CBS Coverage

[Altor]

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?

A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted. It's not just a possibility...it's currently happening. If people died because they were watching the game and didn't take cover because the station held off a couple minutes, could you imagine the headlines then?

People need to examine themselves and their priorities.

[bucky]

Originally Posted by Altor

A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted. It's not just a possibility...it's currently happening. If people died because they were watching the game and didn't take cover because the station held off a couple minutes, could you imagine the headlines then?

People need to examine themselves and their priorities.

Hit the nail on the head! It's hammer time!

[SNIPERBBB]

If was part of the EAS...stations generally cant do a thing about it shy of turning their receivers off and risk a fine.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The decision makers likely went to Ohio State.

You mean THE Ohio State?

Originally Posted by Altor

A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted. It's not just a possibility...it's currently happening. If people died because they were watching the game and didn't take cover because the station held off a couple minutes, could you imagine the headlines then?

People need to examine themselves and their priorities.

Yeah but a blank screen is WAAAY too far. Keep showing the game and either 1) do a voiceover, or 2) show a graphic. Or both. Don't cut away from the game.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by AremRed

Yeah but a blank screen is WAAAY too far. Keep showing the game and either 1) do a voiceover, or 2) show a graphic. Or both. Don't cut away from the game.

Seen this done several times. Never heard of the blank screen

Actually I mean Ohio.

Peace

[crosscountry55]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Seen this done several times. Never heard of the blank screen



Actually I mean Ohio.



Peace

I've seen it a few times, but as one poster pointed out, the station is overridden by the Emergency Broadcast System. Nothing the station can do about it. This usually only happens for no kidding life threatening events (tornado warning, earthquake, tsunami, etc.). Severe thunderstorm warnings don't usually result in the EBS black screen. Though if you live in Oklahoma or Kansas, the station will probably preempt on their own volition anyway.


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[scrounge]

I was not only in the described tv market, but actually smack dab in the middle of the storm path in suburban Columbus.

It was indeed a warning, but there wasn't a touchdown or sighted tornado but rather a tight thunderstorm that started showing rotation. The neighboring county was in T-warning for some time while the local CBS affiliate stayed with the game, and our county was in T-warning for a few mins too until they finally pulled the plug for weather preemption (the other local affiliates had been in meteorologist-nirvana preemption for awhile). It wasn't an EAS alert, just the normal preemption. But yea, they had tech difficulties and showed a blank green or black screen for about 5 mins - right at the end of the game. Idiotic.

Split screen, people.

[crosscountry55]

Originally Posted by Altor

A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted. It's not just a possibility...it's currently happening. If people died because they were watching the game and didn't take cover because the station held off a couple minutes, could you imagine the headlines then?

People need to examine themselves and their priorities.

Meteorology undergrad here with a minor public service clarification. A tornado warning can indeed be from a spotted tornado, but it can also be issued when doppler radar indicates that a severe thunderstorm is capable of producing a tornado.

That said, the average Joe needs to treat this as a distinction without a difference. Stop watching basketball and take cover!

[BryanV21]

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

Meteorology undergrad here with a minor public service clarification. A tornado warning can indeed be from a spotted tornado, but it can also be issued when doppler radar indicates that a severe thunderstorm is capable of producing a tornado.

That said, the average Joe needs to treat this as a distinction without a difference. Stop watching basketball and take cover!

Isn't that a tornado watch, not a warning?

[crosscountry55]

Originally Posted by BryanV21

Isn't that a tornado watch, not a warning?

Nope. A watch means the atmospheric conditions in general (synoptic and mesoscale) are conducive to development of storms that could produce tornadoes. Be wary, but go about your daily life.

A warning is an actual tornado as observed on the ground or by radar. Take cover!

The former usually precedes the latter, but not always.

If CBS blacked out the screen to announce a watch, shame on them. I think it was an actual warning, though.




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[OKREF]

Watch means conditions are right for a tornado
Warning means a tornado is imminent or on the ground

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BryanV21

Isn't that a tornado watch, not a warning?

When I was growing up in the 80s, that was the case. Radar technology has improved to the point that warnings are now issued without someone spotting the funnel.

That's my layman's understanding.

[LRZ]

More understandable than the "Heidi" game.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by LRZ

More understandable than the "Heidi" game.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidi_Game

[Kansas Ref]

Thanks for sharing that ! wow after learning about the "Heidi game I for one am glad that in these modern days we have immediate ESPN highlights that would've afforded a thorough review of said game; however, the justification for interrupting the Raider's game paled in glaring comparison to the rational explaination by NBC for interupting the Kentucky game.
If North Korea had--just suppose---fueled icbms targeting at Seoul and cofirmed by our DoD that launch is imminent and it is now Finals with Zags v Heels and a critical block/charge discrepancy near game's end occurs where Gonzaga is leading by 1; however, all networks suddenly switch to the President just as whistles blow and all are breathless---we wouldn't mind right?