Great Moments in Network News

Tonight's episode of the NBC Nightly News closed with what must've seemed like a great idea on paper. At the end of the show, they cut to a live shot of the Millennium Wheel, the focus of London's New Year's celebration, shortly before midnight local time. As you might expect, anticipation was heavy in the air as they counted down the remaining couple of minutes until 2006 began. And then--well, and then they ran credits and cut to a commercial, because everybody knows network shows don't go to the top of the hour, they end at :57 or :58 or something. I had to switch the channel over to a local PBS affiliate that showed BBC news to see the actual Millenium Wheel fireworks that ushered in the new year.