TV & VIDEO - May 5, 1989

A federal jury’s conviction of Oliver North in Washington and the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis in Florida made for a hectic Thursday at the three networks, which repeatedly interrupted regular programming for reports and updates from each locale and the White House. CBS and Dan Rather started it first at 1:38 p.m. (EDT), followed seconds later by ABC’s Peter Jennings and NBC’s Tom Brokaw. CBS had a total of three special reports, as did NBC, while ABC had five and was the last to sign off.