TV station awards

We made the decision several years ago not to write about local TV awards, beyond the regional Emmys, for an assortment of reasons, but I'm happy to post press releases here when time allows.

The Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters has posted its winners and they include several for Pittsburgh media outlets.

And WTAE sent out this press release about its achievements:

WTAE CHANNEL 4 ACTION NEWS TAKES HOME ELEVEN PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS
 

Channel 4 Action News Wins Two 2009 National Headliner Awards, Three Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Awards, and Six Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association Awards


The National Headliner Awards program is one of the oldest and largest annual awards recognizing journalistic standards in the communications industry.  The Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Awards recognizes excellence in radio and television broadcasting.  The annual Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association news awards recognize Associated Press member radio and television stations and their personnel performing a public service through distinguished reporting.

National Headliner Awards:

Best Newscast

Second Place Nationally: WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, PA

"Channel 4 Action News at 11 - 9/5/08 Newscast"

 Coverage of a Live Breaking News Event

Third Place Nationally: WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, PA

"Triple Shooting"

Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters:

Outstanding Television Feature Story/Report/Series

"Marcellus Shale"

Outstanding Television Spot News

"Spot News - WTAE-TV"

Outstanding TV Promotional Announcement or Series

"There's More To See In HD"

Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters Association Awards:

Enterprise/Individual Reporting

"Marcellus Shale"

Spot News

"Grandmother Shot"

Continuing Coverage

"Baby Cut from Womb"

Feature

"Hockey Phenom"

"Steelers Women"

News Photography

"Power Outage" 

Sad news, 'Angel' fans

The actor who played Lorne on "Angel"  has passed away at the age of 33.

Actor Andy Hallett's Lorne always added an enjoyable bit of spice to the series. RIP.

'Cupid' reloads his bow

We have a review of ABC's new attempt at "Cupid" (10 tonight, WTAE) in today's paper, but I wanted to explore a little more the notion of the same creator re-starting a show that failed more than 10 years earlier.

I wrote a little about the show during January press tour and why creator Rob Thomas thinks the timing is right for a remake, but how did it come about?

Thomas said he's believed in the possibility of success for an anthologized romantic comedy since "Cupid" and had pitched ABC executives on several scenarios for a series. They came back to him and suggested a "Cupid" reboot.

"I loved writing the show 10 years ago, and I feel like I've got more stories to tell," Thomas said. Only one episode in this first batch is based on a script from the original "Cupid." "I wanted to do a romantic comedy that didn't scare men away, that didn't seem so female that men wouldn't watch."

Thomas said in testing the new "Cupid," it scored slightly better with men than women.

NBC renews 'Friday Night Lights'

No confirmation from NBC yet, but per AP, "Friday Night Lights" has been renewed for two 13-episode seasons. Each will air first on DirecTV and later on NBC, as happened this season.

Which actors are returning remains an open question. The show's heart and soul, embodied by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, seem like a lock to return, but among the shows young cast, much remains up in the air. Story-wise, it would make sense for many of them to move on to college and for new characters to be introduced in their place.

Monday, competitive Monday

Few nights of the week demand so many compromises among geeky TV viewers and hurried setting of DVRs/VCRs as Monday.

For teen drama fans, it's The CW's "Gossip Girl" vs. ABC Family's returning "Greek" at 8 p.m. (Previously it was ABC Family's "Secret Life of the American Teenager.")

If you're a fan of geek TV, there's the conflict of NBC's "Chuck" vs. CBS's "Big Bang Theory" at 8 p.m. and NBC's "Heroes" vs. Fox's "24" vs. ABC Family's recently-departed "Kyle XY" at 9 p.m.

A three-way conflict is the worst since two-tuner DVRs mean something will be missed. My advice: Watch the third show online or, if it's a cable show, record a later rebroadcast.

I'm sure there are other instances of inconvenient scheduling this season on other nights of the week. What conflicts in the prime-time scheduleing landscape drive you bonkers?

'Family Guy' beams up 'ST:TNG' cast

On Sunday's episode of "Family Guy" (9 p.m., WPGH), Stewie builds a transporter and beams the entire cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" to his bedroom.

Guest voices by the cast of "ST:TNG" include (pictured, from left) Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Wil Wheaton and Levar Burton.

This may be as close as fans get to another "TNG" story in this lifetime.

News bloopers

If you enjoy newscasters making flubs, you'll enjoy this video of TV news bloopers. Warning: It contains some unbleeped profanity.

Smart essay on those Comcast ads

If those colorful Comcast ads that mix animation, live-action and monotone singing have caught your attention, I'd encourage you to read this Slate essay about the spots and how they may not have the intended effect.

Do you like these commercials or do they drive you nuts? Login (or register to login) and post your thoughts below.

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Last week's "Real World" (10 tonight, MTV) was a moving episode as it depicted Iraq veteran Ryan Conklin getting called back by the military, presumably to return to Iraq. His story continues in tonight's episode.

I have to say, this season's "Real World" has some great characters who have more going on than getting drunk and having sex. MTV execs may be disappointed by that, but I'm thoroughly enjoying these episodes.

Last week, Ryan said he plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh to study film. His My Space page indicates he'll start taking classes here in 2010.

***

No new Tuned In Podcast this week. The podcast will resume next week.

CNBC goes cruising

After all its bad publicity from Jon Stewart's grilling of Jim Cramer, CNBC needs to change the conversation. One attempt to bounce back will be "Cruise Inc: Big Money on the High Seas" (9 tonight), reported by travel expert Peter Greenberg.

Per CNBC:

Correspondent Peter Greenberg and his crew investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the fastest growing segment of travel, as they spend seven days aboard the Norwegian Pearl, one of the newest ships in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet. Fourteen stories tall and more than three football fields long, The Pearl is home to more than 4000 passengers and crew, and Greenberg was granted extraordinary access above and below deck to document the inner workings of the ship and the business itself.

Greenberg investigates the intricate pricing structure of the cruise industry, starting with the most luxurious accommodations, which go for $26,000 a week, butler included.  He explains the huge gap that exists between the baseline cabin fee and the actual cost of indulging all the ship has to offer. The report also explores common perceptions and misperceptions about safety and security at sea, and takes viewers behind the scenes as the crew of the Norwegian Pearl train for worst-case scenarios.  CNBC gets a rare look at the Pearl's state-of-the-art security operation, where officials use 1100 surveillance cameras to monitor the ship 24/7.

I generally enjoy Greenberg's travel reporting -- he had a good story on "Dateline" last month about the investigation into the crash of the Concorde -- but it's difficult to tell from the description of "Cruise Inc." if it will be a substantive report or a puff piece on the Pearl.

Ormond joins 'Three Rivers'

Actress Julia Ormond, one of Hollywood's next big things that never quite was in 1995's "Sabrina," has joined the cast of the CBS medical drama pilot "Three Rivers," which begins filming in Western Pennsylvania this week. She'll play Dr. Jordan.