NBC Station Botches Christmas Tree Lighting, Cuts to Commercial During the Big Moment

An Indianapolis televised tree lightening ceremony was cut short. The station posted an apology to their X account, formerly Twitter, to explain what occurred.

WTHR, an NBC station in Indiana, said there were technical issues. Luckily, those in attendance were able to see everything up close and personal.

“We sincerely apologize for those who were tuned in and missed the big moment of the flipping of the switch due to a technical issue that ran a commercial,” the social media post read. “While recording the live feed, we were able to salvage the moment and post it for audiences to see.”

Tree lighting ceremonies have been taking place across the country. In Philadelphia, the princess of R&B, Ashanti, hit the stage, as well as soulful songstress Lalah Hathaway. In New York, thousands gathered at the famed Rockefeller Center to witness the 75-foot-tall Norway spruce as it was lit by 50,000 multicolored lights and a Swarovski crystal star during a televised special on Dec. 3. The Voice staple Reba McEntire hosted the show.

Ahead of the show, McEntire took to her Facebook page to express her excitement. “I’m so excited to be hosting and performing at this year’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center,” she captioned a post. It marked her first time hosting the event.

New Edition hit the stage to sing “Give Love on Christmas Day” while Johnny Gill took the audience to Church with his gospel sound. Gwen Stefani and Brad Paisley also performed. The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey also serenaded the audience. 

And that wasn’t all. The holiday fun continued with Christmas in Nashville, which also aired on Dec. 3. Hosted by Trisha Yearwood, the hour-long special was filled with 12 spectacular performances. 

Grammy winning singer Ne-Yo hit the stage. The War and Treaty also performed.