Ntropolis

Looks like the Turn To package was in by the end of '85.

Indeed it was!

It's possible it may have debuted at the very tail end of the year - KHOU at least seemed to be starting to drift away from the unified look by that time. Whatever the case, I believe I'm reading "10-07-84" on the control room monitors you reference, so it was at least in use towards the end of that year (by which time KHOU, KXTV, et al. had all firmly gone their own ways).

1984 would sound right. This must have been used for only a couple years, and then “Turn To” and “Spirit of Hampton Roads” must have come out in 85.

I think this new unknown theme is related to their “For People Like You” campaign of the time.

The KHOU/WISH Corinthian theme was still being used in 1984 after the Belo purchase, as evidenced here at the end...

But it's Len Randolph's presence on the 6pm that is interesting. He was the weekend met until around February, when he was moved to the 6 to replace Joe Foulkes. (Foulkes, who had already been the chief met for 20+ years, remained on the 5:30 and 11pm shows as he began his transition toward retirement, which he completed in 1988.)

 

In Newport News at least, the school budgeting process seemed to take shape in March (unfortunately the Daily Press didn't cover Norfolk schools for some reason), so my guess is that this would be from March 1985.

Joe Foulkes was actually chief weathercaster... no meteorology degree there.

The Daily Press covers the Virginia Peninsula, which is Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg. The Virginian-Pilot covers Norfolk, Va Beach, etc. Now Tronc owns both of them so they’re one step closer to merging into a regional super-paper

You know what I just realized?! WNEM’s 2014 opens are really a knockoff of WFSB’s!

Add to that the awful Scripps L3’s.

These are derived from WRAL’s graphics that came out eons ago and eventually updated & used until 2016. I forget who did them... I think it was Hothaus or GO

Didn't share this news on here when it first happened, but George Elliott, former meteorologist for WECT, feature reporter for WWAY, and OCM for The Weather Channel in the 1980's is back in the hospital with an infection from the injuries he suffered after being hit by a truck on his bicycle last month.

http://www.wect.com/story/38433066/former-wect-meteorologist-george-elliott-back-in-the-hospital

Wilmington Police are still looking for the hit-and-run suspect.

Rare commercial clips from WITN in 1997:

Includes promos for weathercaster Steve Hawley at 3:11 and sports with Trey Jones at 12:46.

They were using that same "Business Break" graphic with Network Music's "Bright Expectations"

Isn't their new building an old bowling alley?

 

They probably kept it from there!

The ice machine is located in a public event space in the new building. The local chamber of commerce is hosting an event there later this month, and the station is supposed to be hosting a public open house at an unannounced date.

A small fire caused by an ice machine evacuated WWAY for over an hour Thursday night after their 7:30pm newscast ended.

https://www.wwaytv3.com/2018/06/07/video-small-fire-leads-to-evacuation-at-wway-new-studio/

They’ve been in their new building for about two months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbiJ-dJDYM8

Does anyone believe if WSPA’s News Theme from the early 90s is a Peters track? They were a Peters client at the time...

I want to say yes. It goes along with their “7’s in the center, in the center of it all” campaign of the time. Spartan sister WBTW was a Peters client at the same time with Best of Two Worlds.

How about this guy?

I think I've heard him on old clips from other stations too...

And the first Balls & Walls open from KHQ:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=SQN7JOoLhyk;m=29;s=4

This is so weird and I love it. KHQ was

How many journalist families are there in the country? I’m only aware of the Ogles in OKC, the Ponce brothers and father in Chicago, and the Magers brothers (both retired).

Glenn Corey Corillo and son Todd Corillo, both at WTKR.

And how hard is it to fly a drone or something to shoot footage at night? That seems like a lazy excuse.

Part 107 FAA regulations state you need a waiver to fly past 30 minutes of civil twilight (30 minutes past sunset). So it’s not crazy impossible, just a little tougher than doing some quick shots with a drone at night.

You can always do a nighttime timelapse on the ground... that would look cool

Believe it or not, I know that music piece was used on one of the TV shows in The Sims 2!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=CtkBEq2wO7k;m=16;s=29

Holy crap, I forgot I remembered this! It was hard to recognize on WALB without the Simlish...

That curtain backdrop for the talent... What were they thinking?

“Sears Portrait Studio”

Another local TV mainstay is retiring.

After 37 years, Sabrina Squire's last day at WWBT is May 23rd.

http://www.nbc12.com/story/38022221/after-40-years-in-broadcasting-sabrina-squire-is-set-to-retire

KDLT's "5 News at Ten" 10pm newscast for April 19, 1995:

That 5 logo looks Canadian for the time.

Some clips from WRC's news in July 1996. 6pm news begins at 3:36. I don't think there was a copy of this open on Youtube before, unless it's buried somewhere in a NewsActive 3 compilation.

WJLA's 11pm newscast from September 4, 2003.

I think this open was used for about a year. Check out the 13:27 mark where Leon Harris is introduced as the station's new evening anchor.

KFOR just announced a new partnership with Air Comfort Solutions (which has former KWTV Chief Meteorologist Gary England in the promos), it's now branded as "Air Comfort Solutions Chopper 4"

http://kfor.com/2018/04/09/chopper-4-is-vital-to-covering-oklahoma-storms-new-partnership-between-kfor-air-comfort-solutions-announced/

Doesn't quite roll off the tongue like "Bob Moore Chopper 4"

There's a certain faux pas in the new ID that caught my eye immediately...

Yep. Technically, they don’t even need to include the ‘-TV’ prefix because it’s just WUNW. WUNC, on the other hand, is legally WUNC-TV.

Mentioned this in the shoutbox yesterday - might be of interest for those who are into North Carolina TV or PBS stations.

UNC-TV has retired the old ID they've used since the early 2000s and replaced it with this:

This is the old ID:

it's blocked so can you send me it privately

It works fine for me - it is not a private video. Are you located outside of the United States? That’s the only reason why I would imagine it would be blocked for you.

It's not a newscast, but one listen should explain why I put it here...

 

Also, this...

That’s “The Ticket”, isn’t it?

Enjoy some Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA from 2003!

 

WDBJ (Roanoke) June 13, 2003 6:00pm

[MEDIA=vimeo]260596254[/MEDIA]

 

WSLS (Roanoke) June 16, 2003 11:00pm

[MEDIA=vimeo]260596584[/MEDIA]

 

WSET (Lynchburg) June 16, 2003 11:00pm

[MEDIA=vimeo]260596521[/MEDIA]

 

WFXR/WJPR (Roanoke) June 12, 2003 10:00pm

[MEDIA=vimeo]260596312[/MEDIA]

 

More on the way...

 

Jim

Love this stuff! We must have been in/around Roanoke about the same time... I was visiting the city with my family in June of '03 and I'm pretty sure it was that weekend. I remember it being very rainy.

I'm confused-- was The View in primetime that night, or did they mess up the noon newscast?

TVTango says it's a The View special - "His & Her Body Test"

http://www.tvtango.com/listings/2003/06/16

Along with 18 minutes of KIMT's 10pm news in 1994, you get a Buick commercial voiced by Ron Rolland and a commercial for Rod Grams's US Senate campaign (yes, that Rod Grams)!

 

At the time, then-Spartan sister station WBTW had a similar set with the glass blocks... theirs had shades of purple and amber.