CBS News took a social media beating on Sunday night after a timing error caused affiliates in two time zones to cut off the broadcast of a concert special — right in the middle of Billy Joel’s iconic hit “Piano Man.”
The network had been touting the Sunday night broadcast of “The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time” for weeks, and viewers quickly took their dismay to X as the highly-anticipated event ended in disappointment.
“Hey @CBS wtf is this?! You cut off @billyjoel during Pianoman of all songs?! And then didn’t come back to it?!?! Now wonder network TV is a mess. Not ballin, not ballin at all,” the X account for “The Gunz Show” posted.
Hey @CBS wtf is this?! You cut off @billyjoel during Pianoman of all songs?! And then didn’t come back to it?!?! Now wonder network TV is a mess.
Not ballin, not ballin at all. pic.twitter.com/QBBxLZOABO— Gunz (@TheGunzShow) April 15, 2024
Video posted by that account showed the network’s abrupt jump from the middle of Joel’s famous tune to a local news anchor previewing the Manhattan hush-money trial of former President Trump.
“Viewers throughout the Eastern and Central Time Zones had the broadcast of the Billy Joel concert cut off, mid-Piano Man. Evidently, CBS was no longer in the mood for a melody,” another account posted.
Viewers throughout the Eastern and Central Time Zones had the broadcast of the Billy Joel concert cut off, mid-Piano Man.
Evidently, CBS was no longer in the mood for a melody. pic.twitter.com/bVlcIReRXn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 15, 2024
“Face it. CBS cut off Billy Joel halfway through ‘Piano Man’ because the woke bosses wanted him to sing ‘Piano THEM,'” comedian Jimmy Failla added.
Face it. CBS cut off Billy Joel halfway through "Piano Man" because the woke bosses wanted him to sing "Piano THEM."
— Jimmy Failla (@jimmyfailla) April 15, 2024
One account suggested the move was intentional on CBS’ part, saying, “Can’t help but think CBS cutting off Billy Joel’s concert mid-‘Piano Man’ is long-game revenge for his ‘wasted commercial time’ move during the 1994 Grammys.”
Can’t help but think CBS cutting off Billy Joel’s concert mid-“Piano Man” is long-game revenge for his “wasted commercial time” move during the 1994 Grammys. pic.twitter.com/dIYBrBFCyq
— Red (@SurvivingGrady) April 15, 2024
At the 1994 Grammys, Joel had famously stopped in the middle of his performance of “River of Dreams” in protest of CBS cutting to commercial during Frank Sinatra’s acceptance speech for his Grammy Legend Award. At the time, he announced that he was intentionally wasting the network’s time: “Valuable advertising time going by. Dollars, dollars, dollars.”
CBS released a statement following the SNAFU, chalking it up to a “network programming timing error” and promising to rebroadcast the event in its entirety on April 19th at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
— Billy Joel (@billyjoel) April 15, 2024