KTVA took the unusual step of scrapping its early evening news for a day in the wake of a scandal in which a pair of staffers was caught on tape discussing making up stories about a Senate candidate, Joe Miller, that would make him look foolish.
A KTVA newsroom employee failed to properly hang up on Miller's spokesperson, Randy DeSoto, then engaged in a conversation with another staffer that the Miller camp felt was a plan to fabricate stories about the candidate. The station staffers' at-times garbled message was recorded on DeSoto's phone.
The two producers involved in the Oct. 28 incident were let go and the station conducted an internal investigation.
"KTVA believes that its actual broadcast coverage of Miller has been sound and fair during this election cycle and the history of our coverage speaks for itself," General Manager Jerry Bever said in a statement.
A CBS affiliate, KTVA opted not to produce a 5 and 6 p.m. newscast Nov. 10 as it looked into the controversy. "The 5 and 6 p.m. were canceled in order to address an internal matter," it said on Twitter. "But, we will be returning at 10 p.m. to report on all of today's news."
The Anchorage Daily News reported that KTVA aired The New Adventures of Old Christine in the news' stead.
A call to the KTVA news director was not returned on short notice.
KTVA is owned by Affiliated Media.
