Atlanta station defends tornado warning interruption of football

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 18:02 · Archive

An Atlanta television station interrupted the Georgia-Alabama college football game to issue a tornado warning for two counties.

WSB-TV broke into the Georgia-Alabama college football game to issue a tornado warning for Butts and Jasper counties, with meteorologist Ashley Kramlich appearing in a split-screen view during the second quarter with 40 seconds left in the first half. Viewers could still watch the game, but many were frustrated by the interruption.

Some viewers complained that the warning information was repetitive and the report lasted longer than necessary. Kramlich initially apologised when issuing the warning, describing it as a 'life-threatening situation'.

On Sunday, Kramlich appeared on screen to defend the decision. She said she understood fans' frustration but stated that safety must come first when a tornado warning is issued. 'We don't make these decisions lightly, and we won't apologise for putting lives first,' she said. She added that the station has a responsibility to interrupt programming to bring potentially life-saving information when severe weather threatens communities.

How it is being reported

• TV station under fire for tornado warning during Georgia-Alabama game: ‘We won’t apologize’A television station is feeling some heat from college football fans after interrupting the Georgia-Alabama game on Saturday night over a tornado.New York Post · 13 Oct, 17:50
• 'Insane' moment news anchors explain to irate viewers why they interrupted football game to issue tornado warningAtlanta Channel 2 news anchor and meteorologist doubles down on her decision to interrupt a college football game for an important weather report.Daily Mail · 13 Oct, 15:48

In this story: Ashley Kramlich · WSB-TV · Georgia · Alabama · Butts County · Jasper County · Atlanta

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