TV Q&A: Why hasn’t Suzie Cool been on ‘Nightly Sports Call’?

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: Why haven’t I seen Suzie Cool on KDKA-TV or KDKA+ as much recently? Is she still working for Channel 2?

— Jim, via email

Rob: Cool has always been a freelancer for KDKA, and lately she’s had other gigs keeping her busy, which she’s posted about to social media, including duties on the “Steelers Showcase Game of the Week” high school football games Friday nights on WKPD-TV (KDKA+) and she was announced as the Penguins’ new in-game host.

“Yes, I have a full plate heading into this month/traveled a lot for various opportunities this summer,” Cool said earlier this month. “I’ll still be on ‘Nightly Sports Call,’ but it’ll be probably once a month or when my schedule truly allows it with everything else I have going on!”

Q: When KDKA sports anchor Bob Pompeani calls the Steelers’ preseason games, is he employed by the Steelers? After all, he is wearing a Steelers shirt, holding a Steelers microphone and the game is a Steelers media production.

If so, why does KDKA/CBS allow this? Will other KDKA reporters start wearing UPMC or Giant Eagle shirts when reporting on those companies?

And when reporting on the Steelers and NFL, shouldn’t KDKA/CBS always disclose the fact that they are in business with them?

— Robert, West Mifflin

Rob: Yes, that would be the prudent, most ethically correct thing to do. But when it comes to sports journalism, these sorts of ethical concerns have gone by the wayside. See: Plans for the NFL to take a 10% equity stake in ESPN, which could compromise journalistic independence by creating an appearance of a conflict of interest.

Regardless, Robert’s concerns stand. KDKA has long had a business deal with the Steelers as “the official Steelers station,” which includes the rights to televise preseason games. That alone is problematic in the same way the ESPN-NFL deal is. Dressing a sports anchor/reporter in Steelers garb only puts more of a spotlight on those ethical worries.

CBS did not respond to a request for comment.

Q: I’d like to point out an Irony Alert regarding WTAE’s frequent promos for the Steelers’ game in Ireland this month. The background music for these promos is bagpipe music, but the irony is that the tune the bagpipes play is “Scotland the Brave,” a standard I played on bagpipes in my high school band. Even though bagpipes are common in Ireland, “Scotland the Brave” is definitely NOT on the playlist. A more recent WTAE promo had a piper playing the “Blue Bells of Scotland,” also not on the Irish playlist!

— Robert, via email

Rob: I wonder if the bagpipers at Carnegie Mellon University caught the mismatch Robert describes.

Q: Do you know what happened to the Binge channel? It was an over-the-air channel that was on 61.2, which is now some movie channel. I’m trying to find where Binge was moved to for my grandparents, and I can’t find anything about it.

— Josh, via email

Rob: Binge relocated to low-power WBYD, Channel 39.1.