I understand that if you watch television on a network channel, there will be times when a show might need to be interrupted for a breaking news announcement. However, the networks need to understand a few things when they make the decision to interrupt regularly-scheduled programming.

First, consider the timing. If the regularly-scheduled news will be coming on in less than a half hour and if the breaking news isn’t actually breaking news, then don’t interrupt. Just save the big announcement, or lack thereof, until the news comes on.

Second, you’re a network channel, not a news channel. If viewers wanted to watch news all day, there are plenty of options, and they’d be on those channels watching the news. If viewers want to be entertained, they will be watching your network channel. Therefore, if you’re going to interrupt the entertainment, be sure the announcement is worth the interruption.

Third, take a lesson from the boy who cried wolf. You remember the story? The young boy who watches the sheep wanted some extra attention so he frequently cried wolf so he could be amused when the townspeople came running. He did this so many times that when a wolf actually did show up and he cried for help, no one came because they didn’t believe him. How does that work for interrupting regular programs for breaking news announcements? Simple. Make sure it is breaking news.

So, what is breaking news? This would be a news item of such high importance that the announcement really cannot wait until the regularly-scheduled news for that channel. Last night, I was watching Unforgettable on CBS. At 10:40, they interrupted the program with a breaking news announcement. The regularly-scheduled news would be on at 11. And what did they tell me? That with 53% of the votes counted in Iowa, the race was still too close to call. They even had an “analyst” confirm that information. There’s no reason that announcement couldn’t have waited twenty minutes. They basically reported that there was nothing to report. And they interrupted a really good show to do that. When the announcement was over, the station was showing commercials, meaning viewers missed what happened just after the main character managed to get back inside the building after nearly falling to her death. It was very frustrating, and unfortunately, networks do this quite frequently.

What kinds of news announcements are so important they cannot wait until the regularly-scheduled news? One example would be when I was in seventh grade in 1981 and Ronald Reagan, who was president at the time, was shot. Since he was the President of the United States and his immediate condition was unknown, that justifies an interruption. Another example is in 1984 when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. I was at school when Reagan was shot and after the announcement, the teachers turned on the television so we could watch the news coverage. I was at home for a snow day when the Challenger exploded, and I remember that breaking news interruption really well. That was 28 years ago, and I still remember. I doubt that 28 years from now I will remember that Unforgettable was interrupted to tell me they really had no news from Iowa. It’s not like it was the actual presidential election. On 9/11/01, regularly-scheduled programming came to a halt; given the significance of that event, that’s acceptable. But you get the idea here? If the network is going to interrupt regularly-scheduled programming, it needs to be for a significant event, one that won’t be forgotten.

I understand that with so many avenues for receiving news today, all of those sources want to be the first to break the news. However, when determining whether to interrupt a program, they should at least be sure there is something newsworthy to break.