So went the tag line for PBS' "We Interrupt This Week", a weekly news quiz featuring two teams of well-known columnists and journalists, produced at the studios of WNET Channel 13 in New York City. Imagine a cross between "The News Hour" and "College Bowl" and you're 90% there.
Two teams of three panelists competed on "We Interrupt This Week", a Home side of regulars and a set of Visitors that changed each week. The object of the game was simply to score the most points, but unlike other quizzes, this one had a delightful twist: points were awarded not just for correct answers, but also for witty, clever, or funny responses. Ned Sherrin's opening spiel began with an acerbic rundown on the events of the week just past, and wrapped up with the memorable words, "Those are all the rules, except to say that MY decisions will be arbitrary, prejudiced, and final." Panelists appearing on the series included Jeff Greenfield, Carrie Nye, Barbara Howar, and Richard Reeves.
The series ran during the fall of 1978 but, failing to win a sufficiently strong audience, would never return. Another popular news quiz would eventually surface on National Public Radio, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!", but "We Interrupt This Week" remains a rare nationally-televised game or quiz show on PBS.
