TV Biz

Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake in South Central Alaska Knocks Local Stations Off the Air

By A.J. Katz 

A significant 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook southern Alaska, just north of Anchorage this morning. Major buildings and highways have been damaged, and a tsunami warning had been issued for surrounding coastal areas in southern Alaska.

The ‘quake happened to knock the NBC, CBS and Fox broadcast stations in the Anchorage market (DMA No. 148) off the air at 8:27 and 8:28 a.m. local time.

A source told Adweek’s local news-focused blog TVSpy that KTUU, the NBC affiliate in Anchorage, reported items falling off the shelves in the newsroom, mid-commercial break.

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That particular station was in commercial when the quake knocked off the signal at 8:28 a.m local time. KTUU Morning Edition’s Ariane Aramburo teased meteorologist Howie Gordon‘s weather forecast going into the break, roughly a minute before the signal went out.

 

KTBY, the Fox affiliate in Anchorage lost its signal at 8:27 a.m. The station was airing The Verdict with Judge Hatchett when the screen went dark.

KYUR, the ABC affiliate in Anchorage was broadcasting GMA at 8:29 a.m. when the signal started cutting in and out, creating a choppy picture that continued through the 9 a.m. hour.

KTVA, the CBS station in Anchorage, lost its signal and went dark at 8:28 a.m. Ironically, this happened while KTVA meteorologist Jeremy Lagoo was on-air doing the forecast. Needless to say, he wasn’t able to forecast an imminent earthquake.

We can expect a mild start to the day and a whole lot of cloud cover building. There is a monster storm out to the west, and that is going to bring some inclement weather to western Alaska, and then make its way on in to southern Alaska and south central, specifically, as we get into the evening today, then another wave as we head into early next week. In the evening today, there seems to be a chance of some snow making its way on down. We hang onto that chance overnight, but here’s the kicker –

That’s when the signal went out. Quite a dramatic way to go out.

KTVA reporter Cassie Schirm tweeted this photo of its newsroom after the earthquake:

According to TVSpy, KTVA got back on the air at around 11 a.m. local time.

There seems to be a lot of infrastructure damage around Anchorage and the surrounding area, including damage to highways and roads.

CNN political analyst Kristen Powers posted this photo:

Here’s the Nesbitt Courthouse in Anchorage:

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