School's out

-- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/12/2001

WROC-TV Rochester, N.Y., broadcast an erroneous closing of city schools after someone apparently misappropriated a password used to communicate such closings between school officials and the media. Because of the confusion generated, the schools were eventually closed for the day. The station had no idea why it was selected for the false report or who made the misleading call. "I would only hope that the individual school districts do as much to protect the passwords as we do," said News Director Bob Kirk, who noted that the password, which is changed periodically, had been changed since the incident.