Christine Chubbuck
Born	August 24, 1944(1944-08-24) Hudson, Ohio, United States
Died	July 15, 1974 (aged 29) Sarasota, Florida, United States
Occupation	Television news reporter

Christine Chubbuck^[1] (August 24, 1944 – July 15, 1974) was an American television news reporter who committed suicide during a live television broadcast. Image File history File links CHris_Chubb. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... A journalist is a person who practices journalism. ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... Live television refers to television broadcasts of events or performances on a delay of between zero and fifteen seconds, rather than from video recordings or film. ...

Biography

Born in Hudson, Ohio, Christine Chubbuck attended the Laurel School for Girls in nearby Shaker Heights. During her years at Laurel, she started a small tongue-in-cheek group called the "Dateless Wonder Club." She attended Miami University of Ohio for one year, majoring in theatre arts, then attended Endicott College in Beverly, Mass. She earned a degree in broadcasting at Boston University in 1965. She worked for WVIZ in Cleveland, Ohio for a year in 1966-67. She attended a summer workshop in radio and television at New York University in 1967. Also in 1967, she worked for a few months for public television stations in Pittsburgh and Canton, Ohio. Chubbuck spent four years as a hospital computer operator in Sarasota and two years with a cable television firm in Sarasota. Immediately prior to joining WXLT, she worked in the traffic department of WTOG in St. Petersburg, Florida.^[2][3] Location in Ohio Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Summit Settled 1799 Village incorporation 1837 City 1994 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor William A. Currin  - City Manager Anthony J. Bales Area  - City  25 sq mi (67. ... Laurel School is an independent, college preparatory for girls in Shaker Heights, Ohio. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... , This article is about the university in Oxford, Ohio. ... Endicott College is a private college located in Beverly, Massachusetts. ... Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. ... For similarly-named academic institutions, see Boston (disambiguation). ... WVIZ was the 100th public television station to sign on in America. ... Nickname: Motto: Progress & Prosperity Location in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA Coordinates: , Country State County Cuyahoga Founded 1796 Incorporated 1814 (village)   1836 (city) Government  - Mayor Frank G. Jackson (D) Area [1]  - City  82. ... New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in New York City. ... City nickname: The Steel City Location in the state of Pennsylvania Founded 1758 Mayor Tom Murphy (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 151. ... Canton is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States. ... WTOG is the CW owned-and-operated affiliate for Tampa Bay, Florida. ... For other uses, see St. ...

Several years before her death, Chubbuck had moved into the family's summer cottage on Siesta Key, Florida - the Washington Post would later report that her painted bedroom and canopy bed looked like a young teenager's. After the divorce of Chris's parents, her mother Peg and younger brother Greg came to live in the Florida home. When Greg left, her elder brother Timothy moved in. She had a close relationship with her family, describing her mother and Greg as her closest friends. Siesta Key is a census-designated place located in Sarasota County, Florida. ... ... For the record label, see Divorce Records. ...

Chubbuck volunteered at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, giving puppet shows to developmentally disabled children, and occasionally incorporated the homemade puppets into her WXLT-TV talk show. A puppet is any controlled character, whether formed by a shadow, strings, by the use of a glove, by direct mechanical contrivance (for example a cable-controlled figure for film or TV) or electronic guidance (such as a radio or infrared remote controller). ... Developmental disability is a term used to describe severe, life-long disabilities attributable to mental and/or physical impairments, manifested before the age of 22. ... WWSB, Channel 40 (Cable and virtual channel 7), is the ABC affiliate for Sarasota, Florida. ... A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ...

WXLT-TV owner Bob Nelson had initially hired Chubbuck as a reporter, but later gave her a community affairs talk show, "Suncoast Digest," which ran in the morning after the national feed of The PTL Club. Production Manager Gordon J. Acker described Chubbuck's new show to a local paper: "It will feature local people and local activities. It will give attention, for instance, to the storefront organizations that are concerned with alcoholics, drug users, and other 'lost' segments of the community." Page five of the article showed a smiling Chubbuck posed with an ABC camera.^[4] PTL (stands for Praise The Lord or People that Love or Pass the Loot or Pay the Lady) was a conservative religious group and TV network. ...

Chubbuck took her position seriously, inviting local Sarasota-Bradenton officials to discuss matters of interest to the growing beach community. After her death, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that Chubbuck had been nominated for a Forestry and Conservation Recognition Award by the Bradenton district office of the Florida Division of Forestry. She was considered a "strong contender" by Mike Keel, district forester, who had been scheduled to appear as a guest on Ms. Chubbuck's show the morning of her suicide, but had cancelled due to the birth of his son.^[5] Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County, Florida. ... Bradenton is a city located in Manatee County, Florida. ... The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper located in Sarasota, Florida. ...

Depression

Chubbuck spoke to her family at length about her struggles with depression and suicidal tendencies, though she did not inform them of her specific intent beforehand. She had attempted to overdose on medication in 1970, and frequently made reference to the event. She had also been seeing a psychiatrist up until several weeks before her death. Chubbuck's mother chose not to tell station management of her daughter's suicidal tendencies because she feared that she would be fired as a result.^[6] Clinical depression (also called major depressive disorder, or unipolar depression when compared to bipolar disorder) is a state of intense sadness, melancholia or despair that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individuals social functioning and/or activities of daily living. ... Psychiatry is a branch of medicine dealing with the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of the mind and mental illness. ...

Her focus on her lack of relationships was generally considered to be the impetus for her depression; her mother later summarized that "her suicide was simply because her personal life was not enough". She lamented to co-workers that her 30th birthday was approaching and she was still a virgin who had never been on more than two dates with a man. Her brother Greg later recalled several times she had gone out with a man, prior to the move to Sarasota, but agreed that she had trouble connecting socially in the beach resort town. He believed that her constant self-deprecation for being "dateless" contributed to her ongoing depression.^[7] “Virgin” redirects here. ...

Chubbuck was also depressed over the fact that her show Suncoast Digest would only attract 500 viewers, reported the Washington Post, and in season maybe 1,000. ...

She had had her right ovary removed in an operation the year before, and had been told that if she wasn't pregnant within a year, it was unlikely she would ever be able to conceive. // For ovary as part of plants see ovary (plants) An ovary is an egg-producing reproductive organ found in female organisms. ...

Apparently, she had an unrequited crush on co-worker George Peter Ryan. She baked him a cake for his birthday and sought his romantic attention, only to find out that he was already involved with sports reporter Andrea Kirby. Kirby had been the co-worker closest to Chubbuck, but was offered a new job in Baltimore, which had further depressed Chubbuck. Baltimore redirects here. ...

Chubbuck's lack of a romantic partner was considered a tangent of her desperate need to have close friends, though co-workers said that she tended to be brusque and defensive whenever they made friendly gestures towards her. She was self-deprecating, criticizing herself constantly and rejecting any compliments she was given. She was fond of word play and puns.^[8] Self-deprecation is a form of humour in which a comedian makes jokes about himself, his shortcomings, or his culture. ... For other uses, see Pun (disambiguation). ...

Lead-up

Three weeks before her suicide she had asked the station's news director if she could do a news piece on suicide. After getting her pitch approved she visited the local sheriff's department to discuss with an officer methods of suicide. In the interview, an officer told her that one of the most efficient ways was to use a .38 caliber revolver with wadcutter target bullets, and to shoot oneself in the back of the head rather than in the temple.^[2] Look up Sheriff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... .32 S&W Long wadcutter round (left), next to a round nose . ...

A week before her suicide she told Rob Smith, the night news editor, that she had bought a gun and joked about killing herself on air. Smith later told the Washington Post that he had chided her for the comment.^[2]

On July 12, 1974, she had an argument with news director Mike Simmons after he cut one of her stories to cover a shoot-out instead. Robert Nelson, the station owner, had tried to convince staff to concentrate on "blood and guts". is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...

Suicide

On the morning of July 15, 1974, Chubbuck confused co-workers by claiming that she had to read a newscast to open her program Suncoast Digest, something she had never done before. That morning's talk show guest waited across the studio while she sat at the news anchor's desk.^[2] Her news copy actually contained a speculative report of her impending suicide, wherein she conjectured she would be declared dead eleven hours later. She placed a .38 revolver in her bag of puppets and put it beneath her desk. is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... A newscast typically consists of the coverage of various news events and other information, either produced locally by a radio or television station, or by a broadcast network. ...

During the first eight minutes of her program, Chubbuck covered three national news stories and then a local restaurant shooting from the day before. The restaurant was the Beef and Bottle Restaurant at the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport on U.S. 41.^[9] The filmreel of the restaurant shooting had jammed and wouldn't run, so Christine shrugged it off and said: Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (IATA: SRQ, ICAO: KSRQ) is an airport located in Sarasota, Florida and south of Bradenton, Florida. ... U.S. Highway 41 in northern Michigan United States Highway 41 is a north-south United States highway that runs from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Miami Beach, Florida. ...

"In keeping with Channel 40's policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first: an attempted suicide."

She drew out the revolver and shot herself behind her right ear.^[2] Christine fell forward violently and the technical director faded slowly to black.^[10] Camerawoman Jean Reed later recalled that she thought it had been an elaborate prank, and it wasn't until she saw Chubbuck's twitching body that she realized it was genuine.

The station quickly ran a standard Public Service tape and then a movie. Some television viewers had phoned 9-1-1, while others phoned the station to inquire if the shooting was faked.^[11] A public service announcement (PSA) or community service announcement (CSA) is a non-commercial advertisement typically on radio or television, ostensibly broadcast for the public good. ... For other uses, see 911 (disambiguation). ...

Chubbuck was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital and was pronounced dead 14 hours later. Upon receiving the news, a WXLT staffer released the information to other stations using Chubbuck's copy, as she left it for just that purpose.^[11]

For a time, WXLT aired reruns of the TV series Gentle Ben in place of Chubbuck's program.^[3] Rerun van Pelt is the name of Linus and Lucys younger brother in the comic strip Peanuts. ... Gentle Ben is the name of a book of fiction for children by author Walt Morey, which was later made into a film and television series in the 1960s, as well as made-for-TV movie in 2002. ...

Aftermath

Chubbuck was cremated. The funeral ceremony was held on the beach where her ashes were scattered into the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 120 people attended, including local officials who had appeared on her show,^[12] and one attendee in a bikini.^[13] Three songs by Christine's favorite singer, Roberta Flack, were played.^[14] Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... Roberta Flack Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937 in Asheville, North Carolina) is an American singer. ...

Presbyterian minister Thomas Beason delivered the eulogy, stating that "We suffer at our sense of loss, we are frightened by her rage, we are guilty in the face of her rejection, we are hurt by her choice of isolation and we are confused by her message."^[15] Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... In most Protestant churches, a minister is a member of the ordained clergy who leads a congregation or participates in a role in a parachurch ministry; such a person may also be called a Pastor, Preacher, Bishop, Chaplain or Elder. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

All three national television networks reported her death.

Christine's family brought an injunction against WXLT to prevent the release of the 2" quad videotape of her suicide. The Sarasota Sheriff's Department file lists a copy of the tape seized as evidence and later released it to Christine's family along with her possessions. Look up Injunction in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 2 Quadruplex (also called 2 Quad for short) was the first practical and commercially successful videotape format. ...

For the first time since 1974, Greg Chubbuck spoke publicly about his sister in a 2007 E! Entertainment Television special.^[16]

References

• Quinn, Sally. "Christine Chubbuck: 29, Good-Looking, Educated. A Television Personality. Dead. Live and in Color (PDF)", Washington Post, 4 August 1974. 

is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... is the 201st day of the year (202nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 199th day of the year (200th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 199th day of the year (200th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... E!: Entertainment Television is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite network. ...

See also

• Network (A film made two years later about a news anchor who plans to commit suicide during his final broadcasts)
• Budd Dwyer (killed himself during a taped televised press conference)
• List of unusual deaths

This article contains a trivia section. ... Robert Budd Dwyer (November 21, 1939 – January 22, 1987) was a former Pennsylvania politician who, on the morning of January 22, 1987, committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a revolver during a televised press conference. ... This is a list of unusual deaths – unique causes or extremely rare circumstances – recorded throughout history. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Christine Chubbuck

• Christine Chubbuck at the Internet Movie Database
• Christine Chubbuck at Find A Grave