CABLE CHANNEL Like this city? You don't live there

Negative-minded people in Pittsburgh witnessdaily affirmations on TV.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh: It's good enough, it's smart enough, and, doggone it, people like it.
At least people who don't live here like it.
That's the message of the new cable channel "Discover Pittsburgh Country," where producers hope to convince Pittsburghers that the city isn't as bad as they seem to think it is.
First-time visitors often are stunned by the city's skyline, rivers and burgeoning development, but many Pittsburghers seem trapped in a deep malaise about their lot.
Now they can tune in to "Discover Pittsburgh Country" to be reminded that great skiing, symphonies, art museums, new sports stadiums and bustling shopping districts are all right here.
It is hoped the new channel, part of Comcast On Demand, will convert cynical Pittsburghers into ambassadors for the city and the region -- and will give visitors some ideas, too.
Producers have hired Leslie Merrill McCombs, the former court reporter for the television show "Judge Mathis" as the face for the channel, which currently reaches 350,000 homes.
Tough sell
Pittsburgh has undergone a transformation from a soot-laden industrial hearth to a modern, and much cleaner, city. But it was declared financially distressed in late 2003 and many residents can't seem to shake the feeling that Pittsburgh's 15 minutes of fame -- Andy Warhol was born here, after all -- are long past.
Even Warhol, when asked about home, replied, "I am from nowhere."
"Why is everybody down in the mouth? This is a great story," said Gov. Ed Rendell, who was in Pittsburgh on Friday to tout the city and the cable channel. "Sure we're having some fiscal problems, but every American city is experiencing fiscal problems."
Michael Brein, a travel writer and social psychologist based in Ashland, Ore., said many Pittsburghers may have been brought up with negative views of their hometown.
"Certainly, part of it is being raised depressed about Pittsburgh during the hard times and having those attitudes ingrained," Brein said. "Maybe they need to see some other places before they come full circle and see what they have."
It is hoped that "Discover Pittsburgh Country" will spark enough wanderlust that residents may come to see Pittsburgh as a real treasure -- and become advocates for the city.
But there are few cities as down on itself as Pittsburgh, acknowledged Bill Flannigan, executive vice president of the Allegheny Conference, a development group.
"Newcomers were constantly commenting about our lack of self-esteem among the people who live here," Flannigan said. "They said every time they meet a native [they're asked], 'Why are you here?'"
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