ShareThisQ: HLN, CNN's sister network, is making a big fuss about their airing of the Dr. Conrad Murray trial. That brought a question to my mind: Is HLN paying the state of California for the rights to air the trial? -- Eric, 51, Monroeville, Pa.
Rob Owen: No, states do not sell access to trial coverage.
Q: What happened to a season one DVD release of "Boardwalk Empire"? Season two has started on HBO, but no earlier DVD has been released. -- Pete via phone call
Rob: Good question. I hadn't realized season one was not released until Pete brought it up. It is unusual.
According to an HBO publicist, it's an experiment in "windowing," the timing of when a show is released on different platforms. "Boardwalk Empire" season one is available on HBO Go, the mobile platform.
The publicist emphasized this is just an experiment.
I have to wonder if the lack of a season one DVD contributed at all to an 8 percent decline in the ratings for the "Boardwalk Empire" season two premiere.
Season one of "Boardwalk Empire" will be released on DVD on Jan. 10, 2012.
Q: I've noticed in the past six months that Andy Rooney has not been on "60 Minutes" as often. Has he retired or is he just gliding in for a landing? -- Dave, 58, Shadyside, Pa.
Rob: Rooney recently announced his retirement on a "60 Minutes" broadcast.
Q: Whatever happened to Leah Remini and Holly Robinson Peete on "The Talk"? I like Molly Shannon and that gummy-smile girl, but I loved Leah and Holly. -- Sandra, 69, Pittsburgh
Rob: Their contracts were not renewed. No reason was given.
Q: Any idea when the new season of TLC's "Police Women" will start and where it will be located? -- Tyler, 21, Pittsburgh
Rob: There may not be a new season. TLC has not announced a new season and a new season is not currently scheduled.
Q: Rob, wasn't your recent answer to the question about ratings only partially correct? I remember reading somewhere about "delayed viewing" being factored into national ratings using data from cable systems' DVR activity. So cable systems do have the ability to track what we record and watch later, right? I'm not screaming, "OMG, Big Brother is watching us," but just noting a possible role for the technology to provide a bit more accurate measure of what we're actually watching. -- Dan, 57, Pittsburgh
Rob: It is true that Nielsen includes DVR viewing in some ratings measurements, but the question was if the cable companies count how many people are watching and if that's factored into the ratings. Only Nielsen does the counting using its own equipment. Cable companies can compile their own viewing data, but that's a very limited set and therefore not something that can be extrapolated on a national basis.
(Ask TV questions by sending your query, name, age, city and state to owenr(at)shns.com. Follow TV writer Rob Owen on Twitter or Facebook under RobOwenTV.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
