KABC-TV made an "inadvertent mistake" on Monday when it identified a host from its sister radio station, Kevin James, simply as a "viewer" while he expressed support for the controversial miniseries "The Path to 9/11," which aired on the station that night.
"Entertainment guru" George Pennacchio screened the two-parter for a group of "viewers." Among those interviewed was James, a conservative latenight host on KABC-AM (790). Like KABC-TV, the station is part of the Walt Disney Co.
"We're embarrassed by it," said KABC-TV news director Cheryl Fair, who said the segment's producers mistakenly identified James, who was invited -- as were the other guests -- to provide divergent points of view.
ABC and Disney received considerable criticism over what members of the Clinton administration say were fictionalized scenes within the production's first three hours, which depicted missed attempts during the 1990s to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. The network wound up editing roughly a minute out of an earlier draft sent to critics and adding an elaborate disclaimer to help address those concerns.
The movie's writer, Cyrus Nowrasteh, also spent more than an hour Monday on KABC's syndicated Larry Elder program, which provided him a sympathetic forum to defend the project.
Contact Brian Lowry at
brian.lowry@variety.com