Panthers telecast disrupted as frustrated fans miss large parts of 1st preseason game
Frustrated Carolina Panther fans in the Charlotte market were unable to watch much of the first half of the team’s first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts due to a technical glitch, and then missed a few minutes of the fourth quarter, too, after another mistake.
The telecast, which was locally shown on WSOC-TV (Channel 9), was choppy for much of the first quarter and then cut out entirely for large chunks of the second quarter, with WSOC instead displaying an on-screen sign that said “We are experiencing technical difficulties, PLEASE STAND BY.”
By midway through the second quarter, however, WSOC got its first problem fixed, just in time to see Joey Slye’s third field goal put the Panthers up, 9-3.
In the fourth quarter, however, the Panthers-Colts game was suddenly replaced by an international soccer game on WSOC, with no explanation. That error was rectified after a couple of minutes, but not before a lot of Charlotte-area Carolina fans cringed again at missing another few plays.
WSOC news director Mike Oliveira told The Observer in a brief interview just after the game went back on-air in Charlotte in the second quarter: “We don’t know where the issue started or where the problem was. We worked as quickly as we could to fix it, and we’re back on TV.”
In total, the TV glitches affected about 45 minutes worth of the game, from the beginning of the first quarter until about the middle of the second, and then again briefly in the fourth for the soccer interlude. Former Panther wide receiver Steve Smith was making his broadcast debut as a game analyst Sunday, so Charlotte-area fans missed some of his commentary.
Viewers watching the game out of the Charlotte market on NFL Network were unaffected, but some viewers out of Charlotte who were streaming the game over various platforms also reported problems. Even through the technical glitches, however, some fans found it ironic that all of the commercials on the WSOC telecast ran seamlessly.
Raycom Sports produced the game for 12 local affiliates — the game was shown in most of the largest TV markets in both Carolinas. It appeared that the other 11 affiliates besides WSOC didn’t have problems in showing the Raycom-produced feed, however.
WSOC gets another chance Saturday night, as it broadcasts the Panthers’ second preseason game, vs. Baltimore at 7 p.m. WSOC has the local telecast rights for all three Panther exhibitions, before the NFL takes over with its national TV deals and its neutral broadcasters for the regular season.
This story was originally published August 15, 2021 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Panthers telecast disrupted as frustrated fans miss large parts of 1st preseason game."
