TELEVISION - Feb. 26, 1991

CBS Draws Fire: NAACP offices across the nation received angry calls Monday after CBS News preempted a presidential address on Black History Month. “CBS started with the President’s address from the East Room of the White House, then cut to Dan Rather and some footage from the war just as President Bush was speaking about the contribution of black soldiers to the war. Then, they cut to ‘The Price Is Right’,” said NAACP national office spokesman Jim Williams. CBS News spokesman Tom Goodman acknowledged that, in retrospect, the network did not cut away from the White House ceremony at the most appropriate time. However, he said, “There was no intention to slight anyone or any group. It was simply an editorial decision to stick to war coverage.” CNN also cut away from the White House speech to report on war developments. NBC and ABC carried the President’s address in its entirety, according to the NAACP’s Williams.