During live sports broadcasts, it’s not uncommon for local news stories to interrupt programming, particularly in cases of severe weather or significant local events. This was the case for Saturday’s Final Four game between Florida and Auburn on Memphis CBS affiliate WREG, where tornado warnings interrupted the live coverage. Viewers had to endure cuts from the Final Four broadcast as live updates about the severe weather were provided.
As usual, many fans took to social media to vent their frustrations, arguing that those seeking weather updates could switch to another local channel, while there was only one option for watching the Final Four. WREG’s chief meteorologist, Tyler Eliasen, responded sharply to his critics, emphasizing the importance of the weather coverage amid the ongoing threat.
WREG weather guy. Madder than Bruce Pearl. pic.twitter.com/uFPQdZazgZ
— Geoff Calkins (@geoff_calkins) April 6, 2025
According to Eliasen, “I don’t want to hear one more comment about why we’re covering up the volume of the game. You can see the game. You’re going to have to deal with my voice and then just deal with it again because we lost several people. Several people died Wednesday night, and potentially this is saving someone’s life in Dumas right now. This is still not in that path, but it is a significant, confirmed tornado that was very violent going into New Albany, Mississippi. So we’re going to track this. It is what it is. Send me some emails later and we can chat more, but this is what it is right now. Deal with it.”
While Eliasen faced criticism for his stance, he made a valid point: if providing weather updates can save lives, it is essential for local stations to prioritize that information. Fans eager to watch the games without interruption had the option to stream them on Paramount+, which did not include any cut-ins. Despite the unfortunate timing of the severe weather for basketball fans, WREG’s decision to continuously provide updates was a valuable service to the community, highlighting that there are more pressing matters than sports.
