While having an discrete exam at Community General, convict Paul Dunbar takes a hostage and demands to talk to anchorman Jordan Sanders. Before the interview can take place, Sanders is assassinated and Dunbar killed. Mark uses Dunbar's last words to investigate who might have killed them.
"Broadcast Blues" displays symptoms of the following tropes:
- Accidental Murder: During the jewelry store robbery that Paul was convicted for, Paul struggled with a security guard for his gun, which went off and killed the man.
- And Starring: Tammy Lauren gets the special guest credit as Leah Foxworth.
- Asshole Victim: Tonight on Asshole Victim News, we have Jordan Sanders, with reports of blackmailing fellow reporters, muckraking news reports, and general mistreatment of his staff. More at 11.
- Bound and Gagged: Paul's ex-wife is found this way once Mark realizes what Dr. Harvey is after.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Throughout the episode Mark tries to find Dr. Caulker, whose name was Dunbar's last words. When Jack sees the footage of Dunbar's death, he asks about the name, but in his accent "Caulker" is pronounced "Coal Car" which allows Mark to figure out that this is what Dunbar actually said, trying to tell him that the doctor who killed him knows he stashed the stolen diamonds in a toy coal car at his home.
- Greed: Tom killed Paul and Jordan in order to get his hands on the jewels Paul stole and hid away after the robbery.
- Immoral Journalist: Jordan blackmailed Peter Murray with photos of him cheating on his wife in order to squeeze him out of the anchorman position. Once Jordan is dead, Leah Foxworth tries to get ahold of the photos so she can do the same. She and producer Franklin Cobb even kidnap Jack to find them, saying they are willing to starve him in order to make him more cooperative. It really says something when the guy repeatedly cheating on his wife is the least of a douchebag.
- Murder-Suicide: The deaths of Jordan and Paul are made to look like this. It shouldn't surprise one to hear that this was in fact, not the case.
- Shout-Out:
- Norman compares walking through the tunnels beneath Community General to the movie Alien.
- When Leah and Franklin ask Jack where the blackmail pictures are, he remarks he already sold them to CNN.
