At the end of every year, the television news networks recap the major stories of the preceding year, cover new years eve celebrations around the world, and interview members of the public about their hopes for the year ahead. The staff of the Vanderbilt Television News Archive compiled this highlight reel to show a sample of New Years Eve TV news coverage over the past few decades.
Joyous celebrations of the year ahead are often juxtaposed with comments about all the ways in which the former year were bad. New years coverage in the archive's collection contains commentary on emerging technologies and ethics, analysis of alcohol consumption, live views of the iconic ball drop in New York City's Times Square, and more.
The collection preserves cultural moments for posterity—such as ABC News's David Muir reporting on Tweets posted by the Times Square Ball's official Twitter account in 2013. Or, the vast amounts of TV news coverage on the fears associated with entering the new millennium in the lead up to the year 2000. By recording and preserving television news coverage, the TV News Archive offers a rich resource for research and scholarship across different academic disciplines.
Below is a complete list of records for the segments featured in the highlight reel, ranging from 1973 to 2013. More information about how to view these complete segments can be found on our Access Information page.
New Year Celebrations, CBS, 1974-01-01: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/n80ixbL4Jo/ox139rTZ64
In Depth (New Millennium Mania) , NBC, 1999-01-01: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/KarzSJq4Z8/gLTvFWLvcM
1999 / New Year Celebrations, NBC, 1998-12-31: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/Tf44tnthRJ/ipsGgkJloX
Millennium Coverage, CNN, 1999-12-30: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/D0R8TxALqH/YRZKG7fpCv
New Year's Eve / Rome, CBS, 1983-01-01: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/LxkjGPvKbk/5GA33ragrr
Commentary (New Year), ABC, 1973-01-01: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/RigRZKYT6i/ZZLzFdEVtc
Trends In Drinking, ABC, 1984-12-31: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/hKrkWsOi3a/Tk3oQUxftc
Countdown To 2000 (Staying Home For The New Year), NBC, 1999-11-26: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/55MS2oOHeE/3l4b2PwkdL
New Year, ABC, 1981-12-31: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/6V5Y0JtiQd/swQbUnkbM9
Times Square New Year’s Party / President Obama’s plans for 2011, FNC, 2010-12-31: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/ChBnfQn39A/2wBwUlBnqn
Instant Index, ABC, 2013-12-31: https://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/media/zo3UzMcxgC/SjjlEKVJ7v