Station Says ‘60 Minutes’ Blackout Was Just Technical

STATION SAYS '60 MINUTES' BLACKOUT WAS JUST TECHNICAL
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Bill Carter]
A television station in Huntsville, Ala., offered viewers nothing but a black screen for 12 minutes Sunday night — at the exact time that the CBS News program “60 Minutes” was broadcasting a report about potential political skulduggery involving the former Bush administration official Karl Rove in the conviction of a former Democratic governor of the state. The interruption raised suspicions among some viewers, especially Democratic backers of Don Siegelman, the former governor, that partisan political interests might be behind the blackout. Even some CBS executives wondered initially about the reasons for the disruption, though the general manager of the station, WHNT-TV, denied any ulterior motives, and immediately offered the report in its entirety on the station’s newscasts Sunday and Monday nights, as well as on its Web site. “We know what our license means to us,” said Stan Pylant, the chief executive at the station. “There were no political motives in this.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/26/business/media/26tele.html?ref=todaysp...
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