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 are there no male news reporters on Channel 11 anymore? What happened to Pete DeLuca?
— Cathy, Blairsville
Rob: I think WPXI’s Rick Earle, Andrew Havranek and Rich Pierce would disagree with Cathy’s first assertion. But she’s correct that the gender balance of on-air talent at Channel 11 is not 50-50, with far more women than men as general assignment reporters and anchors at the moment. This does reflect a national trend of more women working in journalism — broadly, not just TV news — than men as of 2023, but women remain underrepresented in newsroom leadership positions.
As for DeLuca, he left the station in early September. DeLuca exited the TV news business to work as a communications officer for a county government in the Washington, D.C., area, a frequent career transition for broadcast journalists seeking a less chaotic, better-paying job with a better work/life balance.
Q: What’s the deal with chief meteorologist Mike Harvey on WTAE-TV? He is absent from the 6 p.m. newscast and the other staff weather people are filling in.
— Ed, Oil City
Rob: Earlier this month Harvey was simply on V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (sing it like Connie Francis). TV station employees get time off, too.
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Q: There is an anti-environmental, pro-fracking, pro-Trump political ad that has “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon saying, “Mama Kamala don’t give a frack.” Is the Fallon segment something in the public domain that anyone can use or is Fallon a Trumper?
— Louis, via email
Rob: I don’t purport to know definitively the political leanings of any celebrity, but I would not interpret the use of six words from a late-night comic in a political ad as an endorsement. The job of late-night show hosts is to mock the news of the day, regardless of the comic’s personal politics. Fallon has also mocked Trump. I imagine the use of the Fallon clip falls under the “fair use” doctrine.
Q: If “Blue Bloods” doesn’t get a reprieve, what will CBS put in place of “Blue Bloods”?
— Calvin, via Facebook
Rob: CBS has been pretty definitive that “Blue Bloods” will end its run this fall, although there has also been some talk of a spinoff from the show (no details on what that might entail).
Back in May CBS said, “Following the conclusion of ‘Blue Bloods’ in midseason, ‘NCIS: Sydney’ leads off (Friday) night at 8:00 p.m, with ‘Fire Country’ remaining in the 9 p.m. slot followed by ’S.W.A.T.’ at 10 p.m.”
Now, be aware that networks often announce midseason plans in May only to revise them six months later. Until we get a specific premiere date for “NCIS: Sydney,” take that announcement that the show will air on Friday nights with a grain of salt.
