WFAA 8 Dallas-Fort Worth Chief Meteorologist Pete Delkus took heat from viewers for severe weather coverage, which cut into the season finale of "American Idol" right as the winner was to be announced for Season 23.
Commenters posted on Facebook:
"Pete get the hell off the screen! They’re about [to] announce the American Idol winner. Get on WFFA+!"
"You said you would double box with idol but it’s not on!!! Stay safe!"
"Who won American Idol??? Was there an actual tornado, or just media hype for ratings??"
In Delkus' defense, he was dealing with tornado warnings and watches in parts of the Metroplex.
The "Heidi Game" like moment caught the attention of The Dallas Morning News, which got a comment from WFAA’s executive news director, Leslie McCardel.
“While we try to minimize programming interruptions, public safety will always come first,” McCardel told the DMN.
This is a challenging situation for a meteorologist who was probably not monitoring the ABC network feed while trying to warn viewers about weather dangers.
Some commenters were supportive, including Dontryl Alexander, who also comments on my Facebook page:
"Pete, I just wanted to say thank you for keeping me updated on last night's severe weather coverage.
I also wanted to say that there a bunch of upset people who don't care whether they're live or die when it comes to severe weather.
I could care less about my favorite show, all I care about is staying informed and stay weather aware.
Every night I watch the news on Channel 8, You set the tone and set the standard for delivering the weather every night on News 8 (And I still called it News as was for Troy Dungan, Greg, and many weathercasters past and present."
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