PROVIDENCE – When WNAC-TV Fox 64 cut off the climactic final musical number on Tuesday night’s episode of the hit comedy “Glee,” nobody was more upset about it than the man who runs the station.
“I was absolutely mortified when I heard about it,” Jay Howell, president and general manager of WNAC and sister station WPRI-TV CBS 12, told Providence Business News. “We love ‘Glee.’ ”
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Howell said the cutoff was the result of a technical error and not an editorial choice by the station to skip the last minute or so of the show.
The problem was that “American Idol,” which airs prior to “Glee,” ran long, pushing the second show into the 10 p.m. time slot of WNAC’s late-night news.
An automated system that switches from the network feed to the local signal when the clock hits 10 was not shut off, cutting off the “Glee” cast’s final chorus of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” The station briefly went black before its surprised employees started the news.
The snafu drew complaints on Twitter as well as in local living rooms.
As a general rule, Howell said local stations never cut off network programming except when there is breaking news or a severe weather alert. “It was accidental,” he said.
Among those who complained to Howell about the problem were his own wife and daughter, who are loyal “Glee” viewers, he said, adding that he extended his apologies to “Glee” viewers.
Additional information is available at foxprovidence.com.
