CNN has said its subsidiary in Boston aired "inappropriate content" last night, after a viewer reported seeing 30 minutes of hardcore pornography instead of scheduled programming.
Though viewers were tuning in for a new episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, the show's title took on an entirely new meaning when it was reportedly replaced with explicit material starring transsexual pornstar Riley Quinn.
CNN issued a statement to media outlets on Friday blaming the incident on local cable provider RCN. It read: "The RCN cable operator in Boston aired inappropriate content for 30 minutes on CNN last night. CNN has asked for an explanation."
Jeff Carlson, senior VP and general manager of RCN Boston, told Variety that the company is researching the incident but “see no evidence our CNN network feed was compromised last evening in Boston.”
Apparently, only viewers in Boston experienced the mistake on Thanksgiving as one viewer voiced her concerns on Twitter. “I can't wait until [RCN] wakes up [tomorrow] & realizes that hardcore porn was broadcast on [CNN] instead of [Parts Unknown] tonight,” user @Solikearose wrote. Just an hour later, the CNN channel was taken off-air.
“Did anyone else with RCN in Boston see the hardcore porn that was broadcast by CNN by mistake?” the user asked on Twitter before making her account private. “Vague update from RCN on the #BourdainPorn incident: everything 'working perfectly,' can’t tell how many households affected.”
It's not immediately clear if the incident was a simple mistake—though it's hard to imagine how getting porn on air would be simple—or if it was the work of a rogue individual.
On Friday, after reports of the incident went viral, RCN offered a response to the original complainant on Twitter.
"We have not had any reports of the programming issue you mentioned on CNN in Boston,” they wrote. “If you're still having an issue with that channel, please DM us your address so we can troubleshoot when you're home."
RCN serves nearly 300,000 subscribers in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. Earlier this year, the service provider was acquired for $1.6 billion by the private investment firm TPG.
CNN and RCN did not respond to
The Independent's request for comment.