WBTV (Channel 3) apologized Saturday to the Rev. Billy Graham after the station erroneously reported the evangelist's death.
Around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, a producer and director in the control room saw what they thought was a bulletin on the CBS network feed to its affiliates announcing Graham's death, said Dennis Milligan, WBTV's news director. Kristen Miranda, anchoring the newscast, was told by the show's producer through her earpiece to announce the news, which she did.
Afterward, WBTV called Mission Hospital in Asheville, where Graham, 93, is recovering from pneumonia, and learned he was not dead.
Within 10 minutes of the original report, WBTV made an on-air correction. Milligan said the station planned to repeat the correction and apology on Saturday's late newscast and early news today.
He said he was unable to find out Saturday what had been on the CBS network feed, but he said it could have been some kind of test or other content sent during downtime while the network was not providing programming.
"Whatever was there obviously was not for publication," he said, and it was a mistake for the station to broadcast the news before confirming it.
WBTV put a statement on its website and Facebook page apologizing to Graham and viewers for the mistake.
A. Larry Ross, Graham's spokesman for three decades, acknowledged the apology in an email to the station. "He was very forgiving," Milligan said.
The Charlotte native was admitted to Mission Hospital on Wednesday.
On Saturday, a Mission Hospital spokesman said Graham had a "restful night" and slept well. His pulmonologist, Dr. Mark Hellreich, reported that he continued to improve and would continue his physical therapy routine to "sustain and increase his strength and mobility."
It's unclear when Graham, who now lives near Montreat, may be released. This is his second recent fight against pneumonia. He was hospitalized in May at the same hospital.
Staff writer Meghan Cooke contributed.
