An Atlanta television station is feeling some heat from college football fans after interrupting the Georgia-Alabama game on Saturday night over a tornado.
During the second quarter of the top-10 matchup, WSB-TV broke into the programming to provide information to those living in Butts and Jasper counties where a tornado warning was issued.
As Alabama trailed by a field goal with 40 seconds left in the half, meteorologist Ashley Kramlich appeared in a split screen view with a radar behind her. She apologized for interrupting the game, but she deemed the information to be for a “life-threatening situation.”
While fans could still see the action, many were left frustrated and unhappy. So much so that Kramlich gave a statement while on screen on Sunday.
“Trust me, that’s the last thing I wanted to do last night was to break into the game,” Kramlich said. “I’m a football fan myself. So, I understand the frustration when a game get interrupted but when a tornado warning is issued, your safety has to come first.
“We have a responsibility to interrupt programming to bring you potentially life-saving information when severe weather threatens our communities. That’s why we stay on the air during life-threating weather and use a split screen so you can keep watching the game while still getting the information you need to protect your family. We really appreciate you for understanding.”
Kramlich shared the video of her statement on X and added, “We don’t make these decisions lightly, and we won’t apologize for putting lives first.”
Viewers heard Kramlich’s updates while watching the game rather than the booth audio from Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit.
The tornado warning coverage went on for more than 16 minutes when the Crimson Tide scored a touchdown to take a 14-10 lead into halftime and during the on-field interviews with Georgia coach Kirby Smark and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer.
“The dumbest person you have ever heard in your entire life has taken over the Alabama Georgia game to explain how a tornado works,” an irate fan posted on X with a picture of the split screen, showing the game and the Kramlich’s weather report.
“Don’t worry, half the Alabama/Georgia home television counties (if not more) are currently taken over by a WSB-TV tornado warning coverage about a storm the meteorologist herself reports is not showing debris on radar,” another posted on Saturday.
A third said fans only needed warning, not “a 30 minute lecture on relative wind velocity and barometric pressure.”
It was hardly the only bizarre moment to come out of Georgia’s 20-17 win at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
As the Bulldogs left the field in victory, Alabama fans threw bottles and cans at them and onto the field in frustration after two calls by officials didn’t go in their favor to decide the game.
An Alabama fan also slapped Georgia’s Raylen Wilson’s helmet repeatedly while yelling “Let’s go boy” twice.
Georgia gave Alabama its first loss of the season and made a claim for the No.1 ranking.
