CBS Columbus affiliate cuts away from North Carolina-Kentucky finish, viewers miss winning shot
Sunday’s Elite Eight matchup between North Carolina and Kentucky was awesome for 39 minutes and 50 seconds. It was even better for the final 10 seconds.
Kentucky’s Malik Monk hit a ridiculous, contested 3-pointer to tie the game with 10 seconds on the clock, but North Carolina’s Theo Pinson raced down the court, dished a pass to Luke Maye, and Maye, a former walk-on, swished a game-winning jumper. Viewers around the country went wild …
… Except for those in Columbus, Ohio. The local CBS affiliate in Columbus cut away from the broadcast to a blank screen with a voiceover:
@bustedcoverage pic.twitter.com/bUn7JS1DBs
— Dave Purpura (@dpurpura) March 26, 2017
The reason for the cut-away? Well, it’s more rational than you might think. It was for a weather alert/tornado warning. But couldn’t the station have pulled some strings and held off a couple minutes? Or couldn’t it have easily just used a voiceover without cutting away from the picture of the game?
Needless to say, viewers in Columbus were not happy…
ARE YOU KIDDING ME @CBS? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING. WBNS IN COLUMBUS, OHIO JUST CUT INTO THE UK VS UNC GAME WITH 30 SECONDS TO GO.
— Brian Joyce (@bjoyce_hoops) March 26, 2017
Columbus CBS has cut away from the game for a tornado warning. And it's a black screen, can hear the guy talking. Unreal
— Joe Boggs (@joeboggs1) March 26, 2017
CBS Columbus affiliate about to get a ton of complaints. Oh boy
— Jason Arkley (@JasonAmessenger) March 26, 2017
Shoutout central Columbus cbs station for turning the game off for a black screen telling me about tornadoes
— Duff (@AJ_Duffy_) March 26, 2017
Columbus OH CBS affilate goes black screen rather than final 16 seconds of UNC game or tornado radar. @10TV pic.twitter.com/lZAFSl0GQl
— Mike Hendrix (@MrMHendrix) March 26, 2017
YOOO, Columbus CBS cut out with 15 seconds left for a tornado warning. I'm so sorry, y'all.
— aye, Corbin Bagford (@CoreyOrCorbin) March 26, 2017
Live look in on CBS in Columbus ???? pic.twitter.com/ENlRdUHd7h
— ❄️ Justin Groshon ❄️ (@Justin4_OSU) March 26, 2017
Columbus OH CBS – you have to be kidding me
— Jimmy Onate (@JimmyOnateFPPE) March 26, 2017
Someone at local CBS is getting fired
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) March 26, 2017
With 30 seconds to go in an elite 8 game CBS decides to cut out of the game to tell us there's a tornado warning in COLUMBUS thanks @CBS
— Tim Sayer (@TheSayers62) March 26, 2017
You get the point. There are hundreds more tweets that could be embedded here, but they all more or less say the same thing. And there’s nothing the local CBS station can do to rectify its mistake. That won’t stop it from trying, though:
10TV will air the last two minutes of the North Carolina vs. Kentucky game at 8:00 p.m.
— 10TV.com (@10TV) March 26, 2017
That idea might have worked 20 years ago. Not today, friends.
More NCAA tournament coverage on Yahoo Sports:
• CBS affiliate cuts away from UNC-Kentucky finish, viewers miss winning shot
• Final Four coach’s future wife turn him down for a date seven times
• Luke Maye’s dramatic last-second jumper sends UNC to the Final Four
• South Carolina’s magical run continues, Gamecocks clinch first-ever Final Four
• Podiatrist who once made 2,750 straight free throws dies at 94