NBC in hot water over airing Kardashian mom interview over 9/11

New York - NBC is facing tough criticism after it decided to broadcast a live interview with Kris Jenner, the mother of Kim Kardashian, instead of airing the Sept. 11 memorials that took place in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

It seems NBC, owned by General Electric and Comcast, is more interested in keeping up with the Kardashians than showing live footage of the 9/11 memorials to its audience. The live silent coverage, which has become a custom for news networks, was covered by all of NBC’s competitors, including Fox, CBS and ABC at exactly 8:46 a.m. EST. The network’s “Today” morning show host Savannah Guthrie provided a live interview of Kris Jenner, the mother of Kim Kardashian and a cast member of the popular reality television show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” Guthrie asked Jenner about her breast implant replacement surgery as others were remembering that tragic day. “I gotta say, I know you guys are all for ’baring it all,’ but is there ever a time where you say ‘OK, we can turn the cameras off now?” Guthrie began her interview. After much scrutiny from viewers and media outlets, such as the Huffington Post and the New York Daily News, Megan Kopf, a spokesperson for the “Today” show, issued a statement and defended the network’s coverage of the 9/11 ceremonies, which included a long segment with a Sept. 11 survivor. “The Today show dedicated a considerable amount of time to September 11th coverage this morning throughout the entire show.” Over on its sister station, MSNBC, an entire rerun of the original Sept. 11, 2001 footage was aired, which has now become a tradition for the network since 2006, noted Politico. Meanwhile, Twitter has blown with countless comments attacking NBC for its decision. “Absolutely disgusting that you would skip the 9/11 moment of silence for an interview with the mother of a pornstar,” wrote one social media user. “Word up, NBC! You know what's more important than a 9/11 memorial? BREASTS. Job well done,” stated another person. It was reported earlier this month that NBC has faced backlash for not airing live action from the 2012 Paralympic Games, even though it holds exclusive rights in the United States. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said it would scrutinise future broadcast partners more carefully as a result.