The Big Event

From TeeVeePedia, the Internet TV Encyclopedia.

The Big Event was a "Big Event" that took place on NBC every Sunday between 1976 and 1981. NBC's well trained staff would scour the globe looking for the biggest event that had occurred that week, and do a report on it (with highlights if any film was available). The Big Event usually ran either 90 minutes or a two hours, depending on how much airtime NBC needed to fill that season. If no suitable "Big Event" could be found in a given week, NBC would usually show highlights of Evel Knievel jumping his motorcycle over something.

The first broadcast of The Big Event was coverage of America's Bicentennial celebration in July 1976. The final broadcast of The Big Event was the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan in January 1981. Realizing that no event could possibly top Reagan's presidency, NBC cancelled The Big Event immediately after the broadcast.