I'm a bit flummoxed as to how I might determine the following piece of information -- I thought one of you fine minds might have the answer, or at the very least could tell me how I might find what I'm looking for:
I'm looking to find a list of the major news events in the early 1970s (US, 1971-1975) that would have seen network news break into prime time television shows mid-broadcast. That is, you're watching "The Brady Bunch" or whatever, and then suddenly you'd see a news anchor saying "Breaking News…" or the president giving a speech or what have you. I'm specifically looking for the unscheduled interruptions. And prime time (figure 8pm-11pm).
Do any major events spring to mind, for those who remember or who are familiar with such footage? And/or is there a resource that might provide me with this specific information?
Thanks.
There was a multimedia book that came out in 1998 called We Interrupt This Broadcast which discusses the main news events of the 20th century and contains CDs with the radio or TV bulletins. I wouldn't call it a serious historical work, exactly—it's basically a coffee table book—so there may be some bad history contained therein. And I can't guarantee that all these events interrupted usual programming. But you asked about the events that "would have" preempted the scheduled broadcast, and I think the events in the book might have done so.
From the 1970s:
"Kent State Massacre" (May 4, 1970)
"Munich Olympics Tragedy" (September 5, 1972)
"Nixon Resigns" (August 8, 1974)
"Saigon Falls" (April 30, 1975)
"Elvis Dies" (August 16, 1977)
"Iran Hostage Crisis" (November 4, 1979)
"John Lennon Murdered" (December 8, 1980) (this one, of course, had the famous interruption on Monday Night Football)