It was all hunky-dory on Wednesday’s edition of “The Broadcast,” Dallas’s local answer to “The View.”
A day earlier, co-host Amy Kushnir expressed revulsion toward NFL draftee Michael Sam’s televised kiss with his boyfriend, and she grew frustrated with her more gay-friendly co-hosts. Near the end of the nine-minute discussion, which was littered with memorable and quotable moments, Kushnir abruptly walked off set, shouting “I’m gonna go to Midland.”
Lisa Pineiro, who disagreed with Kushnir’s take on Sam, told viewers Wednesday that moments like that are just what make “The Broadcast” such compelling television.
“I just want to say that this is what our show is about and it’s why I think the show has resonated with so many people because everybody represents, you know, a different perspective, different point of view,” Pineiro said.
Suzie Humphreys, who had Kushnir’s back in the quarrel, said it was “kind of like being on the Jerry Springer Show.”
Courtney Kerry, the co-host who butted heads with Kushnir the most, agreed that a diversity of opinion is a wonderful thing.
But it was Kushnir who everyone wanted to hear from, a point she even acknowledged.
“My turn, my turn because everybody wants to hear what I’ve got to say, don’t you?” she said.
Kushnir then proceeded to explain why she felt frustrated, as well as the origins of her priceless walk-off line.
I feel personally that I was not able to express my opinions appropriately without being interrupted. I felt like I was being painted to be something that I personally was not. Everybody that knows me knows that I love everybody, and I’m a deeply loving person, and I get choked up because I truly love deeply. Um, so with that being said, I felt like I had no choice but to get up, push myself out of the situation because we were going nowhere, as you probably saw, and we have a term around here that we say: we’re going to Midland. And what that means, actually Suzie started this trend, and what that means is we’re going to excuse ourself from the conversation politely. And that’s what I did. I just decided it was time to go to Midland. And I went to Midland, and I’m back and I’m a happy camper, and I’m ready to move on. Next. Let’s talk about something else.
KTXD, the Dallas station that airs “The Broadcast,” wasn’t upset about Kushnir’s actions. In a statement Wednesday, Brian Joyce, the station manager, defended the segment.
“While KTXD-TV neither supports nor condemns opinions shared by our hosts, we stand behind both ‘The Broadcast’ and Ms. Kushnir,” Joyce said. “We wholeheartedly stand behind their right to voice their opinions as an integral part of our program. We have clearly ruffled feathers, and in doing so we hope we have advanced the dialogue on this important issue.”
