TV Q&A: How did a CBS Sports correspondent become part of Steelers’ preseason game telecasts?

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 did Amanda Renner from CBS Sports show up working the local KDKA-TV telecast of the Steelers’ first preseason NFL game Aug. 13? Nothing — unless I missed it — was said by Bob Pompeani or the rest of the broadcast team. They simply worked with her and assimilated her into the crew as if she had been with them forever.

What’s up with that? Obviously, KDKA is a CBS affiliate, but there has to be more to the story.

— David, Delmont

Rob: My understanding is the Steelers, not KDKA, now produce the preseason (only) Steelers’ games and pre-and post-game shows using KDKA talent.

So it was the Steelers who brought in Renner, a Pittsburgh native who joined CBS Sports in 2017 as a reporter for the network’s golf coverage. She’s also a sideline reporter for some “NFL on CBS” games and CBS Sports Network college football games.

One caveat: The Aug. 28 game against the Lions is a CBS network game, so it will be produced by CBS Sports with KDKA assisting the Steelers with the pre- and post-game shows.

Q: Why did Comcast decide to put KDKA-TV over-the-air Channel 2 on Xfinity Channel 2 and WTAE-TV on Xfinity Channel 4 all of a sudden and why didn’t they do this 50 years ago?

— Rebecca, Scott Township

Rob: I never understood why the channels were not aligned to their over-the-air channel number either, but given that the original decision was made decades ago, we’re not going to get an answer on that from the folks running Comcast locally now.

But the reason for the change does make sense. I’m told it’s an effort to align all the systems in Allegheny, Butler and Westmoreland County. A standardized lineup is easier for everybody, and this change only impacts standard definition channels, not HD channels, which I would guess is what most people watch nowadays anyway.

Since some readers seemed to appreciate the listing of digital subchannel changes earlier this month, here’s what changed for Comcast Xfinity customers on Aug. 18:

Big Ten overflow moved from Channel 471 to Channel 261.

Bloomberg from 103 to 37.

C-SPAN from 2 to 22.

Jewelry TV from 11 to 3.

Local public access from 765/1084 to 14/1070

KDKA-TV from 6 to 2.

MLB Network from 181 to 272.

TLC from 37 to 50.

Weather Channel from 16 to 35.

WINP-TV from 4 to 16.

WPXI-TV from 12 to 11.

WQED-TV from 9 to 13.

WTAE-TV from 8 to 4.

Q: Epix is rerunning seasons one and two of “War of the Worlds.” Will there be a third season?

— John, Green Tree

Rob: Yes, there will. Season three debuts on Epix at 9 p.m. Sept. 12.

Q: Did CNN demote Jim Acosta?

— Ed, via Facebook

Rob: Given that his move from covering the White House to anchoring on weekends happened in early 2021 under the watch of former CNN chief Jeff Zucker, who preferred a news-as-pro-wrestling style and likely appreciated Acosta’s sometimes combative exchanges, it seems unlikely that the move was punitive.

But Zucker exited CNN amidst a scandal earlier this year with new management preferring a back-to-basics approach. This month, the network dismissed Brian Stelter, another favorite of Zucker’s, raising questions about whether some other CNN veterans will get the boot. TheWrap.com says Acosta and Don Lemon are expected to stay at CNN.