Howard Beale, the dean of newscasters at the United Television Network, is put out to pasture because he too old. Network executive Max Schumacher, Howard's best friend, is forced to deliver the bad news. Beale can't stomach the idea of losing his 25-year post as anchorman simply because of age, so in his next broadcast he announces to the viewers that he's going to commit suicide on his final program. What he doesn't count on is a media blitz surrounding his circumstance.