I'll want to see Mr. Beale after this. The way I hear it, Max, you are primarily...

Edward George Ruddy: I'll want to see Mr. Beale after this. The way I hear it, Max, you are primarily responsible for this colossally stupid prank. Is that the fact, Max? Max Schumacher: That's the fact. Edward George Ruddy: It was unconscionable. Doesn't seem to be anything more to say. Max Schumacher: I have something to say, Ed. I want to know why that whole debasement of the news division discussed at the stockholders meeting this afternoon was kept secret from me. You & I go back 20 years, Ed. I took this job with your personal assurance that you would back my autonomy against any encroachment, but ever since CCA acquired UBS systems 10 months ago, Hackett's been taking over everything. Now, who the hell is running this network, you or some conglomerate called CCA? I mean, you're the head of the systems group, & Hackett is nothing but a hatchet man for the CCA. Nelson here, the president of the network, & he hasn't got a damn thing to say about anything anymore. Edward George Ruddy: I told you at the stockholders meeting, Max, That we would discuss all of that at our regular meeting tomorrow morning. If you had been patient, I would have discussed that I, to, thought Frank Hackett precipitate, & that the reorganization of the news division would not be executed until everyone-Specifically you, Max-had been consulted & satisfied. Instead, you sulked off like a child, & engaged this network & a shocking & disgraceful episode. Your position is no longer tenable, regardless of how management is restructured. I will expect your resignation at 10:00 tomorrow morning. We will coordinate our statements to the least detriment of everyone. Bob McDonough will take over the news division until we can sort all this out. I would like to see Mr. Beale now. Nelson Chaney: They're looking for him, Ed, they don't know where he is.

I'll want to see Mr. Beale after this. The way I hear it, Max, you were primarily responsible... ...for this colossally stupid prank. - Is that the fact, Max? - That's the fact. It was unconscionable. There doesn't seem to be anything more to say. I have something to say, Ed. I want to know why that whole debasement of the news division... ...announced at the stockholders' meeting this afternoon was kept secret from me. You and I go back 20 years, Ed. I took this job with your personal assurance... ...that you'd back my autonomy against any encroachment. But ever since CCA acquired control of UBS Systems 10 months ago... ...Hackett's been taking over everything. Now who the hell is running this network? You or some conglomerate called CCA? I mean you're president of the Systems Group... ...and Hackett's nothing but a hatchet man for CCA. Nelson here, president of a network... ...and he hasn't a thing to say about anything anymore. I told you at the stockholders' meeting, Max... ...that we would discuss all that at our regular meeting tomorrow morning. If you had been patient... ...I would've explained that I thought Frank Hackett precipitate... ...and that the reorganization of the division... ...would not be executed until everyone, specifically you, Max... ...had been consulted and satisfied. Instead, you sulked off like a child and engaged this network... ...in a shocking and disgraceful episode. Your position is no longer tenable... ...regardless of how management is restructured. I will expect your resignation at 10:00 tomorrow morning... ...and we will coordinate our statements to the least detriment of everyone. Bob McDonough will take over the news division... ...until we can sort all this out. I'd like to see Mr. Beale now. They're looking for him, Ed. They don't know where he is. Every day, five days a week for 15 years, I've been sitting behind that desk. The dispassionate pundit... ...reporting with seemly detachment the daily parade... ...of lunacies that constitute the news. And just once I wanted to say what I really felt. Knock it off, Arthur. It was, after all, my last... - Did the overnight ratings come in yet? - They're on your desk. Have you still got yesterday's overnights? Shall I bring them in? Yeah. These are those four outlines submitted by Universal for an hour series. You needn't bother to read them. I'll tell them to you. The first one is set in a large Eastern law school, presumably Harvard. The series is irresistibly entitled The New Lawyers. The running characters are a crusty but benign ex-Supreme Court Justice... ...presumably Oliver Wendell Holmes by way of Dr. Zorba. There is a beautiful girl graduate student... ...and the district attorney who is brilliant and sometimes cuts corners. Next one. The second one is called The Amazon Squad. Lady cops? The running characters include a crusty but benign lieutenant... ...who's always getting heat from the commissioner... ...a hard-drinking detective who thinks women belong in the kitchen... ...and a brilliant and beautiful young girl cop... - ... who's fighting the feminist battle. We're up to our ears in lady cops. The next is another one of those investigative reporter shows. A crusty but benign managing editor who's always- You know, Barbara... ...the Arabs have decided to jack up the price of oil another 20 percent. Uh, the CIA has been caught opening Senator Humphrey's mail. There's a civil war in Angola, another one in Beirut. The- New York City's still facing default. They finally caught up with Patricia Hearst. And the whole front page of the Daily News is Howard Beale. There's also a two-column story on Page 1 of the Times. Helen, call Mr. Hackett's office. See if he can give me a few minutes this morning. KTNS, Kansas City, refuses to carry our Network News show anymore... ...unless Beale is taken off the air. Did you see the overnights on the Network News? It has an eight in New York, a nine in L.A. and a 27 share in both cities. Last night Howard Beale went on the air and yelled "bullshit" for two minutes... ...and I can tell you right now that tonight's show will get a 30 share, at least. I think we've lucked into something. For God's sakes. Are you suggesting that we put that lunatic... ...back on the air yelling "bullshit"? I think we should put Beale back on the air tonight and keep him on. Did you see the news this morning? Did you see the Times? We've got press on this you couldn't buy for a million dollars. Frank. That dumb show jumped five rating points in one night. Tonight's show has gotta be at least 15. We just increased our audience by 20 or 30 million people in one night. You're not gonna get this dumped in your lap... ...for the rest of your days. You can't piss it away. Howard Beale said what every American feels... ...that he's tired of all the bullshit. He's articulating the popular rage. I want that show, Frank. I can turn that show into the biggest smash on television. What do you mean? It's a news show. It's not your department.