Rob Owen stories, Page 38
TV Talk: Peak TV peaks; broadcasters receive regional Emmy recognitionVideo
Almost every week in this space, I include a list of TV, cable and streaming series that have been renewed or canceled. Last week, there were only cancellations, no renewals. That’s unusual, but it may become more the norm rather than an outlier. For years, Wall Street prized streaming over...
TV Q&A: Where has WTAE-TV’s Tom Garris been?Video
Q: Where has WTAE-TV anchor/reporter Tom Garris been? He used to be the weekend morning anchor, but I haven’t seen him in the past three or four weeks. — Bill, Sarver Rob: Garris posted to his Facebook page in mid-June that he suffered a sports-related injury to his leg, tearing...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking Joe Manganiello in ‘Moonhaven,’ ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Hacks’
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including Mt. Lebanon native Joe Manganiello starring in AMC+’s “Moonhaven,” which features some ugly sci-fi wardrobes. The pair discuss the final two episodes of “Stranger...
TV Talk: ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ team talks season 4 plans, imagines Andy Warhol as a vampireVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. When FX’s vampire comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” (10 p.m. Tuesday) returns for its fourth season, it has some resetting to do after the characters were scattered around the globe at the end...
TV Talk: WPXI-TV names weekend morning anchor; Pittsburgh native exits ‘Jeopardy!’ role
Following the departure of news anchor Joe Arena, WPXI-TV reporter Alyssa Raymond will take over as Channel 11’s weekend morning anchor effective this weekend. A 2007 Moon Area High School grad, Raymond joined WPXI in 2020 and has been a general assignment reporter weekday mornings as well as a fill-in...
TV Talk: Billy Porter on ‘Who Do You Think You Are?,’ ‘Better Call Saul’ marches toward its finaleVideo
Pittsburgh native Billy Porter explores his ancestry on the season premiere of NBC’s celebrity genealogy show “Who Do You Think You Are?” (7 p.m. Sunday, WPXI-TV), which is similar to PBS’s “Finding Your Roots.” Pittsburgh cityscape beauty shots abound as Porter returns to Pittsburgh to begin his research before his...
TV Q&A: Questions answered about Pirates coverage on AT&T SportsNet
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: Why doesn’t AT&T SportsNet include the player’s position abbreviation after their name during the at-bat appearance? Other networks include this information. This would be a...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Guest Bob Pompeani talks about his 40 years on KDKA-TV
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen welcome KDKA-TV sports anchor Bob Pompeani celebrating 40 years at the station with a “Pompeaniversary” special (7:30 p.m. July 9). Pompeani recalls getting into a staring contest with James Harrison, covering the Winter...
TV Talk: ‘Stranger Things’ ends its bloated season; Chris Pratt stars in bleak thriller ‘Terminal List’Video
Just when you think Netflix’s “Stranger Things 4” couldn’t get more bloated, writers/directors the Duffer Brothers make the last two episodes of the season even longer. Episodes eight and nine, now streaming, clock in at 85 and 140 minutes, respectively. That’s a lot of “Stranger Things” — too much, as...
TV Talk: Joe Manganiello on Pittsburgh pizza, Primanti’s-level fame and ‘Moonhaven’
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. When Joe Manganiello was in Pittsburgh earlier this year to throw out the first pitch at the Pirates’ home opener, it was the realization of a dream long delayed. “The Pirates have asked me a...
TV Talk: New faces to appear on Pittsburgh newscasts in July
Prepare to see several unfamiliar faces on local newscasts in the next month as stations restock their on-air ranks. Kristen Powers The most notable on-air addition is the arrival this week of WTAE’s new weekday anchor, who will sit alongside Mike Clark during the 11 p.m. newscast. With or without...
TV Q&A: Why are ‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ switching time slots?
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: I have seen some other markets do this and I never thought that WPXI-TV would do so: Is there a particular reason why “Jeopardy!” and...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Bob Pompeani’s 40th anniversary at KDKA, ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ ‘Obi Wan’ finale
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including KDKA-TV sports anchor Bob Pompeani celebrating 40 years at the station with a “Pompeaniversary” special (7:30 p.m. July 9). The pair discuss the finale...
TV Talk: ‘Only Murders in the Building’ even better in season twoVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. There was an outpouring of love for Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” from critics and viewers that I chalk up to an appreciation of stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez more than...
TV Talk: Filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘Sprung’ springs up on Amazon Freevee in August
“Sprung,” the Amazon Freevee comedy series from writer Greg Garcia (“My Name is Earl,” “Raising Hope”) that filmed in Western Pennsylvania in summer and fall 2021, will premiere on the streaming service Aug. 19. “Sprung” follows a group of formerly incarcerated people who band together to use their criminal experience...
TV Talk: Winning ‘Loot’ stars ‘SNL’ vet Maya Rudolph, who has a Pittsburgh connectionVideo
“Loot” is a hoot. If Apple TV+ was a linear network, feel-good comedy “Loot” would be the ideal “Ted Lasso” companion series. Though not quite as earnest as “Ted,” “Loot” is similarly unafraid of delivering humor with a side of warm pathos. But be advised: The premiere episode, streaming June...
TV Q&A: Where can you catch up on ‘This Is Us’?
Q: Do you know if “This Is Us” is looking to go into syndication? I’ve Googled it and found nothing and was a little surprised. I would have thought they would have sold it to someone. — Jim via email Rob: The bottom dropped out of the syndication market in...
TV Talk: Stephanie Allison hired at WPXI; WQED to debut Esther Bush documentary; ‘Ghosts’ pop-up in Altoona
Ever since the departure of Danielle Dozier a year ago, Channel 11 has been down to three staff meteorologists even as KDKA-TV and WTAE-TV staffed up to five. Freelancer Stephanie Allison did fill-in work on Channel 11 and the station advertised the fourth forecaster position late last year. Now, Allison...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Joe Arena’s leaving; CMU student in ‘Summer I Turned Pretty’; ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’; NHL ratings
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including Joe Arena’s pending departure from WPXI-TV and Carnegie Mellon University freshman Lola Tung, who landed her first-ever on-camera role in Amazon Prime Video’s “The...
TV Talk: CMU student stars in ‘Summer I Turned Pretty’ on Amazon PrimeVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. In addition to classwork and scene work that’s usual for Carnegie Mellon University drama students, in the spring of 2021, CMU freshman Lola Tung also booked her first on-camera role via a video audition...
TV Talk: Joe Arena to depart WPXI-TV; train to be a grip in local TV and film production
After almost a decade as an anchor/reporter at Channel 11, Joe Arena is leaving WPXI after his June 26 newscast for a job at News 12 Long Island, a 24-hour local cable news channel, where he’ll be a lead weekday afternoon/evening news anchor. Arena, a New York City native, called...
TV Talk: Filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ dances onto Apple TV+Video
A local mall became writer/director filmmaker Cooper Raiff’s soundstage substitute when he filmed 10 of the 22 production days of “Cha Cha Real Smooth” at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills in late summer 2021. “Almost all of the party were set somewhere inside, like, a frickin’ Pac Sun...
TV Q&A: Why do ‘Jeopardy!’ hosts get different introductions?
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: Any idea why on “Jeopardy!” Ken Jennings is introduced as hosting “Jeopardy!” but Mayim Bialik is introduced as the host of “Jeopardy!”? — Kitty, Charleroi...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking the passing of actor Philip Baker Hall, ‘American Rust,’ ‘Peaky Blinders,’ ‘A League of Their Own’
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, why Amazon Freevee wanted to revive “American Rust” and the “A League of Their Own’ teaser trailer. Benz weighs in on early episodes of season...
TV Talk: ‘Evil’ explores fear-based doomscrolling on Paramount+Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. While husband-and-wife writers Robert and Michelle King’s “The Good Fight” won’t return to Paramount+ until Sept. 8 for its sixth and final season, their supernatural-adjacent “Evil” returns Sunday for its third season — but it’s...
