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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

WKYT Blames Network for Last Minute Blackout

As the clock ticked away in the final minute of Saturday's game between Kentucky and Arkansas, something happened ... at least for TV viewers in this region.
With less than 50 seconds to play, the screen went black as coverage switched to the start of the St. John's-Duke game.
In a matter of seconds, viewers hammered WKYT-27 -- the local CBS affiliate -- with hundreds of phone calls, General Manager Wayne Martin said.
Martin said his staff immediately called CBS in New York, where workers were able to get the UK game back on with 14 seconds to go, allowing fans to watch Kentucky pull out a 63-58 victory.
Viewers in Alabama, Tennessee and Florida said they experienced the same thing. Shane Kosky, originally from Lexington, but now living in Tampa, Fla., said he saw the black screen and assumed the problem might have been weather-related.
"But then the Duke game came on," he said. "Of all the games ... the Duke game? That's like salt in the wounds. That's like insult to injury."
Martin, who said WKYT apologizes for the mistake, said the swap was "a CBS switching error out of New York."

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