Dallas Station Catches Heat for Timing of Commercial Block
Jimmy Kimmel was giving an emotional monologue about the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school on his late-night show.
But, the viewers of Tegna’s WFAA in Dallas did not get to see all that Kimmel had to say.
As Kimmel was talking, WFAA suddenly cut away to a commercial block.
Many thought that in gun-loving Texas, the Tegna station did this on purpose.
Tegna and WFAA said that it was a “mistake.”
“Unfortunately, the automated system that triggers commercials aired the first commercial break in error, interrupting Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue. The same technical error also impacted two commercial breaks later in the program, not just the one interrupting the monologue,” the station said in a statement.
Not everyone was buying that, including people that work at the station. “No one in the building is buying this explanation. It’s more likely that someone in master control wasn’t happy with the gun control commentary.” said one WFAA news staffer to FTVLive.
Kimmel himself took to social media to say this:
“To my friends in Dallas who are asking: I do not know whether our @ABCNetwork affiliate @wfaa cut away from my monologue tonight intentionally or inadvertently but I will find out. In the meantime, here's what you didn't get to see.”
He posted a link to YouTube with his comments on the shooting.
Kimmel later did say he believed that it was an honest mistake.
“I've known the staff at @wfaa personally and professionally for almost 20 years and believe this mistake was made unintentionally. Thanks for reposting and for correcting this error. Sending love to all my friends in Texas.”
Mistake or not, the timing could not have been worse and it is another blackeye for WFAA which has fallen so badly under Tegna’s watch.