[WorldCase] Christine Chubbuck's last broadcast
"In keeping with the WXLT practice of presenting the most immediate and complete reports of local blood and guts news, TV 40 presents what is believed to be a television first. In living color, an exclusive coverage of an attempted suicide."
Christine Chubbuck, an American news reporter, was born in Hudson, Ohio, graduated from Boston University, and hosted the talk show "Suncoast Digest" at WXLT-TV, a local station in Sarasota, Florida. She was known for her interest in issues related to disabilities and community development, and shortly before her death, she was nominated for an award by the Florida Department of Agriculture for her contributions to local development.
On July 15, 1974, eight minutes into the broadcast, Christine ignored the script and attempted suicide. She shot herself in the head with an S&W M36 revolver, shocking both the staff and viewers. The station abruptly ended the program and replaced it with public service announcements and movie programming, while she was rushed to the hospital. However, she died from brain damage 14 hours later.
Christine had a history of depression and had previously attempted suicide. She purchased the gun just a week before her death and struggled with interpersonal relationships due to her introverted nature. She had a crush on a male colleague but felt isolated as her close friend was in a good relationship and was being transferred. Additionally, she received a shocking diagnosis from the hospital that she would become infertile if she did not conceive within 2-3 years due to ovarian issues.
Kristin's body was cremated, and her funeral was held at a beach in the Gulf of Mexico, a place she frequently visited. About 120 people attended the funeral, and Roberta Flack, a singer she admired, performed three tribute songs. The incident was so shocking that it was reported in several newspapers in South Korea.
This shocking event inspired the 1976 film "Network" directed by Sidney Lumet. However, according to Dave Itzkoff's book, screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky had already written a scene where a character would commit suicide live on air before the Chubbuck incident occurred. Thus, it was not intended in the script.
In 2016, director Antonio Campos made a film titled "Christine," based on Chubbuck's life, with Rebecca Hall portraying Christine Chubbuck, achieving a high level of accuracy.
The footage recorded at the time has not been released. At that time, home video tapes had just been introduced, and since it was a local broadcast, it was difficult to find video records. It is known that the footage was destroyed with the consent of the family. This contrasts with the footage from the Bud Dwyer suicide incident that occurred 13 years later.
In 2016, it was revealed that two copies of the footage still existed, but there were no plans to release them. In January 2017, a YouTuber named NationSquid included a black-and-white reenactment of the suicide in a video titled "Freaky 5 - Lost Footage," which many people mistakenly believed to be the actual footage. However, it was later confirmed to be fake by Gordon Galbraith, who was the news director at WXLT-TV.
In early 2021, a YouTuber named Ataliste uploaded an audio clip claiming to be Kristin's voice during her suicide. This sparked debates about its authenticity in various online communities. To eliminate doubts, Ataliste later uploaded the entire recording of Kristin's last news broadcast. Following the release of this audio file, Kristin's brother, Greg Chubbuck, expressed anger over the leak and announced plans for legal action against the YouTuber.
