History Main / CoincidentalBroadcast

* In ''TheSimpsons Road Rage'', in the opening cutscene the family turns on the television to the news channel in light of [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Burns]] buying Springfield's public transit, and Brockman is idly staring off-camera, then immediately stares at the camera to give his report, as if he was waiting for the Simpson's TV to turn on.

This is also rapidly becoming a DiscreditedTrope considering how many sources parody this convention, even if the rise of 24-hour rolling news networks makes it much easier to HandWave nowadays. Can be an example of WorstNewsJudgementEver, if the story doesn't merit its place in the headlines.

* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' {{lampshaded}} this Trope during one invention exchange, with a special radio that only used channels from old movies and TV shows, including the "Incredibly Plot Specific News Station": "The Harlem Globetrotters have been missing at sea and are thought to have washed up on some [[Series/GilligansIsland uncharted desert isle.]]"

** Played straight in the famous episode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E10Hush Hush]]": The Scoobies are all grouped around a TV showing a news broadcast from LA regarding everyone in Sunnydale losing their voices. A strong argument could be made that this example is [[JustifiedTrope justified]]: An entire freaking town losing their voices simultaneously is bound to get through at least one person's WeirdnessCensor.
*** Also the Scoobies were already watching the TV; Xander simply calls attention to the broadcast at the appropriate point.
*** There's also the point that such a story might merit round-the-clock coverage, especially if it's a recent development.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie TV Movie]], just as the Doctor has convinced Grace that the only way to save the planet is to gain an atomic clock from somewhere, the news reports that one is being unveiled at a nearby university.
** Another ''Who'' episode, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E6TheLazarusExperiment The Lazarus Experiment]]", has a variation; a Coincidental Phone Call telling the characters to turn on the news.

* Spoofed in ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus''. naturally

-->'''Newsreader:''' It's 8:30, time for the penguin on top of your television to explode.\\
'''Penguin:''' (explodes)\\

-->Announcer: Hello and welcome to the University of the Air. And first this afternoon, part seventeen in our series of lectures on animal communications. This afternoon we look at recent discoveries in the field of intraspecific signalling codes in the family Formicidae.
-->Chris: That's a stroke of luck, Marcus!
-->Note that Formicidae is the ant family, so the show was on how ants communicate with each other.

* In ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'', Ultimate ComicBook/CaptainAmerica tracks [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]] down to a bar [[DomesticAbuse after he put his wife in a coma]] and ominously asks if he's watching anything interesting. The TV happened to be broadcasting a report on the case in question, which Cap calls a "cosmic coincidence" [[TakingTheFightOutside before dragging him outside]].

* A variant happens in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''. Joseph quickly switches between different channels to get a complete message; it's justified as manipulating machinery to see the future is the power of his Stand.

* ''Film/RunForTheSun'': When Van Anders gets the radio working, the first thing it picks up is a news broadcast about Mike and Carol's missing plane.

* In ''Manga/JunjouRomantica'', when Hiro walks in on Nowaki and his coworker Tsumori sleeping on the floor of Hiro and Nowaki's apartment, a news broadcast about a famous married actor being caught with another woman is on the TV. It is however, NotWhatItLooksLike.

* In ''Manga/MarchComesInLikeALion'', Rei sees a nature documentary that perfectly describes (at least in his perspective) how he's taken over the lives of his adoptive family, prompting him to set out on his own.

** In [[Recap/Supernatural0503FreeToBeYouAndMe "Free to Be You and Me'' (S05, Ep03)]], Sam works at a bar where there is a news broadcast about various apocalypse-related phenomena, the very apocalypse a guilt-ridden Sam started.

** In [[RecapSupernatural0503FreeToBeYouAndMe "Free to Be You and Me'' (S05, Ep03)]], Sam works at a bar where there is a news broadcast about various apocalypse-related phenomena, the very apocalypse a guilt-ridden Sam started.

* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS09E01IThinkImGonnaLikeItHere "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" (S09, Ep01)]], a news broadcast about the global meteor shower plays with footage of the falling angels in Sam's hospital room.

* A slightly different version of this trope happens in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''. Joseph quickly switches between different channels to get a complete message; it's justified as manipulating machinery to see the future is the power of his Stand.

* Axel Foley in ''Film/BeveryHillsCopII'' arrives for an undercover meeting with a criminal who's running a little late. He sits down in an empty office ''just in time'' to hear a TV news report of Bogomil's shooting.

* Axel Foley in ''Film/BeveryHillsCopII'' arrives for an undercover meeting with a criminal who's running a little late. He sits down in an empty office ''just in time'' to hear a TV news report of Bogomil's shooting.

* ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'': In the debut of the Queen of Fables, shortly after she awakens in the modern world, she mistakes a TV for a magic mirror and commands it to reveal who the FairestOfThemAll is. The TV was showing news coverage of the Justice League's most recent battle, and at that moment showed Franchise/WonderWoman. The Queen then plots to destroy her, [[ThoroughlyMistakenIdentity thinking Wonder Woman is her ancient enemy]], Literature/SnowWhite.

* In a DonaldDuck cartoon, Donald's encounters with a gorilla named Ajax are accompanied by advice given on the radio on dealing with Ajax.

* One ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' arc was about Jason attempting to start a web business. Running afoul of the MissingStepsPlan, he's just telling his mom about what he resorted to showing his potential investors when the news begins talking about a potentially world-ending computer virus.

* ''Manga/SchoolRumble''. Yakumo stays the night at Harima's house when there's a black out. He turns the radio just in time to hear the DJ say that a black out is a good time to have sex.

* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'' has a CoincidentalBroadcast about a Coincidental News Event: After learning that a Pemalite ship has been found underwater by the Yeerks, the Animorphs discuss ways of diving that deep (such as sperm whales or giant squid). That very evening, Rachel catches the tail end of a report about a sperm whale that beached itself in their town. This is no coincidence, as they very well know. Either of the {{Eldritch Abomination}}s using them as pawns in their game made the whale beach itself so the kids could go out to sea and find the ship.

* The opening scene of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' shows a group of kidnappers watching a TV news report about their crime. This is followed by a business news item that introduces two bits of exposition: Bruce Wayne is now considerably older, and a rival named Derek Powers has been trying to take over his company.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Oscar just happens reading a newspaper with a nice big picture of Dr. Psycho and an article about the explosion at the prison the villain escaped from when he walks in on Psycho coincidentally, ensuring that he recognizes the criminal despite never having met him before.

* Averted at the beginning of ''Film/KingKongVsGodzilla.'' The news broadcast spends about a minute on an irrelevant earthquake in Chile before moving to discussing events that are important to the plot. Play straight for the rest of the movie.

* In ''Manga/SangatsuNoLion'', Rei sees a nature documentary that perfectly describes (at least in his perspective) how he's taken over the lives of his adoptive family, prompting him to set out on his own.

* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'' has a CoincidentalBroadcast about a Coincidental News Event: After learning that a Pemalite ship has been found underwater by the Yeerks, the Animorphs discuss ways of diving that deep (such as sperm whales or giant squid). That very evening, Rachel catches the tail end of a report about a sperm whale that beached itself in their town. This is no coincidence, as they very well know, either of the {{Eldritch Abomination}}s using them as pawns in their game made the whale beach itself so the kids could go out to sea and find the ship.