NBC Apologizes For Plane Crash Skit

(AP)  NBC expressed regret Monday for an Emmy Awards comedy skit that included a mock plane crash and aired on the network the evening of a fatal Kentucky jetliner accident.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to the many families who lost loved ones in the plane crash in Kentucky on Sunday, and to the entire community that has suffered this terrible loss," NBC said in a statement the day after the ceremony.

"In no way would we ever want to make light of this terrible tragedy," NBC said. "The filmed opening during the Emmy telecast was meant to spoof some of television's most well-known scenes. The timing was unfortunate, and we regret any unintentional pain it may have caused."

The prerecorded skit was broadcast as part of the live Emmy ceremony just hours after a commuter jet taking off in Lexington, Ky., crashed into a field and burst into flames, killing 49 people. Only a co-pilot survived.

Criticism of the sequence appeared on Web sites Sunday night, including the Los Angeles Times', with a columnist for the paper calling it "cringe-inducing" and "of questionable taste."

The airing of the skit, a spoof on the ABC plane-crash drama "Lost," was condemned by the general manager of NBC's Lexington affiliate, WLEX.

"It was a live telecast. We were completely helpless," Tim Gilbert was quoted as saying Sunday night on the Lexington Herald-Leader's Web site. "By the time we began to react, it was over. At the station, we were as horrified as they were at home."

The segment, which opened the Emmys, started with host Conan O'Brien boarding a private plane to Los Angeles. Asked by a stewardess if he was nervous about hosting the show, O'Brien answered "Nervous? What could possibly go wrong?"

The plane then pitched violently and a crash was implied but not shown. Instead, the skit cut to O'Brien stranded on an island resembling the one in "Lost."

[jaypat04]

Lighten up? What is wrong with you people?
I am appalled at most of the people's comment to 'get over' this. 49 peopled died from a plane crash. Where is your compassion? It went from the news about the plane crash and the deaths to the opening scene of the Emmy's.
How often do we have a plane crash that has killed people? I think the last I know was in Nov of 2001 of the plane crash in NYC. I think our TV audience has become numb to death. This was a tragedy, and this skit was on the day of this awful tragedy. I think what everyone was upset about was the lack of consideration of this plane crash and it's devastation. Maybe you would think different if you had just lost a loved one and someone told you to 'chill'.
Inconsiderate.... Inappropriate.... Insensitive.

[mazie51]

They apologized that is good enough for me.

[avigil2]

An innocent oversight, indeed. I also didn't see the connection until this article. People really need to lighten up. The entire Emmy skit from beginning to end was hilarious and very clever. Had they edited the skit and started on the island with O'Brien, people would've been scratching their heads.

[comehomesafe]

Lighten up.
I didn't even get the connection until I read the story.

The Emmy's is on TV where way OVER paid people meet in WAY Over priced outfits. They had a little skit to go with their expensive tastes.

A terrible accident happened the same day. Average people with average lives lost loved ones. Their lives stopped for a moment, and maybe they couldn't believe that yours didn't. After all, these people were their families and friends. Maybe they were fine people with good character, but the fact is that did not stop the inbound 9:15. It did not stop anyone else%u2019s life.

Personally, it took my mind off of my husband who is a month away from coming home from a year in Iraq, and helped me to stop thinking and worrying even more so about the poor people who's lives were changed that very morning in Kentucky.

One has nothing to do with the other. Now move on ... don't you think there are more important things in life outside of your daily blog, opinions and Ebay?

[optimas2]

Madin,

Your argument seems to be this: (1) TV is fiction; (2) no one should be offended by fiction; thus, no one should be offended by what is on television. Is this accurate?

But this simply isn't the case. You are making a false dichotomy in your reality/non-reality division because television IS a part of reality. It actually exists and displays messages to billions of people around the world. Perhaps more than any other invention in the history of the world (except, perhaps, the computer), television has changed the way in which society exists and behaves. Television allows for the instaneous transmission of information from anywhere in the world to any other place in the world--even to space! Television has even gone so far as to fundamentally impact the manner in which this country fights wars. Television is massively powerful and it is, indeed, reality. It does not matter whether or not something SHOWN on television is fiction; the device, and its impact, are very real.

It should be no surprise then that people ARE, in fact, offended by things on the television. For instance, if the opening skit for the Emmys was Conan O'Brien in blackface, there would have been offended people. If Conan was in blackface, would you still say that no one should be offended?

[madinusa]

nellieblogge is one of these people. Yes nellieblog the world is real and people have real feelings, but this was TV..Most of it isn't real..It is entertainment. This is a difference that alot of people can't seem to grasp. It is like people who live the lives of the soap opera's. They can't distinguish between reality and non-reality/entertainment, so get over it!

[nellieblogge]

I can't believe people are criticing the network for apologizing. It's a gracious thing to do after what seems to have been an innocent oversight.

The "get over it" attitude is over, folks. The world is real, people have real feelings. Deal with it.

[lpduke03]

Welcome everyone to the world we have all created. We are a overly sensitive, melodramatic, always got to be politically correct society. We have all let this happen. There is no room in this tense, point your finger nation to do anything without it being negative to someone, somewhere. I don't see it getting better. I see plenty of people who enable it, only making it worse. The media only fans these flames to provoke a story- and as you can see it works!

[lucasnico]

The network had plenty of time to react....to edit, to add...whatever would have been necessary.
Whenever there is a plane crash in this country, all airlines pull their advertising immediately in a showing of respect. You would think Hollywood could have afforded the people of Kentucky the same respect.

[racmsmith]

little harm done , who would bother to watch Conon on any telecast . even the Emmey's.
when he takes over the tonight show, it is over .
rasmith