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: Another new anchor was on Channel 4 Saturday night, June 1. Why so many new hires in Pittsburgh? Are all the stations going to make big moves with their reporting and anchors?
— Tony, via Facebook
Rob: It’s summer vacation season and as in years past, there will be substitutes here and there on local newscasts. That’s what happened June 1-2 when reporter Lily Coleman, who joined the station in 2022 and recently returned from maternity leave, sat in for regular weekend evening anchor Chandi Chapman Saturday night. Kelly Sasso helmed the desk Sunday night.
As for any wealth of new hires, I’ve written before about how Pittsburgh — now the 28th largest TV market nationally, per Nielsen, down from No. 19 in 1998 — is much more likely to be a stepping-stone market, not a destination job for most folks who arrive at local stations and eventually depart (sometimes after as short as a two-year stint).
Q: Do local newscasts have “prooflisteners” as opposed to proofreaders so that if a newscaster makes a mistake there is someone to tell them to issue a correction later in the broadcast?
— Ken, via email
Rob: To my knowledge that is not a role that exists in any newscast, although the responsibility for a newscast’s content lies with its producer. If a station receives a complaint — often accompanied by a legal threat — they will on rare occasions deliver an on-air correction, but that does not happen super-often.
Q: A few years ago I watched a great series called “Your Honor.” I think it may have ended with Covid. Any info on it coming back?
— Beverly, via email
Rob: Showtime intended “Your Honor” to be a one-and-done limited series but it was successful and brought back for a second season that aired in early 2023. There are no plans to continue the story beyond that second season. Recently Netflix added “Your Honor” and is now streaming both seasons of the show.
Q: What happened to the re-launch of “America’s Most Wanted” on Fox? I haven’t seen it in months.
— Darrin, via email
Rob: An “AMW” publicist would only say, “We have not announced the returning airdate for ‘AMW’ yet as we have recently announced our summer slate shows and airdates.”
So it’s not coming back anytime soon. And there was no mention of the show in Fox’s upfront release for the 2024-25 TV season, which leads me to wonder if “AMW” will ever return on Fox with new episodes.
Q: I have noticed on this season of “Let’s Make a Deal” everyone but Tiffany Coyne has individual, handheld microphones instead of presumably having overhead boom mikes. This seems unwieldy at best. What could be behind the move? I would think there would be more to it than just not paying (presumably) a union sound guy.
— Ken, Monroeville
Rob: Labor costs could be part of it but my understanding is with the nature of the show being completely unscripted, the move to handheld microphones provides more flexibility. Because Coyne is a model, she needs to be hands-free, which is why she does not hold a microphone.
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.