PF Chang Goof Airs During Chicago TV Station's Olympic Story

CHICAGO, IL — It's the nightmare that wakes up journalists in a cold sweat: making a mortifying gaffe that's captured on video or in print forever. And that scenario can become even more excrutiatingly embarrassing thanks to the wide reach of the internet.

That nightmare became a reality over the weekend for ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV) anchor Mark Rivera and the behind-the-scenes crew working on the Saturday morning newscast. During a report on the 2018 Winter Olympics, which are being held currently in Pyeongchang, South Korea, an on-air graphic for the segment was labeled "P.F. Chang 2018."

P.F. Chang's, however, is a chain of Asian fusion restaurants around the United States. It's not, nor will it ever be, the site of the Olympics, summer or winter.

A WLS spokeswoman told the Chicago Tribune's Chicago Inc. column that the P.F. Chang graphic had been used for a parody segment by sports anchor Mark Giangreco during a Friday newscast. The image was then mistakenly used for the regular news story on the Olympics on Saturday morning.

The station apologized for the mistake, according to the Tribune. And apparently, P.F. Chang's has a good sense of humor, too. At least the person running the chain's Twitter account does if this response to a tweet about the mix-up is any indication:

More via the Chicago Tribune

Image via P.F. Chang's