Broadcasting Company Gray Television To Bring Back Anthem

When I was younger, you knew when a TV station was "calling it a broadcast day" when the screen showed the American flag while the national anthem played.

Then, that tradition seemed to go by the wayside as many TV stations stopped shutting down at midnight and kept on broadcasting 24 hours a day. It's like they suddenly discovered that not everyone called it a day at midnight.

Now comes word that Gray Television, parent company of Rockford's 23 WIFR, has decided to bring back the national anthem to all of their 93 TV stations, Gray Media Group's Executive Chairman and CEO, Hilton Howell, announced at the broadcast company's annual meeting of news directors.

For those of a younger generation, this is how most TV stations used to sign off for the day (stick around until the end for the test pattern):