Yesterday, FTVLIve showed you one of the most cringe worthy clips from a TV news station ever.

Tegna’s WTOL (Toledo) basically put their entire morning anchor team into the "What the Fuck TV Hall of Fame” by having them look like idiots.

The video went viral and was mocked around the world.

WTOL, scarped the egg off their face and tried to explain what the hell they did?

The explanation is cringe worthy as well.

This is what they wrote:

Here is the “word” when it comes to our video originally made exclusively for Toledo Public Schools students, which has since gone viral. We’ll try not to be too “extra” in our language.

Here’s the “real talk”:

TPS has had two consecutive failing grades on the Ohio state report card.

800 TPS students were absent during the 2018 Ohio state test.

There are fears that a third consecutive failing grade could lead to a state takeover of the district.

That was the landscape facing Toledo Public Schools and our community as thousands of TPS students got ready for state testing this week.

Those at the TPS recognized the challenge and reached out to a number of media outlets, including WTOL for help.

The goal: encourage students to show up and be ready for those tests.

Attendance at these tests is critical for a variety of reasons, including school funding. More importantly, it’s a chance to give the district a guide on how its students are doing so teachers there can help them grow. When students excel, our community is strengthened.

“The intent from the very beginning was to help TPS students take the tests and to get the district the funding it needs,” said Brian Lorenzen, WTOL General Manager. “This was one of several messages provided by area leaders and media outlets meant to show support and provide encouragement.”

So, WTOL went to work to try to encourage and to, well, connect. We created a not-for-television-broadcast video that could be shared with students and on social media.

“It’s all about the kids and being relatable to them. We wanted to do something encouraging and fun,” said Steven Jackson, WTOL Morning Traffic anchor. “By doing this, not only are we empowering students, but we’re strengthening our community.”

While the video was admittedly “cringe-worthy”, that was by design.

In other words, we wanted our anchors to look like complete fools.

Also, how many of those kids have a clue who those anchors are?

You have have thought you were helping, but the execution was awful and turned your station and the anchors into a laughing stock from cost to coast.

Then again…. This is Tegna.