Minutes after it happened, I already received a phone call about the Fox 26 KRIV reporter on air cussing incident. Next it was being mentioned on Twitter, Facebook and posted multiple times on YouTube (click here for full video - above video is short version).
Tuesday night on Fox 26 KRIV's 9pm newscast, reporter Pattie Shieh said a word that sounds like 'spit' on air in the close of her report. She was not live...it was on tape (or a video server these days technically). Shieh clearly did a liveshot at 5pm, then recorded a 9pm close, messed up the tag while delivering it to tape, uttered a cuss word due to the flub and started over. The next mess up was whoever put that piece of tape on air.
The newscasts director cut the tape off and immediately went to a 'coming up' bump. After the taped tease, anchors Melinda Spaulding and Tom Zizka apologized "for the profanity" and made it clear to the audience it happened on tape and not live.
The viewer response was actually quite supportive on the official Fox 26 KRIV Facebook page. Comments like:
"Wow!! That was awesome! Thanks as Patty!! I needed that laugh after a hard day at work!"
"Way to go Patty!!"
"Thanks for the much needed giggle Patty!"
"Lol, I love you patty!"
This type of thing is something no reporter/anchor wants to happen, but when it does, there have actually been some positive outcomes. In 2004, then KEYE 42 Austin sportscaster Robert Flores (formerly of KWTX 10 Waco), said a bad word on air that sounded like 'duck.' This was also on tape. He was fired from the station but landed an anchor job at ESPN.
