CBS has bowed under pressure after it broke away early from the taped broadcast of "Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden," forcing local affiliates Sunday to start their late-night newscasts.
The veteran musician was wrapping up "Piano Man," one of his most beloved ballads, when the screen went blank for a few seconds around 10:30 p.m., then went to local news in markets throughout the East and Central time zones.
The concert was scheduled to end at 10 p.m. but was delayed because of bonus coverage of the Masters golf tournament earlier in the evening. Fans on social media were quick to blame their local stations, but it was purely a network decision.
CBS has apologized and plans to rebroadcast the concert in its entirety at 8 p.m. April 19.
"A network programming timing error ended last night's Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the Eastern and Central Time Zones," Julie Holland, CBS' vice president of communications, said in a statement Monday. "We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song."
Not everyone who wants to hear the crowd sing the last few bars of "Piano Man" will have to wait until Friday. The whole concert, which features an appearance from Sting, is currently available to subscribers of Paramount+.
This is not the first time an early breakaway has triggered outrage. In 1968, NBC decided to break away from a close game between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders to start its presentation of the movie, "Heidi." The call was so unpopular that it changed the way TV aired NFL games.
