Early yesterday morning, CBS News sent out an email out to a number of their affiliates, asking them to have their morning anchor team post a video to the crew at CBS This Morning and congratulating them on one year on the air as the new team.

Then when 6:30 PM rolled around those same affiliates watched as the CBS Evening News had a technical meltdown.

A General Manager texted FTVLive as it was happening, to say, “CBS News is down out of DC. Running CBSN without local breaks. May book ends tomorrow. It’s unbelievable.”

The newscast melted down and CBS was stuck running promos before finally punting and going to CBSN (picture above) for the news.

CBS released a statement saying:

“CBS News experienced technical difficulties tonight that prevented the CBS Evening News from airing at 6:30 pm, ET on the CBS Television Network. The issue is being resolved, and the Mountain and West Coast versions of the CBS Evening News will air during the regular time slots at 6:30 PM, MT/PT. In place of the CBS Evening News on the East Coast, the network aired coverage from CBSN, CBS News’ streaming news service.”

CBS Anchor Norah O’Donnell addressed the problem with a video clip posted on her Instagram. “It’s a broadcast in the era of COVID,” she said.

CBS’s Paul Friedman gave a bit more explanation into what happened?

COVID-19 has had all the networks and TV stations around the country having to do news on the fly.

Just a few months ago, no thought expected to see the anchor of their local newscast, giving the news while sitting at home in their kitchen. But, they are and it has been going on long enough that it is almost the norm for viewers now.

While every network and station is dealing with issues, no one seems to be handling it worse than CBS News. They have resorted to farming out the CBS Evening weekend newscasts to their affiliates and now they are having trouble getting the main newscast on the air.

CBS Broadcast Center had been shut down for weeks.

Clearly CBS is having more problems than all the other networks when it comes to putting a news product on the air. The network has been sitting in the basement in the ratings for years and all of this just solidifies their spot there.

The world is in a global pandemic and CBS News is floundering around like someone lost in the dark.

As Donald Trump would say, SAD.