CBS purchased the television rights for $450,000. CBS planned to televise the film on September 23, 1966 as an installment of its new movie night "The CBS Friday Night Movies". Three days prior to the scheduled telecast, Valerie Percy, daughter of Illinois senate candidate Charles H. Percy, was murdered. As her parents slept mere feet away, she was stabbed a dozen times with a double-edged knife. In light of the murder, CBS agreed to postpone the broadcast. As a result of the Apollo pad fire of January 27, 1967, the network washed its hands of "Psycho".