KGW Airs Fireworks Special Without Audio

By Andrew Gauthier 

Portland NBC-affiliate KGW aired a Fourth of July special Wednesday night that was perfect for those people who enjoy the sight of fireworks but can’t handle the loud noises.

Due to an apparent technical mishap, KGW aired its live, half-hour fireworks special with no audio. Not only were viewers unable to hear the boom of the fireworks, they also couldn’t hear anything that hosts Laurel Porter and Matt Zaffino were saying before and after the display.

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KGW’s special, which ran from 10:00-10:30, cut into NBC’s coverage of the “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular” in New York, which did have audio.

KGW had sound for its 11 p.m. newscast, which Porter anchored from her same spot on location at the fireworks event. At the top of the newscast, Porter alluded to the audio trouble.

“I understand that some of you at home didn’t get to hear the music and hear the fireworks,” she said. “You sort of got the silent movie version.”

While there’s no word yet if KGW plans to re-air the fireworks display with audio (or if that’s even possible), the station has issued an apology on its Facebook page:

We’re so sorry for the lack of audio on the fireworks show – and completely understand the frustration felt by those of you watching us and messaging us. It’s no consolation, but we did several pre-checks before the show, and everything tested fine then. We’re still trying to track down what caused us to lose audio. Thanks for your patience.

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