Colbert credits WFAA8 with "elaborate and nefarious conspiracy" to block his latest "Super PAC" ad (But it's all good in the end)
10/18/11 01:14 PM
By ED BARK
Don't mess with Stephen Colbert or he'll provide you with a wealth of free publicity.
And so it came to pass Monday night on Comedy Central, when The Colbert Report included a segment in which the host harangued and chided Dallas-based WFAA8 for supposedly refusing to air his "Super PAC" ad calling for an immediate end to the NBA lockout.
"Well, WFAA, you have (bleeped f-word) with the wrong people," Colbert declared after also ragging on Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who during a recent appearance on Colbert Report said he couldn't talk about the lockout because it would violate the league's gag order.
Colbert went on to charge WFAA8 with an "elaborate, nefarious conspiracy" to muzzle his Super PAC, but added that he might really be the one behind any such plot. Whatever the case, Colbert challenged "the crack news team at WFAA" to investigate. He then named early morning anchor Ron Corning (currently being heavily promoted by the station), weatherman Greg Fields and traffic reporter Alexa Conomos as just the ones to dig into this pressing issue.
WFAA8 vice president of product development Dave Muscari said in a telephone interview Tuesday that the Colbert ad arrived last Wednesday just a few hours before it was earmarked for the station's noon newscast. PAC ads, whatever their origin, first have to be checked for content and proper disclaimers, he said.
The ad was approved, but didn't air on the noon news because of a "clerical error," Muscari said. "It came in late, they had to review it. No malice aforethought. Human error."
The Super Pac spot eventually was shown within the Tuesday, Oct. 18th edition of ABC's Good Morning America, which is exactly where Colbert said it should be re-positioned during his Monday night bit. "So they actually came out ahead" with a more visible slot than the noon news, Muscari said. "The reality of this 'event' is far less eventful."
Colbert also found time to mention the multiple Peabodys and other major awards WFAA8 has won over the years. So that's another bonus for the station beyond the nationally televised jokes at its expense.
Here's the complete clip from Monday night's Colbert Report. But be patient. It takes him a while to get around to WFAA8's role in all of this. Expect more of the same on Tuesday night's show.
Don't mess with Stephen Colbert or he'll provide you with a wealth of free publicity.
And so it came to pass Monday night on Comedy Central, when The Colbert Report included a segment in which the host harangued and chided Dallas-based WFAA8 for supposedly refusing to air his "Super PAC" ad calling for an immediate end to the NBA lockout.
"Well, WFAA, you have (bleeped f-word) with the wrong people," Colbert declared after also ragging on Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who during a recent appearance on Colbert Report said he couldn't talk about the lockout because it would violate the league's gag order.
Colbert went on to charge WFAA8 with an "elaborate, nefarious conspiracy" to muzzle his Super PAC, but added that he might really be the one behind any such plot. Whatever the case, Colbert challenged "the crack news team at WFAA" to investigate. He then named early morning anchor Ron Corning (currently being heavily promoted by the station), weatherman Greg Fields and traffic reporter Alexa Conomos as just the ones to dig into this pressing issue.
WFAA8 vice president of product development Dave Muscari said in a telephone interview Tuesday that the Colbert ad arrived last Wednesday just a few hours before it was earmarked for the station's noon newscast. PAC ads, whatever their origin, first have to be checked for content and proper disclaimers, he said.
The ad was approved, but didn't air on the noon news because of a "clerical error," Muscari said. "It came in late, they had to review it. No malice aforethought. Human error."
The Super Pac spot eventually was shown within the Tuesday, Oct. 18th edition of ABC's Good Morning America, which is exactly where Colbert said it should be re-positioned during his Monday night bit. "So they actually came out ahead" with a more visible slot than the noon news, Muscari said. "The reality of this 'event' is far less eventful."
Colbert also found time to mention the multiple Peabodys and other major awards WFAA8 has won over the years. So that's another bonus for the station beyond the nationally televised jokes at its expense.
Here's the complete clip from Monday night's Colbert Report. But be patient. It takes him a while to get around to WFAA8's role in all of this. Expect more of the same on Tuesday night's show.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Sport Report - NBA Lockout & Colbert Super PAC's Ad | ||||
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