ABC’s 1980 broadcast team recount John Lennon’s murder in new eyewitness special

Using rare footage, the network will be giving viewers a firsthand account leading up to Howard Cossell’s harrowing announcement of Lennon’s killing on Monday Night Football.

ABC7 anchor Bill Ritter will be interviewing the 1980s broadcast team which was on the ground in Manhattan as the news broke, including Geraldo Rivera, Ernie Anastos, John Johnson, Doug Johnson – and the many others behind the scenes with stories to tell.

The special also includes a firsthand account from ABC7 producer Alan Weiss, who broke the story to the station.

Weiss was a patient at Roosevelt hospital when police and emergency responders rushed Lennon into the emergency room – he recounts the screams of Yoko Ono and images of doctors attempting to save Lennon’s life.