Raleigh Station Apologizes for Censoring SNL

By Kevin Eck 

Raleigh NBC affiliate WRAL went on its website to say sorry for censoring parts of Saturday Night Live.

“We apologize for impeding the full flow and message of Dave Chappelle’s monologue,” GM Steve Hammel wrote on the station’s website yesterday. “It was not our intention to censor his message. We followed policies and procedures that have been in place for many years for programming of any kind. This is an opportunity for us to review those policies and procedures. We will, and will consider viewer input as we do that.”

The station says Chappelle used several words “that are flagged in WRAL’s obscenity and decency policy.”

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The News & Observer reports the episode featuring Dave Chappelle was censored during Chappelle’s monologue, during a digital short and in a later sketch.

“Very disappointed that WRAL doesn’t think we, the viewers, are mature enough to watch Saturday Night Live without censorship,” one viewer wrote on the station’s Facebook page. “Do you really think children are up at midnight watching TV? Shame on you.”

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