It was a cruel bit of hype for KTXL‘s 10 p.m. newscast: about an hour before the broadcast, sports director Jim Crandell, who has been nicknamed “Scoopmeister” by the Sacramento Bee, tweeted, “Coming up in my show at 10PM, David Stern makes the announcement no Kings wants to hear…”
Sacramento sports fans have been anxiously waiting a decision on whether or not their beloved Kings will move to Anaheim after the season. Last month, NBA commissioner David Stern expressed his discontent with the stadium situation in Sacramento and confirmed that a move was possible. Had Crandell landed a scoop that would break the hearts of sports fans in the city?
It turns out that, no, he hadn’t. After teasing the Stern soundbite throughout the newscast, Crandell merely played archival footage from 1985 of Stern (right) announcing that the Kings were moving to Sacramento from Kansas City, the franchise’s previous home. KTXL played the original footage first and then played it again with the cities crudely dubbed in so that it sounded like Stern was announcing a move from Sacramento to Anaheim.
The would-be joke sparked outrage among many viewers. The Kings are the only major sports team in Sacramento and the community’s enthusiasm has provided the team with one of the best home court advantages in the NBA.
After the scoop that wasn’t, Crandell had to deal with angry viewers on Twitter. “U seriously owe this city an apology for that BS u pulled 2night,” wrote one.
“YOU DO NOT MESS WITH THE HEART OF SACRAMENTO @ A TIME LIKE THIS.”
Crandell responded to Kings fan “LocalStreetHero” tweeting, “Wow, Local, you are one mad dude. Sorry you got so upset. Thankfully, most people took it in the spirit it was intended.”
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