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When a news event happens that is considered so urgent as to require interruption of current non-news programming (or even of a scheduled newscast) and needs nationwide coverage, a network will alert all its affiliates telling them to stand by and count down to the breaking news report. This will usually begin with an opening graphic and a special music cue, and may be followed by a news anchor addressing the situation or, in the case of severe weather events, a countdown to an automated weather report from a satellite feed. Until the advent of 24-hour news networks, broadcasters would only interrupt regular programming to air Breaking News during a high-profile story such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy or a tornado warning.
