Why CBS Aired The Final Moments Of The Bengals' 23-20 Win Over Buffalo

Even though Cincinnati's 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills was blacked out in local markets within a 75-mile radius from Paul Brown Stadium, many were able to see the final moments of the Bengals upset win over the undefeated Bills last Sunday. Not that fans are going to complain about failing to see the game, not with nearly 25,000 empty seats, but John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer asked, how did this happen?

Local 12 showed Pittsburgh's 17-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, which ended earlier than the 4:15 p.m. kickoffs, allowing CBS to show "bonus coverage".

"We protected the blackout in Cincinnati making WKRC-TV a 'constant' on the Pittsburgh-Houston game," explains Jennifer Sabatelle, CBS publicist.

"However, that game ended early, and we switched the entire Pittsburgh-Houston audience to our most compelling game for bonus coverage," she said.

And CBS' most compelling 1 p.m. game last Sunday was the Bengals' surprise comeback victory to knock off the undefeated Buffalo Bills.

The Bengals will be shown to on Sunday in Cincinnati with the team playing in Jacksonville; the coverage for the game will mostly be local to Cincinnati markets (and surrounding markets) as well as in Jacksonville.