Q: Why did CBS go to commercial instead of the memorial for Franco Harris during the Dec. 24 Steelers game? Pathetic.
— Lynn, via Facebook
Rob: Although that game aired locally on KDKA-TV, a CBS affiliate, neither KDKA nor CBS had any control of the telecast. It was an NFL Network-produced game; KDKA simply passed through the NFL Network signal for local airing.
As to why the commercial break happened where it happened, NFL Network declined to comment, but my understanding is it all came down to a timing error.
The advance plan, which the Steelers agreed to, was for NFL Network to air the jersey ceremony. Then there was to be a pause allowing time for NFL Network to transition to commercial. The Franco tribute that followed was planned to be only for those present in the stadium. (Why NFL Network would not want to include the tribute for viewers at home is unclear; a Steelers spokesman did not respond to a request for confirmation about the advance plan.)
Two things went wrong: The pause didn’t last long enough and NFL Network didn’t turn off the stadium audio in time, leading the viewing audience at home to hear the start of the tribute, setting viewers’ expectations and upsetting many viewers when it appeared they were being deprived of tribute coverage.
Q: Why has AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh drastically reduced their local programming over the past few years? Sure, the Bucs and Pens have always been and are still the meat and bones of the channel, but when they’re not on, it seems like they’ve been increasingly relying on cheap, irrelevant filler programming like poker, extreme sports, martial arts and even some FCS college football from Texas.
I seem to remember that they used to be much better with finding stuff to air outside the Pirates and Pens — Pitt, Duquesne, WVU, WPIAL high school football, some local division 2 college hoops, national ACC and Big East action and Mike Tomlin’s weekly press conference.
Does it have to do with budget cuts? Are not enough people subscribing to the channel for them to want to cover these extra events? I look at the programming lineups on other regional sports channels, and there’s usually a lot more going on: nightly studio shows, local sports documentaries, pregame/postgame coverage for local MLB, NHL and NBA teams, even if the games are on a different network that night. Why does AT&T SportsNet have to be so cheap? I don’t think “Pro Footvolley” would get great ratings.
— Sam in McMurray
Rob: I don’t think AT&T SportsNet has reduced the amount of local programming by choice. It’s that there’s been consolidation and cloistering. AT&T SportsNet doesn’t air Pitt games because they can’t: Pitt is in the ACC, which has its own cable channel, ACCNetwork. WVU is in the Big 12; its games are on the Big 12 Network. AT&T SportsNet can’t air Tomlin’s press conference because of the Steelers’ deal with KDKA-TV.
What AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh has done instead is increase the number of Penguins and Pirates games it airs. A decade ago, the channel aired 105 Pirates games each year; now they’re at 162, hence the need for that second AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh Channel in March/April when some Pirates and Penguins games occur simultaneously. Penguins games have risen a more incremental amount from about 60 to 70 per season.
In this respect, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh mirrors what ESPN has done. As the cost of TV rights for sporting events increase, networks air more games that will draw the biggest audience and less programming about the game (e.g., studio shows). On a recent episode of the Puck News/Spotify podcast The Town, former ESPN president John Skipper noted of ESPN, “The basis of their business is live sports rights.”
Q: I’m new to streaming and found your recent article on the subject quite informative. What, in your opinion, is the best streaming service for movies and sports?
— Monica, Smock, Pa.
Rob: That probably depends on what sporting events you’re interested in. There is no one-size-fits-all streaming service for sports. Sure, ESPN+ is the most recognizable sports TV brand name streaming service, but that won’t get you many Steelers games, which still are largely on broadcast channels.
If you want Pirates and some Penguins games, FuboTV might be a good live TV option because it includes AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
If you want to see lots of NFL games next fall, Sunday Ticket will relocate from DirecTV to YouTube TV.
If you’re interested in British soccer, Peacock has a fair amount of that sport. For American soccer, it’s Apple TV+.
As for movies, again, there’s no one service that carries all the movies from all the studios. HBO Max is probably one of the better bets, but Peacock is also a good choice because it gets movies released by Universal Studios.
Q: In several Hallmark movies, I’ve noticed what looks like PPG Place when they do a generic general office building exterior shot. PPG Place has a very distinctive design and one cannot miss it when one sees the building.
— Jim, Brookville
Rob: I’ve written before about stock footage, images of buildings and cityscapes that can be bought by a producer to use in a project rather than going out and filming an exterior establishing shot of a building. That’s how the exterior — with no actors in front of it — of several Pittsburgh buildings and intersections get reused in movies and TV shows with some regularity.
You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow Rob on Twitter or Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.
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TV Q&A: Why did NFL Network cut to commercial during the Franco Harris tribute? - TribLIVE
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