Claim: Two television stations aired 2012 election "results" early.
TRUE
Origins: The effort to keep apace with the modern 24/7 news cycle can at times cause news outlets to goof. Such was the case with a couple of news stations that in
Normally, such mistakes are merely chuckled over before being dismissed in favor of the real news of the day. However, the nature of what was broadcast by each of those two stations made at least a few people wonder if the fix wasn't in for a particular candidate because each displayed results for the 2012 presidential election, an event then over two weeks away.

The first to do so was KPHO, the CBS affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona. On
Ed Munson, KPHO's General Manager, said of the occurrence:
On Friday, Oct. 19, during a test of KPHO
The second station to err in similar fashion was WCPO, the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio. Also on

As with KPHO, WCPO didn't have the inside track on whom the voters will favor, let alone by how much. Both instances were attributable to station error.
Even so, it will be interesting to compare the "results" broadcast over two weeks earlier with the actual 2012 returns.
Barbara "interesting Times" Mikkelson
Last updated: 5 November 2012
![]() | Sources: |
Schortgen, Kenneth Jr. "Television Stations in Ohio and Arizona Announce Obama Victory Before Election." Examiner.com. 22 October 2012. The Daily Caller. "CBS News Affiliate Calls 2012 Presidential Race For Obama Weeks Ahead of Election." 21 October 2012.