Tonight, I’m tuning into the local news in Providence, RI when I see Channel 6, the ABC affiliate here, run a Frazier rerun. Did ABC6 all of a sudden cancel its 11 p.m. newscast? Did the channel decide to change its affiliation from ABC at the last minute? No!
But the channel is saying, “We are currently experiencing technical difficulties, please stand by” on the bottom of the screen.
I wanted to check out the weather forecast as we’re expecting some snow on Thursday, but I certainly didn’t expect to see “Frazier”. ABC6’s ratings at 11 p.m. aren’t necessarily great as compared to its competition, NBC10 and WPRI-TV, but maybe airing Frazier reruns at 11 p.m. might not be a bad idea.
Back in the 1990’s, I was working for WPRI and we were tipped off one day that ABC6’s news director was going to anchor the noon news because there was no one available to do so. So we rolled tape and gathered to watch her. It was a train wreck. I’m not saying ABC6 has a history of train wrecks, but I’m sure those in the newsroom tonight are frustrated as hell not being able to run its 11 p.m. newscast tonight. Very strange.
UPDATE, 11:25 p.m. – Channel 6 News has finally hit the air. The only explanation, “We apologize for the technical difficulties.” Apparently, the channel will hit Nightline late.
