Though she preceded him by several years, Christine Chubbuck comes somewhat from the same legendary blood & gore murk as Bud Dwyer.
Christine Chubbuck is the poster girl for people missing the warning signs of someone who is suicidal and crying out for help.
"Newscaster Christine Chubbuck committed suicide in 1974 by shooting herself in the head live on air. She was very vocal about her depression to those around her and gave every indication of her exact intentions leading up to the event. Sadly, no one reacted or helped Christine and those left behind could only ask “why”."
OK, yes so for those who don't know and that's just about everyone, Christine Chubbuck was a TV news reporter for WXLT-TV who committed suicide during a live television broadcast. WXLT became WWSB Channel 40 and is the ABC-7 affiliate for Sarasota, Florida.
Christine Chubbuck did speak to her family at great length about her struggles with depression and suicidal tendencies, though naturally she did not inform them of her specific intent beforehand.
Christine had attempted to overdose on meds in 1970, and frequently made reference to the event. 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.
Her focus on her lack of relationships was generally considered to be the impetus for her depression; her mother later summarised that "her suicide was simply because her personal life was not enough".
Christine lamented to co-workers that her 30th birthday was approaching and she was still a virgin who had never been on more than 2 dates with a man. Her brother Greg later recalled several times she had gone out with a man but agreed that she had trouble connecting socially. He believed that her constant self-deprecation for being "dateless" contributed to her ongoing depression.
OK, but Christine was receiving help. Christine had been seeing a psychiatrist up until several weeks before her suicide.
Three weeks before her suicide Christine had asked the station's news director if she could do a 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.
A week before her suicide she told her night news editor, that she had bought a gun and joked about killing herself on air. Christine had an argument with stations news director after he cut one of her stories to cover a shoot-out instead. The station's GM had tried to convince staff to concentrate on "blood and guts". If it bleeds it leads, folks.
On the morning of July 15, 1974, Christine confused her co-workers saying she had to read a newscast to open her program, Suncoast Digest, something she had never done before.
The morning's talk show guest waited across the studio while she sat at the news anchor's desk. 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.
During the first 8 minutes of her program, Christine 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.
Ironically, filmreel of the restaurant shooting had jammed and wouldn't run, so Christine shrugged it off and said: "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. Christine fell forward violently and the technical director faded slowly to black.
A Camerawoman later recalled that she thought it had been an elaborate prank, and it wasn't until she saw Christine'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 police, while others phoned the station to inquire if the shooting was a hoax.
Christine was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital and was pronounced dead 14 hours later (she was off by 3 hours if you're playing along at home).
