
Q: Do the local news channels have someone whose job is to proofread before showing words on the TV screen? A few weeks ago, the big story was about Mayor Ed Gainey and Rich Fitzgerald. In very large print, the words on the screen read: “OFFICALS test positive for covid-19.” This happens quite often, especially on Channel 11. I guess spelling doesn’t matter anymore. Your thoughts?
— Sherry, Murrysville
Rob: Spelling does matter, but with so much more news and not a commensurate number of people hired to prepare it, things slip through the cracks. Human errors happen. I could have a typo in this column.
It’s the responsibility of a newscast producer to make sure there are not spelling errors that may have been entered by a graphic artist or a reporter.
Q: Do you know why “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” showed reruns the week of May 9? They were scheduled to air new shows. (I know Stephen Colbert had a covid relapse, but I haven’t heard any news about Trevor Noah.)
— Mark, Squirrel Hill
Rob: Noah posted to Instagram on May 12 that his grandmother, who previously appeared on “The Daily Show,” died.
“The Daily Show” already was scheduled to be on hiatus May 16-30. New episodes will resume May 31.
Q: I’m hooked on all the “Below Deck” shows on Bravo. “Below Deck: Sailing Yacht” did not air an episode May 2. Will more be made?
— Nancy via Facebook
Rob: Yes, it appears Bravo aired an alternate program May 2, but this iteration of the “Below Deck” franchise looks like it will continue airing new episodes Monday nights through June 20.
Earlier this month, Bravo announced renewals for “Below Deck” and “Below Deck Mediterranean.” A new spin-off coming this fall, “Below Deck Adventure,” will be set in the glacial fjords of Norway, where charter guests will paraglide, cave rappel and cold-water plunge in Scandinavian waters.
You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow @RobOwenTV on Threads, X, Bluesky and Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.
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