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: Who will the Pirates announcers be this season on SportsNet Pittsburgh?
— Chris, via email
Rob: This week, SportsNet Pittsburgh announced its Pirates broadcast team for 2024. Greg Brown and Joe Block will share play-by-play duties.
Color analysts will include returning personalities and Pirates alumni Bob Walk, John Wehner, Kevin Young, Matt Capps and Neil Walker. Pittsburgh native Hannah Mears will serve as sideline reporter.
The studio team will feature Rob King as host for most games. In-studio analysts will include Pirates alumni Michael McKenry, Steven Brault, Jordy Mercer and Alex Presley. Young, Capps and Walker will also make appearances in the studio throughout the season in addition to being in the booth.
Dan Potash and Hailey Hunter will share additional hosting and sideline responsibilities during the season, too.
SNP coverage of the 2024 Pirates season begins with spring training Feb. 25 as the Pirates host the Baltimore Orioles at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.
Q: I noticed this interesting weather map on the Feb. 9 edition of “NBC Nightly News” that labels the following Pennsylvania cities: Scranton. Philadelphia. And … Penn Hills? Was this some automated mapping software gone awry? Or was some graphics technician at NBC News playing a joke on us?
— Mark, Squirrel Hill
Rob: My initial thought was it was an Easter egg for the benefit of “NBC Nightly News” executive producer Meghan Rafferty, who grew up in Churchill and is an Oakland Catholic High School grad. I’m told that was not the case but I could not get an explanation for why Penn Hills was used on the map.
Q: We have the Xfinity Popular TV lineup. In January, Pittsburgh SportsNet was removed from our package. When we had Pittsburgh SportsNet, we were being charged $13.30 for a regional sports fee. Our current bill which covers February 12 to March 11 still has the $13.30 regional sports fee. Should this fee be eliminated or reduced since we lost local coverage of the Penguins Pirates?
— Mike, Plum
Rob: My understanding is any adjustments for Popular TV customers will be applied to their first billing cycle that begins after Feb. 20, 2024. I was unable to find out how much the adjustment will be.
Q: Why didn’t CBS broadcast the Super Bowl in 4K? I would think 90% of the population has a 4K TV by now. Fox did it a couple years ago.
— Pete, via email
Rob: CBS did make “Super Bowl LVIII” available in 4K but whether a viewer could get the game in 4K depended on how one accessed the game.
The game was not available in 4K over the air and many cable companies cannot pass through 4K. DirecTV made the game available in 4K on a special channel (105); DISH did the same on Channel 146.
YouTube TV customers subscribed to the 4K Plus add-on had access to the 4K stream. fuboTV made it available on certain devices.
As far as the penetration rate for 4K, it was 66% in April 2023. For 4K to make a difference in the viewing experience, Panasonic says you’d have to sit between 4 and 6.5 feet from a 50” screen.
Q: On “NCIS: Hawaii” is LL Cool J (Sam) considered a regular or will he be dropping in on and off?
— Mary, via Facebook
Rob: CBS describes his role as “recurring” this season but could not provide a specific number of episodes. A check of network publicity photos shows LL Cool J in at least the first two episodes.
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.