In retrospect, maybe it was better Los Angeles did not get to watch the final 27 seconds of the Oakland Raiders-Buffalo Bills game on local station KCBS on Sunday afternoon.
The Bills finished off a thrilling 38-35 comeback victory over the Raiders when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick found David Nelson for a six-yard touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in the game ... 13 seconds after KCBS was contractually obligated to cut away from the game and broadcast the beginning of the San Diego Chargers-New England Patriots game from Foxborough, Mass.
Although KCBS aired a warning to local viewers --many of whom are Raiders fans from the team's days in Los Angeles from 1982 to '94 -- a few seconds before cutting away, the move caused widespread anger and frustration among local viewers.
You know, shoes thrown at television sets, angry Facebook and Twitter posts, the usual stuff.
It's not the first or the last time the local CBS affiliate has had to cut away from a Raiders game in the decisive moments because of contractual obligations. The same thing happened last year in the Raiders 38-31 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 12.
So just what are these contractual obligations?
"Los Angeles is a secondary TV market for the Chargers and it had to cut-away to show the start of the Chargers-Patriot game," said Jerry Caraccioli, a spokesman for CBS.
