<i>CBS</i> Puts Steelers In The Black
The first 4 ½ minutes of the Tennessee Titans-Pittsburgh Steelers game were not televised Sunday in Pittsburgh because CBS did not feed the game to its local affiliate.
KDKA-TV didn't begin showing the game until 9:36 left in the first quarter, immediately after Tennessee took a 7-0 lead on Steve McNair's 9-yard touchdown pass to Frank Wycheck.
Until then, KDKA aired the Oakland-Kansas City game, but cut away before its conclusion as soon as the Steelers feed became available.
NFL rules dictate that all games must be shown in their entirety in their local market. However, CBS retained the right on the final weekend of the regular season to show games with playoff implications.
"CBS controls what is sent to their stations," KDKA-TV program director Mike Karas said. "We may not know until tomorrow who made the decision. It was disappointing to us because viewers count on us to show Steelers games."
The NFL also was agitated and promised to investigate why CBS did not show the start of several games in their local markets.
"We are disappointed with CBS' decision, which was made without consulting out office," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "It is a clear violation of league policy and we will discuss it with CBS tomorrow. The Oakland-Seattle game preempted all 4 p.m. games."
Karas said KDKA's phones began ringing immediately after the 4:15 p.m. EST kickoff and did not stop until the Steelers telecast began.
It was believed to be the first time since the blacked-out Raiders-Steelers playoff in 1972 the Franco Harris Immaculate Reception game that even a portion of a Steelers game was not televised in Pittsburgh.
Congressional intervention in 1973 forced the NFL to alter its blackout rules and allow games sold out within 72 hours of kickoff to be televised in their home markets.
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