KATV Little Rock Pre-empts Oprah Finale With Storm Coverage
By Leslie Jaye Goff
B&C contributor Leslie Jaye Goff checked in with this local TV report from Little Rock, Ark., Wednesday afternoon:
Amid tornado sightings, severe thunderstorms, hail and strong winds across Arkansas, KATV Channel 7, the local ABC affiliate in Little Rock, stunned Oprah fans this afternoon when it pre-empted the Queen of Daytime’s final show to conduct live storm coverage.
The station announced just after 4 p.m. (Central), the show’s regularly scheduled timeslot, that it would broadcast the much-anticipated episode at 12:35 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. While tornadoes on the ground, funnel clouds and rotating wall clouds were confirmed in the greater viewing area, the programming switch irked some viewers on Twitter. DeShaun Artis (@deshaunmarquis ) retweeted: “RT @4EverLoyalWhit KATV really don’t understand the importance of watching Oprah right now,” and a tweeter called “Nesh Bo Besh” (@TheNeshShow), wrote, “Damn You KATV.”
Apparently, the station also received a few choice phone calls, prompting Good Morning, Arkansas producer Diana Harbour (@KATVDiana) to tweet, “Anyone wanna come answer KATV newsroom calls? Any takers? PLZ!” and later, “Come on over…not all of them are being…polite.”
In the meantime, KATV meteorologist Todd Yakoubian (@KATV_Weather) was tweeting real-time warnings and photos of conditions statewide, starting in the mid-afternoon and escalating about the time Oprah would have aired:
- 4:00 p.m.: Confirmed wall cloud near Beebe #ARWX
- 4:00 p.m.: Rotating wall cloud near Bauxite. Eastern part of Saline county take cover now. #ARWX
- 4:10 p.m.: NWS reporting Tornado on the ground near Oil Trough moving NE, moving 50 mph #ARWX
- 4:11 p.m.: State Police reporting tornado on the ground near Newport #ARWX
His tweets kept up all hour:
- 4:45 p.m.: Augusta move to a safe place
- 4:47 p.m.: McCrory go ahead and get to your safe place
- 4:48 p.m.: Confirmed reports of tornado on the ground near Augusta.
- 4:51 p.m.: Rotation near Grapevine moving towards Pine Bluff, Jefferson County #ARWX
A KATV spokesman said the station went on the air at roughly 3:30 p.m. with the severe weather coverage. “It is the station’s policy to provide live on-air weather coverage when active tornado warnings are in effect for the KATV viewing area,” he wrote in an email. On Tuesday, reacting to forecasts of severe weather on Wednesday, the station had begun announcing that if the final Oprah show were interrupted, it would be broadcast on Thursday.
“Thanks to the preemptive strike (promotion), and the repeating of the Oprah announcement during today’s weather coverage, we only got about a dozen calls from upset viewers,” he wrote. “We of course explained to them that severe weather coverage is a primary responsibility of the station.”
arwritergal commented:
My sentiments are the same as others. Of course, Channel 7 did the right thing. Priority #1 is safety for ALL of us. That includes the people that are complaining. Bet they didn't think of that. As for others who say that Channel 7 was too busy informing us about Oprah to focus on weather, consider this. A short announcement regarding Oprah's finale allowed KATV staff to concentrate on the severe weather, rather than devoting most of their time to answering calls and trying to appease viewers. I whole-heartedly applaud Channel 7 for the excellent coverage of severe weather anytime there'a a dangerous development in our state. They go above and beyond any other station in our area. Some people will keep on complaining no matter what. Ironically, in many cases, KATV is the reason they're alive to complain again another day!
Chelsea commented:
I am so GREATFUL and THANKFUL that they stayed with us thru these storms! For those who are mad about it i believe they need to worry more about the lives of other people out there who were relying on the broadcasting of the storm coverage. With all the different ways to watch TV these days i'm sure they could've watched it online or something!!
Dick commented:
Same thing happens every time in NW Ark. The number of angry phone calls over the Made for TV Tom Selleck movie were mind-boggling.
me commented:
Thanks KATV I was glued to the tv during your live coverage. The sirens were going off and I was waiting on Todd to say take cover. I wasn't looking for Oprah I was looking for instructions and I'm a Oprah fan!
Kyle commented:
Hey,
I agree, thanks for all that KATV does. I'm proud to see y'all cut into programming to warn people, to save as many lives as you could with any ahead-of-time warning, so I agree with a few statements above "Kudos to KATV". Mr. Yakoubian is a cool weatherperson !!!!! I've had the honor of talking to him on the UStream weather chat during past severe weather situations. He, and over on KARK-4 I can tell both care for the public viewing area, so kudos to BOTH weathermen !!!! Keep doing a good job you two and y'alls individual teams. I don't think y'alls teams get the recognition y'all deserve.
mantra720 commented:
It's been amazing the last four days just checking random cities which have been effected by the weather and a favorite show and finding choice words describing the "idiots" who would dare break into The Biggest Loser, Idol, Oprah, ET, Wheel and Jeopardy! to do what television stations must do; provide a public service and alert people to dangerous weather. How callous do you have to be to yell and swear at someone for interrupting your show because you might be affected soon by a tornado.
The sad thing is, it pretty much worked in Memphis. A bunch of Twitter whiners somehow shamed WHBQ into dumping continuous weather coverage for Idol last night when there was so much going on and forcing it to stay in continuous coverage instead on the web. They did an amazing job nonetheless, but where it's now at the point where you have to satisfy people that don't know how to wait or realize that programs can always air at another time is astounding.
KATV made the right call of course; the safety of their viewers should always trump the opinion of some greedy idiot who can't handle the idea of their precious Judge Judy or Oprah being broken into for actual news.
msmary4 commented:
The lives of many people were waiting to hear if tthey needed to go to their safe place due to a Tornado...I happen to be in a county that had a tornado warning....So with that being said KATV did the right thing by pre-empting Oprah,The KATV weather staff did an outstanding job with their coverage...and all those that were upset about it..oh well..I would think that you would rather be alive watching a rerun of her final show...then it being your final day because no one was interested in telling you you were in danger....Good Job, KATV Weather TEAM
Tiffany commented:
After living in Michigan for the last 7 years, I realize what an awesome job the television stations do in Arkansas in response to storms. They cover the entire state. Here they only break into coverage if storms are affecting certain areas. For the Detroit stations, if you are in one of the areas "downriver" then you are lucky if you get a ticker running across the bottom of the screen. I'd choose KATV anyday!
andi collins commented:
what is oprah? people that are so involved in a talk show and disregard human safety? didnt we just lose alot a special people in joplin? i wonder what the "qween of talk" has to say for her followers? is she proud? thank you to every news station for keeping us updated and safe.
Oprah Fan commented:
KATV, you made the correct decision in broadcasting severe weather information to your viewers. Although I would have loved for everyone to watch the final Oprah show, it is with great respect that I say there will be re-runs, but once a life is lost, you never get it back. Keep up the good work.
Shannon commented:
Life threatening weather in the state.. I can't believe this would even be an issue The idea that anyone would be so selfish to want to watch a tv show over people getting much needed updates is just depressing. I'm an Arkansan and proud of it, and even more proud of our stations around the state that kept the updates coming through all of this weather... and quite disgusted by those "Arkansans" who think Oprah is more important... Think the "Spirit of Arkansas" was missed by some of them.
Judy commented:
Great job KATV! It is unbelievable that ANYONE would question preempting any entertainment for storm warnings. Those people complaining should go volunteer in Joplin for a while. We have ALL heard enough about Oprah anyway.
Louis commented:
Awesome job KATV. You saved lives. I fully understand having to deal with frustrated people, even if what they're ticked about doesn't add up.
Michelle commented:
I have a feeling that Oprah would have wanted our station KATV to interrupt her broadcast, peoples lives and homes were at stake. Anyone who would have rather watched Oprah may have missed it anyway if your house got blown away. KATV does a wonderful job reporting the weather and thinks of the safety of their viewers. Thank you KATV!!!
Ann Newton commented:
Thank You KATV...My town Hot Springs, Ar. was hit by a tornado the latter part of April. You guys warned us! Keep up the good work! A very pleased VIEWER! These folks need a life, if all they do is view Oprah!
ELLA commented:
You are saviors for many people without early warning systems in place. If it weren't for you..many would die.
You have my absolute gratitude.
donna commented:
If one of these "brainless" people who is complaining ever lose property or the life of a loved one in a storm, they will readjust their thinking!!!! I would NEVER wish anything that horrible on anyone because my family has been a victim of tornados and I espect the power they hold. Oprah is not even comparable!!!!! Shame on them!!!!
Lindsay commented:
Since Oprah is a caring woman I'm sure even she would say the lives of the people in our state were more important...that it could be seen later (not like it was a LIVE show anyway). If it wasn't for the coverage there is a chance those complaining wouldn't be here to see anything futher of Oprah or her OWN network. Thank you KATV!!
Sue commented:
Where I live. viewing of the Oprah show would have been impossible anyway; we had no electricity due to storm damage. Thank you KATV for having your priorities right
Georgia commented:
From one that survived an EF3 tornado in May 2008, I am thankful we have a station like KATV. I will never forget that evening in 2008 when Todd Yakoubian told us to 'take cover NOW' we got to our safe spot just as the tornado hit. Why would anyone one complain about storm coverage especially with the season we have had so far this year. KUDOs KATV
Brenda commented:
No program is worth the impotance of life.Thanks for your decision to put us first!!
Lisa Rowland commented:
I thank God for all of you, and the work you do.... Shame on the bashers, their day will come.
Rob commented:
Oprah who?
Angie commented:
I am so glad to hear that the majority of us are not crazy, and we appreciate the work KATV storm team did to keep us all safe. This weather hit just at the time me and co-workers were leaving for work and we needed to know what we were driving into also. Remember people, if it wasn't your area in danger, it was someone elses. After what has happened recently, lives lost, homes and lives turned upside down by loss of children, are we still really that selfish and shallow? I guess a few are. I couldn't believe it myself, but now I see. Thanks KATV, I do enjoy your station and appreciate knowing what is going on around me. Continue to keep us safe! And yes I did watch Oprah at midnight last night.
Dolly commented:
I am so proud of our local tv stations. They will be here long after o. This is a non issue really. It is policy. It is right. PERIOD.
Lisa commented:
Thanks KATV for having concern for your viewers!! Through this storm season, I have seen them work endlessly on the air to keep us updated and safe, even up to the point of seeing that the reporters themselves were totally exhausted!!
We appreciate you!!
carole commented:
I used to live in Denning, AR,the small community that basically got wiped off the map earlier this week. I now live in Little Rock and I watch KATV and follow the weather blog. Thank you for all you do! If people can't understand that life-threatening weather is a much higher priority than watching Oprah right this second, then I don't know what they can understand.
Nikki commented:
It's pure selfishness to state that KATV doesn't understand the "importance" of watching Oprah. Obviously this person puts a television show above people's lives and safety. KATV did an AMAZING job and probably saved many lives with their advance warnings. I am thankful for stations that stood for what was right and didn't bow to a few idiots.
Mark commented:
Thanks to Ned, Todd, Barry and everyone at KATV for their exhausting coverage of the dangerous storms. We were able to warn our friends and neighbors in the Oil Trough, Jacksonport and Tuckerman areas of the impending danger. Oprah will be on today, and they will be alive to watch it if they choose. Thanks again to the KATV team.
Lori commented:
I love KATV and the great work that they do. My husband comes through Oil Trough on his way home and I am so thankful that they were broadcasting the storms instead of Oprah.
Leslie commented:
the idiots complaining about this are the same idiots that would complain if they didn't preempt her final show! Some people just look for stuff to complain about and are never satisfied. Great job to KATV! I was glued to the tv watching the storms as they passed over my parents house and telling my parents when it was safe to come out of their storm shelter.
Leslie commented:
I love my Oprah, but I love being safe more and I appreciate the hard work your station does!!!!!!!!
Arky commented:
the heck with any idiot who thinks a show is more important than lives.
Arletta commented:
Lives are more important than "Oprah"!! I'm glad they stay on the air as well as giving updates on Facebook and Twitter. And they did announce in advance that they would repeat the final show at a later time. From what I hear we didn't miss that much from the last episode. Thanks Channel 7 for all you do!!
linda commented:
Personally, I can't understand those people who complain about some show on TV when people's lives are on the line & the TV station is just trying to save lives!!!!
get a life commented:
What horrible selfishness displayed by members of our area regarding the pre-empting of Oprah's final show. People's lives were in danger, homes were being lost, entire communities were being destroyed and all that people can think about is "I want what I want, and I want it when I want it, and I WANT IT NOW!" The people who's lives have been turned up side down by severe weather this week had wants too. They didn't want to die. They didn't want to watch family members and friends die. They didn't want to see injured people everywhere they looked. They didn't want to see their children scared, broken and bleeding, or dead. They didn't want to lose their cars, homes, their jobs, their neighborhoods, or their entire towns. I'm sorry that you feel that your wanting to watch OPRAH is so much more important than the life and death NEEDS of others in our area. Please keep in mind that the people that you are being so ugly to at KATV are the same ones that are going to go live the next time severe weather hits Arkansas...and next time it may be your life in danger. People remember what matters in life. Rest assured that it is not Oprah. It is people! Please be nice people!
Keldotapn commented:
Kudos to katv! You guys are great!
Amy commented:
Thanks for all you do! You can broadcast over any show as far as I'm concerned! Lives are way more important than Oprah!!!