NBC News Overnight

During the early 1980's, NBC viewers could stay tuned after "Late Night with David Letterman" to enjoy one of the most unique newscasts on American television. Anchored by Lloyd Dobyns (later replaced by Bill Schechner) and Linda Ellerbee, "NBC News Overnight" was American television's first full length late night newscast; and, it was a newscast with a difference. Dobyns and Ellerbee presented the news in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The program had a sense of humor. In addition to the national headlines, this newscast presented some of the most unusual and quirky human interest stories on television.

Why was this newscast ultimately taken off the air? During the early 1980's, most television stations went off the air at around one in the morning; so, most people were not in the habit of staying up for an extra hour after Letterman's show to watch more television. At the time, there were no other late night newscasts; and, there were definitely no newscasts which broadcast throughout the overnight hours. In short, this newscast was an experiment; and, it was probably too far ahead of its time.

Those who managed to stay awake long enough to watch the news program will remember it fondly. The show's small number of fans will remember the show's warmth, humor, and intelligence. Its legacy lives on with other late night newscasts, including "ABC World News Now" (which followed in the footsteps of "Overnight"). And, so it goes!

This show held me together; I'm a videomaker/writer with leftist leanings - and for me this was ground-breaking, one of those moments when everything comes together. It was my peak experience in television - I wish there were reporters and shows like this today. We were all saddened to see it end.

One of the elements I liked so much - the apparent neutrality of the imaging - there were segments without voice-over at all. You'd end up crying watching some sort of truth emerge from the screen. We knew it wouldn't last of course...

I wish she'd return...

This show was so excellent in its substance and style that every intelligent viewer benefited. I never missed a show while I was single and desperately have been seeking its replacement. NPR and Keith on MSNBC often come close to its performance, but they are not as dependable with worthy items that thinking humans should be considering. I miss the show and feel that our society and culture are spiraling downward faster than you can say "Fall of the Roman Empire." Avoidable items with true information would minimize or even stop such trends as the US population becoming drug dependent and electrical appliance dependent. Knowledge properly shared would stop America from seeking fast solutions at the expense of real sustaining solutions, and even alter our approach to being in a war without most Americans truly feeling the war because we are being insulated by an ineffective media. The founders of our country must be rolling over in their graves at what a shamble our Fourth Estate has deteriorated into.

I work for a Railroad which means that we work day and night. We are on a twenty-four call basis. Sometimes I would get in at 1:00AM Utah time (which is where I live), but most of the time, I would set my alarm to get me up by 12:50AM just so that I could watch NBC News Overnight. It was the most comprehensive, fulfilled news show of it's time. The "good old" prime time news shows of the time could not hold a "frog's fart under water" compared to "Overnight". When it started, it had Lloyd Dobyns and Linda Ellerbee as co-anchors. Lloyd was kind of a "stiffed" face anchor and Linda had this kind of a "sneaky, shifty" smile like she knew something that nobody else knew. The two of them together made the show unique, exciting and well worth watching. I was sorry to see Lloyd leave and was not sure what to expect with Bill Schechner. I was pleased to see that he was a good replacement for Lloyd. He smiled more than Lloyd, but he filled in well. They had segue's such as "on a reel" and "on a roll" that made the news more interesting and informative. It was a news show like no other. I even wrote the producer and told him that "Overnight" kicked Rather, Brokaw, Cronkite,etc. in the "Mudd". I really can't remember who was on the air at the time, but that is the gist of it. Nothing against the anchors on the air now, but Dobyns, Ellerbee and Schechner were the tops. I really wish they were doing a prime time newscast like Overnight now. Even if they went back to 1:00AM, I would set my alarm to watch them again. To quote the "greats", "And that's the way it was." "And So It Goes!"

If only we had a news show like this today! NBC Overnight circled the globe with footage of what was going on at every hot spot. It went on at length about what all was REALLY going on there. Even for its time, it was amazing that they were allowed to be that honest. I can't imagine a major network showing us those sorts of things today. Perhaps WE CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!!

Cost me some credits in college. I'd stay up way too late watching the blasted thing. I couldn't turn away.