Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Saturday Tribune-Review.
Q: What happened to “The Rossen Report” on WTAE? It was off for a while last year, came back for a few months and now it hasn’t been on in months.
— Jeff, North Side
Rob: Jeff is correct, Jeff Rossen’s syndicated consumer reports, which aired on Hearst stations nationwide, disappeared from Hearst stations, including WTAE, at the start of 2025, but then they returned.
That they disappeared again at the start of 2026 suggests the one-year deal Rossen struck with Hearst in 2025 is now finished.
A statement from a Hearst Television spokesperson confirms that: “We concluded our most recent agreement with Jeff as he continues his independent efforts. We are grateful for the time he spent with us and wish him continued success.”
Q: What’s all this hype about eliminating a series regular ghost on “Ghosts”? Facebook has been teasing us with articles, but no substantive information. I heard it was about story arcs, financial issues and unhappy cast issues. Nothing has aired with this plot yet. Is it all a teaser or real, and if so, when will it air?
— Peter, via email
Rob: I’ve heard no such rumors/hype about any “Ghosts” cast departures, and the only thing I can find online is total clickbait and not a reliable source. That said, it is built into the premise of “Ghosts” that the ghosts can move on into the afterlife (getting “sucked off” in the show’s parlance), which makes cast changes easy to accomplish story-wise.
A spokesperson for the series declined to comment beyond a reminder that new episodes have begun airing on Thursday nights and the show has already been renewed for the 2026-27 TV season.
Q: Now that “Stranger Things” has ended, when will season five and the complete series be released on DVD/Blu-Ray?
— Peter, via Facebook
Rob: As Netflix is a streaming service that’s constantly seeking subscribers, physical media releases of its shows are likely pretty far down Netflix’s list of priorities.
Past seasons have received limited physical media releases on Blu-ray and 4K as Target exclusives (aside from illegal bootlegs, of course).
The show’s creators said they “could not confirm or deny” there are plans for a physical media complete series set, but they expressed their love for physical media releases, particularly in 4K, in an interview. Given that response, it seems likely there will be a complete series box set at some point, but so far, nothing has been announced.
Q: Is there any channel/streaming service that carries old episodes of “Room 222?”
— Beth, McCandless
Rob: It’s always dicey to answer this kind of question definitively because there are a lot of digital subchannels that may or may not show up in TV listings.
According to JustWatch.com, the 1969-74 James L. Brooks-created series is not available on streaming. And the series does not show up in a search of TVGuide.com listings for Pittsburgh cable or broadcast channels, which should capture digital subchannels. (There’s no way I know of to search FAST Channel listings specifically). I could only find the first season of “Room 222” on DVD on Amazon. But it appears someone has uploaded “Room 222” episodes to YouTube.