Christine Chubbuck was a 30-year-old news anchor who worked for a program called Suncoast Digest at WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida. She struggled to make human connections and would often complain to family members that she was unloveable. Her constant self-deprecation and subsequent depression concerned her family, even so, Chubbuck never underwent psychiatric care.
On July 15, 1974, Chubbuck insisted that she open the broadcast of Suncoast Digest, claiming that she had a news bulletin to read. While covering a story about a shooting across town, the film reel jammed, forcing her to move on to the next story. She 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 then pulled out a revolver and shot herself behind the ear.
