The Delay of Very Important Information

A viewer of Nexstar’s WCIA (Champaign, IL) was taking note as some very severe weather moved through the region.

The viewer sent this email to FTVLive:

March 31st, 2023, 9:40 P.M. EDT

The central United States region is being hit with a major tornado outbreak, which may be the worst since the notorious April 27th, 2011 outbreak in the Southeast.

Many stations are pre-empting regular programming to cover the storms, and doing an outstanding service to their viewers.

As you may know WCIA in Champaign/Urbana Illinois recently decided to cease streaming their local newscasts live (FTVLive note: a decision made by station owner Nexstar) on their website (supposedly to "protect" cable and satellite operators) and instead, delay posting them for two hours.

You would think that since the market has been under a tornado warning this evening (March 31st), that WCIA would stream their storm coverage live on their website.

But when I went on their website at 9:20 P.M. EDT this evening, it appears that their stream was on the same two-hour delay as the streaming of their regular newscasts.

WCIA should have said "The hell with a two-hour delay! This is extremely important, so let's put it live on our website!".

A two-hour delay in a webstream of local coverage of a tornado outbreak in the station's local market is not only dumb, it can also be deadly!!!

Just my two cents.