TV Talk: Stacy Smith, Patrice King Brown reunite for UPMC video podcast

It’s been 14 years since they anchored a KDKA-TV newscast together, but Patrice King Brown, who retired in 2011, and Stacy Smith, who hung up his mic in 2021, reunited this summer to record a UPMC Health Plan video podcast, “Medicare for the Record.”

Although the job was different, Brown and Smith said working together felt the same.

“Stacy and I learned a particular rhythm over the 20-some years that we worked together, and when we got started with this, we just fell back into it with the flow,” Brown said. “It was so comfortable to work with him. I could read him and he could read me.”

Smith agreed.

“On the anchor desk you do get to know the other person,” he said. “You know when they need to say something or want to say something or when you’re tired of talking. Some of those breaking news stories we were on for hours and hours and hours, so you learn to yin and yang.”

In “Medicare for the Record,” Brown and Smith talk to experts, largely UMPC personnel, on different aspects of Medicare, “from Medicare Advantage plan changes and enrollment timelines to Medicare costs and prescription drug coverage,” per UPMC.

Episodes are premiering ahead of the annual Medicare enrollment period, Oct. 15-Dec. 7.

Smith said the podcast format allows for a deeper dive than would be possible on a newscast.

“We do interviews on television for the newscasts and only a certain amount is going to be aired, and usually it’s the most enticing sound bite that we can find,” Smith said. “With this podcast, we were able to really delve into a lot of different issues in Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. … We were learning things right from the beginning.”

The series came about after Smith dined with a UPMC executive and talk turned to the topic of an elderly parent having a difficult time navigating Medicare.

“The thought hit me about doing a podcast on this thing,” Smith said. He contacted Brown, who lives in Southern California, and the pair filmed the eight episodes in Pittsburgh over three days in July.

While working together again came naturally, the topic necessitated some adjustments.

“This crew did a marvelous job,” Smith said of the UPMC Health Plan team that put the series together. “It was a surprise to me, and I think to Patrice also, as to how much preciseness you have to have in dealing with Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.”

If something wasn’t phrased quite right by the hosts or if the guests interviewed didn’t get an answer exactly right, they had to re-record pieces of the episode.

Angela Moczan, UPMC Health Plan’s chief operating officer for Medicare, said the need for specificity and accuracy is a requirement of the federal government.

“Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, has very specific rules that we have to abide by as a Medicare Advantage plan,” Moczan explained. “A lot of our information has to be reviewed before it can be sent out to our members, so we just have to be careful and make sure that we’re stating things in accordance with those regulations.”

Since retiring, Brown has done some infomercials and voiceover work while Smith hosts two biweekly podcasts on finance (“The Bull, the Bear and You”) and politics (“Trunk N’ Tails”) available as audio and video podcasts at youtube.com/@ATTWSS.

The first “Medicare for the Record” episode debuted this week with subsequent episodes dropping weekly on Mondays. It’s available as an audio podcast (via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, etc.) and as a video podcast on the UPMC Health Plan YouTube channel and on the web at upmchealthplan.com/medicare/learn/fortherecord.

Although this current series is complete, it’s possible Brown and Smith will return to the studio to record something else for UPMC Health Plan.

“If I have a say in it, I would definitely look forward to doing some more episodes like this,” Moczan said. “We would love to see the success of it; see how many listeners we get. One of the things that we do know is that more than 60% of those who are 65 years or older actually listen to podcasts to learn. This seems like its going to be a great way to get a lot of information to our population.”

‘The Pitt’ hit status confirmed

As if we needed further proof beyond the Emmy Award wins and the show’s place in the post-monoculture zeitgeist, Deadline.com reports “The Pitt” has shown the largest post-season viewership growth for a debut season of any HBO or HBO Max series.

Warner Bros. Discovery says since the April 10 finale, “The Pitt” has seen its average audience spike 80% to amass more than 18 million global viewers per episode

WBD also says global viewing of “The Pitt” in the week after the Emmy wins was nearly triple that of the week prior, notching the series’ best week of viewing since April.

New British mystery

Next week streaming service Acorn TV debuts the six-episode, 1980s-set mystery series “Murder Before Evensong” (Sept. 29), starring Matthew Lewis (“Harry Potter,” “All Creatures Great and Small”) as Canon Daniel Clement, Rector of Champton, who gets entangled in a murder case when a dead body turns up at the back of the church.

The show is based on bestselling books, the “Canon Clement Mysteries,” by British author the Rev. Richard Coles.

Western channel launches

There’s a new over-the-air channel devoted to classic Western TV shows that’s set to debut Sept. 29 on Pittsburgh’s Channel 61.5.

WEST (Western Entertainment Series Television), also available on DISH network Channel 372, will feature episodes of “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza,” “Maverick,” “Rawhide,” “Wagon Train,” “The Virginian” and “Daniel Boone,” among other series.

Kept/canceled/revived

Amazon’s Prime Video renewed “We Were Liars” for a second season.

MTV canceled “Catfish: the TV Show” after nine seasons.

Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” ended last week as a series but will wrap its story with a movie.

Timed to the 50th anniversary of “The Muppet Show,” Disney+ will stream a “Muppet Show” special next year eyed as a backdoor pilot for a potential new series. Seth Rogen executive produces and Sabrina Carpenter guest stars.

Fox gave a reimagined “Baywatch” a 12-episode, straight-to-series order for the 2026-27 TV season. No word yet if David Hasselhoff or any of the original show’s cast members will return.

Channel surfing

This week, Lucasfilm released the first trailer for “Star Wars” film “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” a spinoff from Disney+’s streaming series “The Mandalorian” that’s due in theaters May 22. The film is written by Jon Favreau and Mt. Lebanon native Dave Filoni. … Peacock’s “The Office” spinoff, “The Paper,” already renewed for a second season, will get a linear run of its first season on NBC Monday nights at 8:30 p.m. beginning Nov. 10. … With the latest departure of cast member Ego Nwodim, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” will kick off its 51st season Oct. 4 (11:30 p.m.) with host Bad Bunny and musical guest Doja Cat. Amy Poehler hosts Oct. 11 with Role Model and Sabrina Carpenter will be host and perform as musical guest on Oct. 18. … The cost of Disney+ with ads will rise from $10 to $12 per month on Oct. 21; Disney+ Premium (without ads) goes from $16 to $19 per month. Hulu with ads increases from $10 per month to $12 per month on the same date but Hulu with no ads remains $19 per month. The cost of the Disney+. Hulu and ESPN Unlimited bundle with ads remains $30 per month (for the first 12 months).