The world is in shambles. Whether it be zombies, a killer virus, or God himself returning to Earth, none of it matters to CNN. When the inevitable apocalypse is upon us, CNN has vowed to be airing till the end. The last thing they have vowed to air? A band playing the song Nearer My God to Thee, which was supposedly being played as the Titanic sank. They have promised to cover the apocalypse, play the final video, then sign off for good. 

Back in 1980, when CNN was officially launched, creator Ted Turner promised to stay on the air until the world ends. In his words, “We’ll be on, and we will cover the end of the world, live, and that will be our last event. We’ll play the National Anthem only one time, on the first of June [the day CNN launched], and when the end of the world comes, we’ll play ‘Nearer My God To Thee’ before we sign off.” A low quality, one minute long video, it was never before seen until a former intern leaked it in 2015. 

Many suspect the main reason the video was made was because of the time period. With the Cold War still weighing on everyone’s minds, CNN would’ve most likely played the video under the circumstances of nuclear weapons being launched by the Soviet Union. The end of the world was not some far-fetched idea, and many people would have been watching the TV for updates. 

Ted Turner is also famous for his theories and suspicions on how the end of the world will happen. In response to the video being leaked, many people have speculated on whether or not the video was replaced or if the video will still play on, in the end.  No one truly knows what video will be the last shown, but until then, sit back, eat your popcorn, and enjoy the show.