WJZ, the CBS O&O in Baltimore, is facing criticism today after cutting away from a Baltimore Orioles game in extra innings to show “60 Minutes” last night.
WJZ cut away from the Orioles-Red Sox game, which was tied in the 15th inning, around 7 p.m. The station directed viewers to MASN, a regional sports network that carried the game in its entirety, via an alert crawl.
“We made the decision to give the vast majority of viewers a choice,” WJZ spokesperson K.C. Robertson told the Baltimore Sun‘s David Zurawik. “Viewers were alerted via a lower-screen crawl before 7 p.m. that those viewers who wanted to see the game’s conclusion should switch over to MASN.”
The Orioles won the game in the 17th inning. The incident has sparked feedback on WBZ’s Facebook page.
“You all should be ashamed of yourselves for cutting away from the Orioles/Red Sox game,” one viewer wrote. “In years past you would have simply pushed your programming back, showing your full slate just later. What’s wrong with you all?”
“You guys suck for turning off the O’s Game last night,” wrote another.