Central Oregon is mourning the loss of innocent lives at Silver Rail Elementary School. In the wake of this heartbreaking tragedy, KTVZ TV experienced a technical outage that prevented residents from accessing the station’s website and streaming service at a critical moment.
What caused the outage
On Thursday, an extraordinary surge of traffic to KTVZ’s digital platforms—driven in part by national networks such as CNN, FOX and NBC linking to the station’s coverage—overwhelmed the servers. The resulting technical problems made the website and live stream unavailable just as families and community members were seeking timely information.
Commercials aired unintentionally
During the same period, the station’s streaming service inadvertently played repeated commercials. KTVZ immediately notified its vendor and clarified that the ads were not intended to interrupt live coverage of the developing story.
Response and restoration efforts
News director Gregory Deffenbaugh promptly alerted corporate leadership and directed his team to share updates via Facebook while engineers worked to bring the website and stream back online. He also reached out to KGW in Portland, whose news director offered assistance and a backup source for information if the outage persisted.
Editorial decisions and accuracy
KTVZ received inquiries about why certain information reported by other outlets was not included in its coverage. The station explained that, although some reports were described as vetted, they were later found to be inaccurate. In such serious cases, KTVZ chose to verify details with local agencies before publishing, prioritizing accuracy over speed.
Commitment to the community
Deffenbaugh reaffirmed KTVZ’s dedication to being “First. Local. Live.” and thanked viewers for their patience and accountability. The station vows to continue providing Central Oregon with timely, accurate information while honoring the families and students affected by the Silver Rail Elementary tragedy.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
