Local notes: WTAE expanded signal now 24/7; Comcast guide changes

I'm on vacation but news doesn't stop:

1) Former WPXI news director Corrie Harding has landed a job as a news director at WCNC in Charlotte, N.C., per Mark Washburn, TV critic at the Charlotte Observer. Harding says he'll have the title "executive news director overseeing broadcast and web." He begins work there Nov. 30.

2) We reported last week about WTAE testing its expanded digital signal. The test is now over and the signal is now live 24/7. Here's WTAE's release:

WTAE Channel 4, in a continuing effort to provide the highest quality television to all homes in the Pittsburgh viewing area, has recently completed installation of a DTV repeater/transmitter.

The DTV repeater will penetrate areas previously experiencing difficulty receiving the WTAE Channel 4 signal over-the-air, mainly locations in the river valleys around the city.  David Kasperek, Director of Engineering at WTAE Channel 4 said, "The early results appear to meet and in some ways exceed expectations."

Now WTAE Channel 4 is available in High Definition to all residents in the viewing area.  Over-the-air viewers who previously had difficulty receiving our signal should now rescan their TV's or converter boxes to find WTAE on 4.3 and 4.4.

 4) Comcast is making changes to its on-screen guide in traditional Comcast areas next week (not former Adelphia areas). Here's the most important part of the notice, which is buried in the release:

This new upgrade may affect certain saved settings on a limited number of channels, including some parental controls locks to block a specific channel and scheduled DVR recordings.  Customers will receive direct notice regarding potentially impacted settings and should visit www.comcast.com/guide for more information.  Parents are encouraged to regularly confirm that their preference settings and controls are in place as appropriate on each digital box throughout the home.

Channels with DVR recordings affected include:

More Max East

Cinemax East

Encore East

Showtime 2

Showtime 3 East

Showtime East

Showtime Showcase

Flix East

Starz Edge

Starz InBlack

Starz! East

HBO 2 East

Sundance Channel East

HBO East

HBO Family East

The Movie Channel East

HBO Signature East

Turner Classic Movies

Speed Channel

Fox Soccer Channel

Fox Sports South

ESPN News

Game Show Network

FitTV

HGTV

Weatherscan

Cartoon Network

Outdoor Channel

Discovery Health

Syfy

Science Channel

ESPN Classic

ESPN2

The Golf Channel

History

USA HD

Here's the full release:

Normal 0 COMCAST TO UPGRADE ON-SCREEN PROGRAM GUIDE IN TRADITIONAL COMCAST AREAS WEEK OF NOV. 8; ADDS REMOTE DVR SCHEDULING AND OTHER NEW FEATURES

New Enhancements Make It Easier, Faster and More Convenient For Customers to Schedule, Record, Manage and Watch Favorite Programs

Company Reminds Customers to Check and Reset Certain Preferences 

Pittsburgh, PA - November 5, 2009 - Comcast, Pittsburgh's leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, today announced the upcoming launch next week of new features to its on-screen program guide and DVR service that will bring more choice and convenience than ever for Digital Television customers in traditional Comcast areas of the Pittsburgh region.  Customers do not need to add equipment to take advantage of these enhancements, which are completely free of charge.  In addition, the update will improve the overall customer experience and make future enhancements - like interactive television - possible.

"We are delighted to introduce these new features to our Digital Television customers in Pittsburgh," said Linda Hossinger, Senior Vice President for Comcast's Three Rivers Region.  "We are committed to providing our customers with the ultimate TV viewing experience and the addition of new on-screen program guide technology and enhanced DVR functions join a long list of value added features that make watching what you want easier and more enjoyable than ever."

New On-Screen Program Guide Features

Watch in HD Button

• The new Watch in HD button on the Smart Bar allows HD customers to immediately see if the program is available in HD.
• The Watch in HD Button cuts scroll times and allows customers to jump from the SD channel to HD sister channel faster.

On Demand Skip Ahead/Skip Back

• On Demand Skip Ahead and Skip Back enables customers to skip ahead or skip back in five minutes increments by pressing Page Up and Page Down arrows on the remote.

New DVR Service Features

myDVR Manager

• myDVR Manager is a new feature that allows customers with a Comcast DVR and high-speed Internet to remotely schedule and adjust their recordings online using Comcast TV Listings. Comcast customers should go to www.comcast.net/newguide and click on myDVR Manager to learn how to activate this feature, see the How-To Guide, add programs to their recording list and manage their scheduled DVR recordings as well as change the priority of recorded series.

DVR Search & Record

• DVR Search & Record enables customers to search for a program by actor, title, director and keyword.  For example, if a customer searches for "Clint Eastwood" all programs Clint Eastwood acted in or directed that are in the TV Listings would appear. If the customer saves the Clint Eastwood search, the DVR would automatically search for new matches and schedule recordings anytime a Clint Eastwood program aired on any channel. 

DVR Skip Ahead/Skip Back

• DVR Skip Ahead/Skip Back allows customers to skip ahead or skip back in five minute increments by pressing Page Up and Page Down arrows on the remote.

DVR History and Cleanup

• DVR History displays information on already recorded, watched and deleted programs.
• DVR Clean Up allows customers to manage their DVR by deleting in bulk programs they no longer want to save. 

DVR Folders

• When customers record more than one episode of a series, DVR Folders will automatically create a folder where programs are stored.

This new upgrade may affect certain saved settings on a limited number of channels, including some parental controls locks to block a specific channel and scheduled DVR recordings.  Customers will receive direct notice regarding potentially impacted settings and should visit www.comcast.com/guide for more information.  Parents are encouraged to regularly confirm that their preference settings and controls are in place as appropriate on each digital box throughout the home.

For more information on the new program guide customers can visit www.comcast.net/newguide or to order Comcast Digital Cable service, customers can call 1-800-COMCAST or visit www.comcast.com.

Seeking new episodes of 'Seeker'?

The syndicated series "Legend of the Seeker" returns with a two-hour premiere at 3 p.m. Saturday on WPCW. The first hour is a rerun of the first season finale followed by the second season premiere.

This is not a show I watched beyond its first couple of episodes last season -- too much gobbledegook fantasy nonsense for my taste.

But I was curious about the new season, which includes a guest appearance by Charisma Carpenter ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") in tomorrow's season premiere. She's something called a Mord'Sith and fights in a pool with a hot blond woman and then later kisses her on the lips (as if there weren't enough shades of "Xena" in "Legend of the Seeker," now there's more!).

Here's the studio description of the new season:

At the end of the first season, Richard succeeds in his quest to defeat Darken Rahl, but it remains to be seen whether or not he has truly been destroyed. Richard will soon discover that, in defeating Rahl, he inadvertently opened a rift into the underworld, and he'll have to deal with those consequences as a war is waged on the living.

'Supernatural' mocks TV (with love)

The CW's "Supernatural" (9 tonight, WPCW) mocks the conventions of prime time tonight in an offbeat, hilarious episode.

It begins with Sam (Jared Pedelecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) trapped inside different TV show genres:

-- There's a sitcom, complete with laugh track and opening credits out of a 1980s Warner Bros. sitcom.

-- A "Grey's Anatomy" spoof with "Dr. McSexy," pitch-perfect treacly music and a female doc who says, "Seriously?"

-- A "CSI: Miami" spoof, complete with sunglasses and bad puns.

There's also a Japanese game show and Sam gets trapped inside a famous TV show car.

Even if you're not a "Supernatural," there are some good-humored laughs in this cheeky episode.

'V' reactions, Johnny Mecer doc

So I'm interested to hear what people thought of ABC's new "V"? As a long-time fan of the original, I was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining the remake turned out to be. We'll see if future episodes live up to last night's pilot.

In the meantime, it's nice to see that Kenneth Johnson, who created the original, is able to see the upside of a new series, even though he's not involved in it.

Online features editor Sharon Eberson and I talk about "V," "FlashForward" and "Sesame Street" in this week's Tuned In podcast.

What did you think of the new "V"? Sign in (or register to sign in) and post your comments below.

***

Can't say I knew much about singer/composer/lyricist Johnny Mercer before TCM's "Johnny Mercer: The Dream's On Me" (8 tonight), and an unfortunate moment of self-indulgence in the early minutes almost made me turn away.

Produced and directed by Bruce Ricker ("Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends") and executive produced by music fan Clint Eastwood, that scene in question features Eastwood escorting his 13-year-old daughter (not granddaughter, but daughter) into a recording studio to sing a Mercer tune. That made me worry that the film would be nothing but an ego stroke dressed up as a biography.

But the moment passed and the focus returned to Mercer and his collaborations that resulted in such classic songs as "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" (or as I call it, the "Homefront" theme), "Hooray for Hollywood," "Jeepers Creepers" and "Moon River."

If nothing else, the music makes this doc worth... listening to.

'Office' webisodes finally get buzz, 'Glee' soundtrack arrives

I've written about webisodes from "The Office" several times in the past, but these never seemed to gain much traction in the popular culture zeitgeist. That seems to have changed with the latest web series, "The Office: Subtle Sexuality," if my Twitter feed is an accurate barometer (and I recognize that it probably is not).

In the latest series (view it here), Kelly (Mindy Kaling, who also directed) and Erin (Ellie Kemper) create a musical group called Subtle Sexuality and enlist co-workers Ryan (B.J. Novak) and Andy (Ed Helms) in making a music vidoe that turns up in episode three.

The song, called "Male Prima Donna," is ridiculously catchy and the video is hilarious.

"You're the male prima donna but I can't help but want ya," Kelly and Erin sing. "I'm an independent diva but I still kinda need ya."

Also, it's great to see more development for the Erin character, who remains fuzzy in the TV show but begins to come into her own in these webisodes.

***

The first (of many?) soundtracks from Fox's "Glee" arrives in stores today and I was happy to see it includes songs from episodes that have already aired as well as next week's episode.

The next episode includes a fantastic diva-off between Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer), who sing "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked," which is included on this CD along with "Don't Stop Believin'" from the pilot. That song was certified gold last week from digital download sales in excess of 500,000.

Here's the complete track list from the first "Glee" soundtrack:

1. "Don't Stop Believin'"
2. "Can't Fight This Feeling"
3. "Gold Digger"
4. "Take a Bow"
5. "Bust Your Windows"
6. "Taking Chances"
7. "Alone"
8. "Maybe This Time"
9. "Somebody to Love"
10. "Hate On Me"
11. "No Air"
12. "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
13. "Keep Holding On"
14. "Bust a Move"
15. "Sweet Caroline"
16. "Dancing with Myself"
17. "Defying Gravity"

'As the World Turns' films in Pittsburgh

CBS's daytime soap "As the World Turns" came to Pittsburgh to shoot scenes today featuring several cast members including "soap super-couple" Jack (Michael Park) and Carly (Maura West). Here are some photos by Post-Gazette photographer Bob Donaldson:

In the above photo, Carly saves Jack from being hit by a car. Note the black mats on the pavement in the lower left corner of the photo -- that's where the actors landed.

After the tumbling shot, the black mats were removed and the West plopped on top of Park in the street (above).

Once Jack and Carly get up and dust themselves off, they get into a heated argument with Carly begging Jack to break off his pursuit of con man Simon (Paul Leyden, who returns to the show after several years away).

Read more about the "ATWT" shoot in the print edition of the Post-Gazette and see video with the online version of the story at post-gazette.com/tv. More photos can be found at PG+.

Hooray for 'Poliwood'

Showtime debuts an interesting "film essay" by and starring Academy Award winner Barry Levinson, who explores the intersection of politics and celebrity in "Poliwood" (7:30 tonight).

Levinson muses about the influence television has had in the political culture and how Americans see celebrities who get involved in political causes (answer: not in a positive light).

"Political shows learned from entertainment shows that conflict is important," Levinson says. "That's what drives the drama and now we're taking conflict into the political shows. So we have a Democrat and a Republican and they go at one another and that conflict becomes more interesting and that's what ultimately drives the ratings and ultimately that may be what creates this polarization that's taking place."

Interesting point, although I think it's one Jon Stewart made a few years ago.

In addition, the film follows members of the Creative Coalition -- who knew? it's non-partisan, I figured it was the decidedly liberal group it comes across as in this film -- some of whom exhibit mighty thin skin (cough, Josh Lucas, cough) when meeting with a Fox News Channel producer who tries to teach them more effective communication tools.

'Cold Case' takes on WWII murder; the mystery of Jeff Dunham, 'Dexter' twist

Can't say I've watched much of CBS's "Cold Case" (10 p.m. Sunday, KDKA), but this week's episode sparked my interest because the cold case investigated is from World War II, an era I've had a fondness for since my beloved "Homefront."

In this week's episode, the cold case squad looks into a murder among the WASP program of civilian women pilots who flew non-combat missions for the U.S. Air Force in WWII.

The flashbacks are in black and white and the music is of the period. The story isn't all that surprising as crime procedurals go and the production values do not live up to "Band of Brothers" (or "Homefront" for that matter), but if you like period pieces, it may be worth checking out.

It's basically of the same caliber as the "Army Wives" episode that also flashed back to WWII earlier this fall.

***

Can someone explain to me the appeal of comic/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham? I really don't get it, and yet the atrocious "Jeff Dunham Show" was a smash hit in its 9 p.m. Thursday debut last week:

"The Jeff Dunham Show" bowed at 9:00 p.m. on the all-comedy channel and proceeded to break the network's all-time records for a series premiere among total viewers (5.3 million), Adults 18-49 rating (2.6) and Adult 18-49 viewers (3 million).

Seriously, did anyone watch it and enjoy it? And if so, why?

***

Showtime's "Dexter" took quite a twist at the end of last week's episode when -- SPOILER ALERT! -- it was revealed that the Trinity killer (John Lithgow) is not a loner as suspected but rather a family man ... just like Dexter (Michael C. Hall). It was a brilliant move on the part of the show's writers and has me more engrossed in the series than I've been since season one.

Sunday's episode offers more fascinating psychology as Dexter learns how to be a better family man from Trinity. It's a creepy yet perfect step forward for the character and the series.

In addition, Showtime now has TV-MA-rated animated Webisodes based on the show available online.

Comedy revival: 'Community' and 'Parks and Recreation'

One of the great joys (and surprises) of the Fall 2009 TV season is that after years in the TV desert, comedy is once again cool. It may not yet be king, but I definitely find myself more excited about TV's comedies than most of its dramas these days ("Mad Men" is an obvious exception).

ABC's "Modern Family" (9 p.m. Wednesday) is at the top of my must-watch comedy list but NBC's Thursday comedies are not far behind.

I've already sung the praises of the greatly improved "Parks and Recreation" (8:30 tonight, WPXI). which has another winning episode tonight that's Halloween-themed.

But I've also enjoyed watching "Community" (9 tonight, WPXI) develop. It's not as sure-footed as "Modern Family" and Jeff's (Joel McHale) pursuit of Britta (Mt. Lebanon native Gillian Jacobs) threatens to become repetitive, but I like seeing the ensemble players come into their own. That's especially true of Abed (Danny Pudi), a breakout character in the pilot who continues to make the strongest impression.

What comedies are you hooked on this season? Sign in (or register to sign in) and post your comments below.

WTAE tests its repeater

WTAE has been testing its long-in-the-works DTV repeater this week from 8-11:30 p.m. The repeater, located on the WQED tower in Oakland, is designed to serve the East End and may also help some WTAE viewers with reception issues on the South Side.

Director of Engineering Dave Kasperek wrote me earlier this week:

"So far it appears to meet, or in some ways exceed our expectations. But  WQED-TV's tower work is not finished yet, so we are on hold for a fulltime launch within (hopefully) a week or so. (Tower crew safety issues)  

... Over the air viewers interested in seeing if they can get us now need to rescan their TVs or Converter boxes to find us on 4-3 & 4-4 (that's how they'll know it's the repeater). "