KDKA-TV riled up many "Survivor" fans who thought the station revealed the show's outcome by connecting two separate promotional spots that aired during the final episode Sunday night. It turned out to be an unfortunate coincidence.
CBS ran a promo that mentioned the "Survivor" winner would appear on "Late Show With David Letterman."
KDKA ran a promo that promised the station would follow Jenna Morasca through media interviews Monday, including an appearance with Letterman.
Some viewers put information from the two promos together and assumed KDKA revealed the winner in advance.
But as a member of the final four, Morasca would have run the media gantlet and appeared on Letterman's show even if she hadn't won, just as members of the final four have done in past editions of "Survivor." More importantly, CBS does not tell anyone at KDKA or any affiliate who the winner will be; they find out by watching it live, the same as viewers.
"I would really love to know in advance, but we did not know," said KDKA director of marketing Mike Gerst. "We produced a spot that would work whether she won or lost."
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