Q:Why are all weather measurements reported as the official Pittsburgh temperature on local newscasts taken at Pittsburgh International Airport rather than at the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers?
— Joseph, via email
Rob: Just about anywhere you go in the United States, you’ll find the city’s official temperature highs and lows are recorded at the airport.
A North Carolina forecaster explained the rationale behind this convention, writing that the standards for an accurate temperature measurement – sensor five feet above the ground, on level terrain with an open clearing, 100 feet from any paved or concrete surface – are routinely met in one specific place: an airport.
“If everyone uses the same equipment over a similar surrounding, we get good comparisons,” meteorologist Van Denton of WGHP-TV wrote. “I have always viewed it as comparing apples to apples. Home reports are more often comparing apples to oranges.”
Q: The actor who played Director Vance on “NCIS” exited the series last month. Was his contract up? Did he leave to do other things or did he leave Hollywood?
— Calvin, via Facebook
Rob: None of the above.
Producers said the decision to kill off Rocky Carroll’s Director Vance was a creative decision, a big event for the series’ 500th episode, but I’m sure it was also an effort at cost containment.
Carroll will continue to direct episodes of “NCIS.”
Q: I was going through the channels on my Comcast cable and saw that there are 45 Spanish-language channels on my cable lineup. I was able to watch the Pens and Pirates with my regular cable plan for nearly 40 years, but now I have to pay more for a higher tier (which I don’t). Why all these Spanish-language channels? I don’t want to pay for that.
SportsNet Pittsburgh used to be part of my cable plan at no extra charge. It’s still available, but you now have to pay an extra charge. The 45 Spanish-language channels are included at no extra charge.
— Mark, Banksville
Rob: Welcome, Mark, to late-stage capitalism!
As the cost of sports rights continues to climb, the easiest way networks can stay in the black is to pass the cost along to cable providers, who then pass the cost along to consumers, which is why Comcast moved SportsNet Pittsburgh to the more expensive Ultimate TV package.
Another way to look at it: Mark’s feelings on the Spanish-language channels is similar to how non-sports fans felt for decades: I may not have wanted ESPN, but I still got it as part of my cable package. I wanted HBO, I had to pay extra to get it.
As for the Spanish-language channels, they cost cable companies a fraction of the amount to carry.