TV Q&A: Why does KDKA-TV play the national anthem every morning?

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: What is up with KDKA-TV playing the national anthem before the start of their morning news every day?

— @xloribeth, via Twitter

Rob: From near the dawn of broadcast television, it was common for TV stations to play the national anthem at the end of a broadcast day. That tradition went by the wayside in the cable TV era as stations aired infomercials and/or syndicated shows overnight and the broadcast day never really ended.

But a few station groups, including CBS O&Os like KDKA-TV, brought the patriotic music back in recent years. CBS opted to place it at the start of the broadcast day just before morning newscasts begin.

The New York Times reported in 2019 it was an effort to strike a note of unity during a time of deep political division, but also noted it rubs some viewers the wrong way.

Q: I wonder how people in Pittsburgh managed to survive all these years without the weathercaster telling us “what to wear” on their daily forecasts!

Most of us look outside, check the temperature and wear the appropriate clothing for the day. What’s next, telling us what to eat and when to go to bed?

— Rob, Greensburg

Rob: This wrinkle to the forecast does smack of consultant-driven efforts to be more relatable. I’m not offended by it as Rob from Greensburg seems to be, but I can certainly appreciate how the “what to wear” suggestion would provoke eye-rolling from some viewers.

Q: “NCIS: Los Angeles” is in its final season. Usually, a show ends based on lower viewership ratings but sometimes a show has run its course or some key cast members want to leave. Do any of these apply to this show?

— John, Uniontown

Rob: With a few exceptions for when the stars (“Friends,” “Seinfeld”) or creator (“This is Us”) choose to end a series, American TV shows almost always end for financial reasons.

Those financial reasons may be related to ratings, the usual culprit for a short-lived show. For a long-running series, the end often comes after years of incremental raises for the cast and crew. Eventually a show gets to the point where even if the ratings are still decent, the show becomes so expensive to produce that it can’t turn a profit.

My sense is the latter reason is why “NCIS: L.A.” is ending. Actors/characters on a procedural are fairly easily replaced (see: the original “NCIS” where that has happened with some frequency) so this one doesn’t seem like a cast decision, but a choice made by the bean counters at CBS Studios.

The two-part “NCIS: LA” series finale will air at 10 p.m. May 14 and 9 p.m. May 21.

Q: Will there (ever) be another season of EPIX/MGM+s “Get Shorty?”

— R.W.M., via email

Rob: There will not. “Get Shorty” was canceled after three seasons on then-Epix, now-MGM+.