Q: I see that the National Football League will be starting select games 15 minutes later on Sundays this coming season. Isn’t the Sunday prime-time lineup messed up enough during the football on CBS already? Two of my favorite programs are “60 Minutes” and “The Good Wife.” Now what time will they be starting? CBS should just have football on all day and night on Sunday. That’s the way it’s headed. — Ed, Corapolis, Pa.
Q: Now that the NFL admits that football games run longer than three hours and will not be starting doubleheader second games until 4:25 p.m. Eastern, is there any chance that CBS will end its fantasy that the late game will be over by 7 p.m. and discontinue the absurdity of scheduling a full night of TV shows beginning at the 7 p.m. time slot? — Jean, 62, Ross Township, Pa.
Rob: In short, no. CBS will stick to its Sunday night schedule in the sense that the shows will air in their expected order, but their start times will vary weekly.
CBS execs acknowledge how frustrating it is to viewers when their shows are delayed by NFL games going long on Sunday nights. The network tries to update viewers on-air — both verbally and with graphics — about new start times for Sunday night shows. CBS also uses social media platforms. Viewers can sign up for Eye-lerts (cbs.com/eye-lerts), which I find useful.
The network also promised “some new measures,” but wasn’t specific about what those would be. But you can be sure I’ll ask about them later this month during CBS’s day at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Q: Is the Dr. Nancy Snyderman on NBC with Brian Williams the same one who worked at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in 1981-82? — Mrs. Kennedy, via phone
Rob: It seems likely she is. In her official NBC bio, Snyderman lists a stint at Pitt. From her NBC bio: “Snyderman attended medical school at the University of Nebraska and continued with residencies in pediatrics and ear, nose and throat surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. She joined the surgical staff at the University of Arkansas in 1983.”
