Q: With the upcoming soccer World Cup on Fox, will WPGH in Pittsburgh be making any schedule changes like moving newscasts to a different channel?
— Josh, via email
Rob: Yes, during FIFA World Cup coverage on Fox, newscasts will relocate from WPGH, Channel 53, to WPNT, Channel 22.
That includes moving the 6:30 p.m. newscast to WPNT on June 12, 16, 19, 22-25 and 30 and July 2, 3 and 14.
The 10 p.m. newscast will migrate to WPNT on June 12, 16, 18, 19, 24-27, 29 and 30 and on July 1, 3-6, 14, 17 and 18.
Comcast’s Xfinity will offer every World Cup match from Fox and FS1 (plus a Telemundo Match of the Day) in RealTime 4K, Multiview and Fan View. Games will be available in English and Spanish. In time for the games, streaming service Fox One launches on the Xfinity Xumo Stream Box. Speak “World Cup” or “Copa Mundial” into the Xfinity voice remote to launch Xfinity’s World Soccer hub.
Fox-owned free streamer Tubi will also launch the 2026 FIFA World Cup Fox Hub, accessible from Tubi’s home page, with access to the opening ceremonies, matches and highlights.
Q: Can you explain why KDKA-TV is the only local TV station that constantly interrupts programming to present miscellaneous news items? Given the hours they have scheduled news programming on the air, why the constant interruptions?
On May 22 at 1:26 p.m., they came on with a special report about Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation as director of national intelligence. That was so important they had to interrupt the last two minutes of “Young and the Restless” so we don’t see the weekly cliffhanger? Couldn’t they fit that into the approximately nine hours of news programming a day? Or was that just about the rush to be first on air with the news?
— Peggy, Pittsburgh
Rob: Yeah, I agree with Peggy that this particular bit of news did not rise to the level necessary to interrupt regular programming. No one expects CBS News to be a cable news outlet, so that was a dumb, anti-audience call.
The reason it happens with KDKA, I suspect, is because KDKA is a CBS-owned station, so they have less discretion in what they put on the air. If the network sends a breaking news interruption, I suspect KDKA has more of an obligation to go with it than TV stations that are not owned by their respective networks (e.g. WPXI, WTAE). Non-owned stations usually have more leeway in whether or not to interrupt regular programming.
Q: Was this the last season of “Call the Midwife”? The May 10 episode certainly seemed like it was tying up loose ends.
— Carol, via Facebook
Rob: A PBS publicist had no information to share but did point to an interview with the “Call the Midwife” showrunner who said a 16th season had been ordered, but it may be a few years before they get around to writing and filming it due to other commitments, including:
• A “Call the Midwife” film, set in 1972, shoots this year for release in 2027.
• A spinoff series, “Sisters in Arms,” set during World War II and featuring younger versions of the show’s characters, is in the works. (There will not be a “Call the Midwife” Christmas special in 2026.)
“I don’t think it’s the last series in the classic form,” show writer Heidi Thomas said of the ongoing, original series in an interview with Yours. “But we are going to take a break from it for a couple of years. … [Season] 16 will have a slightly different setting because of changes in [England’s National Health Service]. It’ll still be in the East End of London, but possibly something like a small community hospital or a GP practice, but that’s something I’ll be working on later this year.”