Journalists erred in reporting that a 70-year-old man shot his TV...
Journalists erred in reporting that a 70-year-old man shot his TV set in frustration Feb. 17 after it went dark because of the analog cutoff, said Police Chief Carl Francis of Webb City, Mo., where the incident took place.…
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Francis confirmed that Walter Hoover had fired at his TV and was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a firearm. But reports blaming the incident on the DTV transition were “100 percent false,” Francis told us Tuesday. “We've been saying from the beginning that Mr. Hoover shot that television set because his wife failed to pay the $94 cable bill and they shut his cable off,” Francis said. “It had nothing to do with the DTV conversion. He didn’t even have an antenna. He had cable.” Francis speculated that the story may have gained momentum because KODE-TV, ABC’s affiliate in nearby Joplin, Mo., made the digital switch Feb. 17. It was the only station in the market that did, he said.