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 the future of AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh? Back in February, the predictions were dire. Since then, there’s been nothing in the news about their status. Still debating whether to keep my Comcast cable or cut the cord, but don’t want to make any decision until I know its fate.

— Dom, Franklin Park

Rob: Warner Bros. Discovery still intends to wind down operations of AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, probably by the end of this year, with a goal, they say, to do that in the least disruptive way possible. What will become of the rights to Pirates and Penguins games has not yet been announced and probably not fully worked out. I’d say it’s too soon to say whether or not it makes sense to cut the cable cord.

Because Fenway Sports Group owns the Penguins and also owns a majority share of the New England Sports Network, one could imagine Penguins games moving to that channel, but then NESN would need to get cable/satellite carriage in Western Pa.

My understanding is the Penguins are better positioned to take a leadership stake, possibly even taking control of AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. Under that scenario the Pirates would be in a secondary position, which makes outcomes for where the Pirates may land murkier.

With WPCW-TV disaffiliating from The CW, that frees up more air time and we’ve already seen WPCW announce plans for low-cost coverage of local high school and college football games. But does WPCW/KDKA corporate owner Paramount Global want to invest in a high-cost MLB deal or just use WPCW as a promotional platform for Paramount+? I’m inclined to think more the latter, but we’ll see.

Q: What have you heard about The CW affiliation for Pittsburgh now that WPCW-TV is dropping The CW? I would imagine WPNT-TV is the favorite, but what about someone like WINP-TV, since E.W. Scripps owns Ion now and could use the station to establish a competing news department while moving Ion to a subchannel? I doubt WPCB-TV will take it, but what about WTAE-TV or WPXI putting it on a subchannel?

Speaking of WPXI, what are the chances that WPCW takes on the WIIC-TV call sign? CBS seems to be big on legacy calls. And what will the branding be like? Maybe brand it as KDKA+ like Fox has done to some MyNetworkTV stations in duopoly markets.

— Joseph, Columbus, Ohio

Rob: I don’t think Ion has any interest in replacing its own network with a rival network. I suspect The CW could wind up on a local digital subchannel, especially if WPNT can’t exit its My Network TV contract to become a CW affiliate. Which station’s digital subchannel? Who knows. But it seems highly unlikely any Pittsburgh station not currently producing news will add a news department. If some places in the U.S. are a news desert, Pittsburgh is a news tropical rainforest.

As noted in my recent column on The CW picking up “The Chosen,” CW executives are confident they will land on a Pittsburgh over-the-air channel (WPCW’s last day as a CW station will be Aug. 31), which would be good news for local viewers, particularly sports fans now that The CW has announced plans to air 50 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) college football and basketball games each season through 2026-27, beginning with a football matchup of the Pitt Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats Sept. 9.

I’ve asked CW execs if they’d be willing to accept a .2, .3 or .4 digital subchannel position but they have twice dodged answering that question.

I can’t imagine why CBS would want to take the former call letters of a rival station. KDKA+ branding does seem like a possibility. It appears Paramount Global has submitted a request to the FCC to change the call letters of WPCW to WPKD, possibly rebranding the station as “Paramount’s KDKA.”

Q: What has been going on in the sports department at WPXI for about the last month or so? Instead of it being sporadic like it was before, the news anchors have been doing the sports segments on the news more than the actual sports anchors. Also, “The Final Word” show on Sunday nights has been hosted by blogger/writer Chris Carter a few times, and at least once was done by news anchor Rich Pierce. Normally I’d think this is due to vacation season in the summer, but I don’t ever remember it being like this the past few years.

— Ryan, via email

Rob: A confluence of events: Alby Oxenreiter has been out following heart valve surgery and Jenna Harner took time off to get a wedding dress, which she posted about on her social media.

see yinz back on @WPXI tomorrow night! pic.twitter.com/2yxTCOU6jY

— Jenna Harner (@JennaHarner11) July 11, 2023

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Q: What happened to ABC’s “The Wonder Years?” After airing five episodes, it has now disappeared from my upcoming DVR recordings.

— Patrick, via Facebook

Rob: “The Wonder Years” was pre-empted July 12 for “The 2023 ESPYS,” featuring a notable appearance by Pitt grad Damar Hamlin, and July 19 for “CMA Fest.” “The Wonder Years” will return on July 26.

Q: Will new episodes of “Tacoma F.D.” start airing on truTV anytime soon or has that show been canceled?

— Zach, via email

Rob: The show’s fourth season premiered at 10 p.m. July 20 on truTV.

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