CBS Stations Carry Jets-Bills Not Carry Ferguson Jury Decision

By Josh Albarran

WCBS in New York among some other CBS affiliates regionally aired the New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills game on November 25, 2014 as they did not carry its news division coverage of a jury decision in Ferguson.

 

 

An FOX Sports ticker appear during FOX Network programming altering their viewers to stand by for an FOX News update as the crisis in Ferguson rolls on.

 As we reported last weekend for coverage plans on the postponed New York Jets-Buffalo Bills game from Sunday to Monday night on CBS in select markets including in New York and Buffalo market (http://tvsportsnews-foxjoshx.blogspot.com/2014/11/jets-bills-to-play-monday-night-in.html), but we also know that it was going to affect a network's breaking coverage a judge decision on the case in Ferguson, MI during a normal day in prime-time programming.

As WCBS (New York) passed on to carry a Jets game, sister station WLNY (Ch. 10/55) which were airing CBS network programming at the time of the football game was aired, which also included an live bulletin from CBS News on the jury's decision with Scott Pelly anchoring.

Meanwhile, another NFL broadcaster FOX Sports produced an special news ticker that aired during the Fox Broadcasting Company's regular-scheduled programming on its East coast (Sleepy Hallow) and Central coast (Gotham) viewers and the Fox Broadcast Network said in the ticker that "A decision has been reached by the grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri. A FOX News update will be carried live shortly," and they did with Shepard Smith anchored an two-minute update at 9:40pm ET/8:40pm CT to provide a timeline from tonight's events.

NBC and ABC also aired bulletins during their respected high-rated live dance-music completion programs (NBC's The Voice and ABC's Dancing with the Stars). In the end, CBS in New York didn't carry live reports from Ferguson's jury decision until President Obama address it later and the Jets lose to Bills with the final score of 38-3.