This fall, a character named Sam plays the lead in two new TV shows my wife and I enjoy watching.
Sam Tyler, a New York City police officer, gets hit by a car in 2008 and wakes up in 1973 in an American remake of the BBC hit "
Life On Mars," airing 10 p.m. Thursday on ABC. The show, with great 1970s music (yes, there is such a thing), fashion, hairstyles and cars, is a fun ride back in time. Sam solves crimes while trying to get back to 2008.
The other Sam has me laughing Monday nights in CBS's "
Worst Week," which airs at 9:30 and is another spin on a BBC show. The comedy focuses on Sam Briggs, who tends to attract bad luck during the week of his wedding.
Unlike CBS's other Monday comedies, which tend to deal with sexual issues, "Worst Week" brings back situational comedy and relatively clean humor.
Elsewhere on the TV and radio dials ...
Digital conversion: Last Monday at 6:25 p.m., all Pennsylvania television stations conducted a test of consumer and cable-operator readiness to receive digital signals.
The test, which lasted one minute, was to make sure everyone is prepared for Feb. 17, 2009, when television broadcasters will cease transmitting analog signals and begin broadcasting exclusively in a digital format.
WHP-TV CBS 21 ran the test five times. Once at 6:25 p.m., like everyone else, and again at 11:25 p.m. Monday and three times Tuesday during newscasts. CBS 21 reported that satellite provider DISH Network was not prepared for the test, but would be ready for the conversion in February.
WGAL-TV 8 will conduct another test of its digital signal at 6:25 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, for those viewers who missed the Nov. 17 test.
Radio and TV changes: Melanie Gardner has returned to television. Gardner, formerly of Traffax and the midday show at WARM-FM 103.3, is hosting "Better PA," a daily, one-hour consumer program airing at 9 a.m. on WPMT-TV Fox 43. She will continue to host "Saturday Night Retro '80s" on WARM.
• Traci Taylor joins WARM 103.3 in the 10 a.m.-to-3 p.m. slot. She was previously on the air in Louisville, Ky.
• Did you notice Bobby Quinn has joined Kelly West weekday mornings on WARM? At one time, West and Quinn (WQXA-FM Q-106) competed for morning listeners. Dave Russell, who had worked with West, has moved to weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. on WARM.
•
WSBA changes: When Gary Sutton went to the 5-to-9 a.m. shift on WSBA-AM 910, the York station added syndicated host Glenn Beck from 9 a.m. to noon.
•
Flick out: According to NorthEast Radio Watch, a broadcast media news group, Citadel Broadcasting cutbacks three weeks ago included Brad Flick, a veteran of 17 years in the Harrisburg market and morning co-host and newsman at WCAT-FM 102.3 in Carlisle.
•
Seacrest hits Pa. airwaves: Ryan Seacrest's "On Air" is now broadcast in Pittsburgh. The L.A.-based show started two weeks ago in the 1-to-4 p.m. slot on Clear Channel's WKST-FM 96.1 "Kiss."
•
Big changes for CN8: Early next year, Comcast Cable's regional CN8 channel will drop its programming for New England systems, change its name to the Comcast Network and downsize its staff and its programming lineup, according to a Nov. 10 report from NorthEast Radio Watch. CN8, which serves more than 8 million households in the northeast, will lay off a "majority" of its 300 employees, the report said.
•
A merging market: XM satellite radio is now advertising that its listeners can get Sirius satellite radio stations through XM, including the Sirius-owned NFL football package.
Staff writer Eric Stark discusses trends and tidbits in broadcast media each week in the Sunday News. He can be reached at estark@lnpnews.com.
