I think it’s kind of dumb we play the national anthem at sporting events anyway. Why don’t we do it in movie theaters before the trailers or in restaurants before we eat?
You could even argue it’s disrespectful to the anthem to play it before a meaningless sporting event.
Tv stations used to play it when they signed on and signed off for the day accompanied by patriotic visuals. You can find a ton of them on Youtube.
Few stations go dark anymore except for routine maintenance on the transmitter in the wee hours of the morning. This is why small children are seldom yanked into the other side by angry poltergeists these days.
I wonder if CNN has ever updated their sign off tape? Only to played when the world comes to an end of course.