TV Q&A: Where did Katherine Amenta land?

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: Have you heard anything as to where Katherine Amenta, formally of WPXI, has landed? I was very surprised when I heard of her exit in April without any explanation.

— Richard, via email

Rob: TV stations almost never explain when they fire people, especially when it’s for such ignoble reasons as cost savings.

I tried reaching out to Amenta several times after she was unceremoniously relieved of her duties at Channel 11 in April but she never responded.

A few weeks ago she posted to Facebook that she’s moving out of Pittsburgh and thanked Pittsburghers for their kind words to her in recent months.

“Pittsburgh wasn’t just another stop along the way,” Amenta wrote. “It was the honor of a lifetime to become a Pittsburgher for 11 years.”

She added that she’s moving back to the Philadelphia/New Jersey area to start a new career outside of TV news, but, she wrote, “For the rest of my life … I will always believe that French fries DO belong on sandwiches, everything DOES deserve fireworks, all cookies SHOULD smile back at you … and more importantly … all bridges lead you home.”

Q: I’ve been impressed with the new anchor/reporter Jatara McGee on Channel 11. Has WPXI hired her full-time or is she just doing fill-in work as needed?

— Lin, Pittsburgh

Rob: McGee, a New Kensington native, was hired full-time in January as the station’s weekend morning anchor. At that time Alyssa Raymond moved to the noon weekday anchor desk.

Q: How do the local Pittsburgh TV stations have reporters on the scene of a shooting or fire so quickly? Do they listen to a fire/police scanner when calls come in so they can have a crew on the scene immediately when a breaking news alert comes up?

— Denny, Lucinda

Rob: Yes, that is exactly what they do: Listen to the scanner. They also monitor what other stations cover. And who gets to the scene first often depends on the location and its proximity to the station, given that WTAE is east of Downtown, WPXI is north of Downtown and KDKA is located in Downtown.

Q: What is going on with FS1’s “Undisputed”? Ever since host Skip Bayless left the show in early August, I have not found anything saying that the program has been or has not been canceled.

— Joey, South Side

Rob: Networks are also loath to announce cancellations, but given that new programming has been announced for the former “Undisputed” time periods, it seems safe to assume “Undisputed” has been canceled.

Q: What do “NCIS” and “SWAT” stand for?

— Julia, Irwin

Rob: NCIS stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service and SWAT stands for Special Weapons and Tactics.