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The Daily Show's Moment of Zen -- starring NBC5's Newy Scruggs (updated with comments from him)

By ED BARK
@unclebarkycom
NBC5's nightly 6:30 p.m. Olympic Zone shows have been naming names of major gold medalists before the NBC network's tape-delayed, prime-time packages kick in.

During Tuesday's edition, sports anchor Newy Scruggs warned viewers to hit their mute buttons if they did not want to know who won. He neglected to add, "Run and hide as well." Because the Fort Worth-based station then showed a big picture of swimmer Michael Phelps, with the logo "Most Decorated Olympian."

Jon Stewart pounced during Thursday's Daily Show, making Scruggs the target of the climactic "Moment of Zen."

In an email reply, Scruggs noted that his "Weed live shot from San Francisco during the (2010) World Series went viral" before being further exposed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The O'Reilly Factor and Lopez Tonight.

"I love The Daily Show," he said. "I know Jon Stewart will never have me on as a guest so I'll take anything he'll give me. As long as I'm not getting on late night TV the way Michael Scott did with the gecko, I'm all good!"

Scrugg joins CBS11 reporter Jay Gormley on D-FW's national dubious achievement scrolls. He won the bronze in May 2008 when Keith Olbermann cited him during the "Worst Person In the World" segment on his now defunct MSNBC Countdown program.

The NBC network also has spilled some beans during its prime-time Olympics presentations. On Monday night, the Peacock inadvertently aired a promo that touted Missy Franklin's gold medal win and her scheduled appearance on Today's Tuesday edition. Franklin then swam to victory minutes later on NBC.

The network later sent its regrets, saying in a statement, "We have a process in place and this will not happen again. We apologize to viewers who were watching and didn't know the result of the race."

Perhaps NBC5 also has learned its lesson. Here's Newy's "Moment:"