TV Q&A: Who’s at-bat during Pirates games?
Share this post:
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: How is it possible that I watch a Pirates batter on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh come to the plate, multiple pitches occur, and his name is never mentioned either verbally or on the screen?
There have been times when an out is made, and I have no idea who just made an out.
Watching the Pirates against the Marlins on July 22, the batter hits a home run in the bottom of the third. Bednar is being interviewed. Bob Walk commentating. No exaggeration: Three batters make outs. Absolutely no verbalization or on-screen indication as to who was up.
— Mike, Mt. Pleasant
Rob: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh general manager Shawn McClintock said the Marlins game was the first game after the All-Star break, and they interviewed David Bednar live from the dugout about his All-Star experience.
“It is always a bit of a dance for the director to show the game and also the player that is being interviewed,” McClintock noted.
Looking back at the inning, McClintock said, “Jason Delay led off, and he was graphically identified before he hit a home run. Kevin Newman was the next batter, and we were getting some great answers from David on his experience, so we showed him in between pitches. Newman lined out on pitch No. 4. Hayes was up next and popped out on the first pitch, so there was no opportunity to ID him. Chavis ended the inning hitting the first pitch as well.”
McClintock said AT&T SportsNet strives to identify players, “but this was a time we were interviewing a hometown player about his first All-Star experience and went back to shots of him to see the emotion still on his face. Even with telling that great story, when you look back on the inning, there was really only one missed opportunity and that was Newman. Based on the questions and answers we were getting from David, we made the call to go back to him between pitches. The one benefit TV has over radio is in those instances fans have the ability to see who is up, unlike in radio, so on rare occasions we will make the decision we did.”
McClintock added that identifying players at-bat is important and so is viewer feedback. Since June, AT&T SportsNet added enhanced, on-screen information about the batter, including the player’s position abbreviation, based on viewer feedback.
Q: Is there any chance that WQED will go back on the air with modern, over-the-air digital signals? Since they sold their slot, they are almost impossible to receive with an OTA antenna. They actually suggested that we try “rabbit ears.” While Western Reserve PBS out of Kent, Ohio, has a strong signal and excellent content, I miss the Pittsburgh local flavor that is so WQED.
Also, is there any chance that WTAE-TV will increase its signal strength to reach the northern suburbs? A couple of years ago, they had a strong signal, but now it’s impossible to watch 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.
— Ed, Zelienople
Rob: WTAE’s signal likely changed four years ago this month with the FCC repack, which forced TV stations to change frequency to free up more space in the digital spectrum for wireless services. My understanding is there is no plan to improve the WTAE’s signal reach. The station suggests placing an indoor antenna near a window and aiming it toward the station’s antenna in Buena Vista, near Elizabeth, or toward the translator in Oakland.
As for WQED-TV, a station representative says the station cannot increase the power of its signal or move to a different broadcast channel.
“We are aware that some viewers have trouble receiving our signal on low VHF channel 4,” said WQED spokeswoman Jody Doherty. “We have created a troubleshooting guide (at wqed.org/rescan) to help with over-the-air reception, and it has assisted some viewers to receive the WQED signal. For those who simply cannot receive us over the air, we offer live streaming through the PBS Video app on Smart TVs or devices such as Roku, Fire Stick or Apple TV.”
Q: I just discovered W. Kamau Bell’s “The United Shades of America.” I am delighted that it is available free on CNN On Demand and started to watch it through Comcast. At least most of it is — in season one, episodes two, three, four and seven are only available to buy. This seems strange to me. Can you enlighten me as to why only these episodes are for purchase?
— Jean, Export
Rob: Presented with Jean’s question, a local Comcast representative said they have reached out to CNN and asked CNN to redeliver the missing episodes so they can be posted, but there is no timetable for when that will occur.