So Much For Digital First

Gray's WSFA, the dominant NBC affiliate in Montgomery, has been struggling to cover news in its own backyard.

A mass shooting happened late Saturday night, killing two people and injuring 12 others. It happened several blocks away from WSFA's downtown studio. Hours after an early Sunday morning press conference (which WSFA attended), the station still did not have a web story up. 

Gray's Birmingham Fox station, WBRC, ended up writing a story/informing viewers across Alabama while WSFA's digital team was asleep at the wheel. WBRC later unpublished their story and took WSFA's article when they eventually wrote it later Sunday morning.

WSFA also ignored a viral story in its own backyard last week. A Florida A&M band announcer called Alabama State University (Montgomery) dancers "the new face of Ozempic." There was immediate backlash and the announcer was suspended and the school received a $10K fine. This was covered by media in Tallahassee, national media but NOT WSFA. However, Gray's WBRC in Birmingham once again covered the story WSFA ignored.