Samantha

Sometimes you strike gold. That's an article from 1996 on David Miller (aka David Miller Music), a KTVK employee who apparently wrote the themes the station debuted in 1995: "Miller's Channel 3 playlist includes theme songs for Good Morning Arizona (sung by local country entertainer Ray Herndon), Good Evening Arizona (sung by Molly Molten, a former Channel 3 correspondent) and the new Tonight Arizona (sung by Los Angeles-based studio pro Mark Campbell). Yet the composer calls Channel 3's longtime promotional theme, Arizona's Family, "by far the most important I've ever written. That song is about everybody I work with, and it really means something to me," said Miller, whose father, Bill, is Channel 3's general manager." He also did graphic design work for the stations. Apparently the KTVK circle 3 was known around the station as the "meatball". KASW is explicitly mentioned and I'm led to think the NewsNight theme (1995-97) is from him too. He's now a partner in MagicDust Television, the producer of RightThisMinute and worthy of the title "spiritual successor to KTVK's glory days".

One weekend weather personality here in Phoenix is leaving the profession after tonight: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1534702089929969

KSAT in 1989. Longest cut I've heard of their late 80s theme:

Idaho ahoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nezeGNdjK5I

KSAZ is a funky station in a lot of ways. For one, creatively it's long done its own thing. The Fox O&O theme has been used to open their newscasts for, by my count, as little as five months this decade. I mean, here's the open sequence for KSAZ since 2010: There's also News Now, which has become a most unusual beast in TV news. It has a national audience but is not coming from a Top 10 market; while it will cover local news when warranted, it quickly understood that Trump and police chases were among its biggest viewer getters. Putting a taste of News Now on TV is a smart move to raise its visibility. Such is the case that their fall upfront presentation boasted "the world is watching Fox 10 News Now". But come on, this logo is an abomination.

The MyNetworkTV brand and logo are pretty long in the tooth anyway. No wonder it's disappearing nationwide.

KPIX in the 90s? Yes please:

KVUE in 1988...

That WAGA open is a treat. Definitely the same shop that did the WBNS and KMID opens.

If KTUU 1990 was used in October 1989, it was a local composition. Anchorage Daily News, October 10, 1989: They did so many commercials in Anchorage that they had to start using other vocalists because, well, let Chris Kay explain: "I used to use Beth as the vocalist almost exclusively, until it got kind of ridiculous. You'd turn on the TV, and hear her singing five commercials in a row." WCAU 1972? This ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1985. Whatever it is, we don't have it: Could additional early-mid 80s WTVR themes be lurking? This from the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 1986 (and yes, this is JDK Music described): The date on this piece is December 2, 1993. Keep that in mind when you're looking at the NMSA and at this paragraph from the Boston Herald. Looks like the NMSA has a mistake! And what the heck is this from Philadelphia, July 11, 1979? Did this guy get involved with 10 Is (Klein &)? Is Jim Ball the same thing as Metro Music? Baltimore Sun, November 21, 1993: ...OK, I want to hear this. (Dallas Morning News May 29, 1989) So is this why Symphony is, well, Symphony? (Syracuse Herald-Leader November 16, 1990) Jacobs & Gerber was apparently tied into the KYW 1983 relaunch: (Philadelphia Inquirer, May 16, 1983) No composer IDs, but want to hear what this newspaper columnist thought of ? Did you know the KATC Michael Doucet theme has an orchestrated version that was put on an album??? (Birmingham News, 1997)

KAMC update in 1985. What's this theme? Graphics elsewhere included some materials also used by WFAA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=Z5LJXRwPIxM;t=939

It appears that Michael Randall composed the unknown theme used by WRC in the mid-80s, at least according to the guy who posted a clean copy of that open (and was obviously involved in WRC promotions during the period). See the comments on It kinda makes sense. I get a real WNEV vibe out of the end even though that theme was not introduced until 1989. The WJW theme that was rolled out in 1985 is also a useful comparison.

It's the Weekend Report from NewsCenter 13...KLBK in Lubbock, from 1983: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcO38Nkw8W8

A We're the Team promo set...for WRC, the original client! Another WRC promo, this time from 1980... "We Can't Wait to Show You!" (You can hear how this tagline was worked into the We're the Team promos.) And the highest-quality cut you'll get of WRC 1986: Did WMAQ ever use this?

His first VO appearance was KFVS, I believe. I've been searching for years. He hasn't done VO work in years and could no longer be with us.

A KPIX news break from their interesting (and pretty) 1990-92 package:

KSTF used to have news programs, later changed to inserts and eventually phased out. So this is not a "new" service historically speaking. Scottsbluff viewers get a KGWN satellite, a KNOP satellite, and a KOTA satellite, plus the Nebraska PBS state network. Fox is not available OTA but KLWY claims Scottsbluff. That is essentially its own market. Yeah, we need a redraw of the DMAs here.

I think it *still has* news. Their program guide lists "St. George News at 8" which appears to be a partnership with this website. Here's a taste: The music is a production track; I heard it on an open from Belize once.

The Yakima fire inspector filed an appeal about a reprimand letter from the city, the South Korean president has been assassinated and 250 Washingtonians are there on a tour, and Ellensburg will get a major clothing manufacturer. That and more in KAPP's Actionews...for October 26, 1979!

Short KTSP morning open from 1992... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=c90oK-kQrpE;t=286

You might have seen this before, but the fact that this John Christopher Burns piece is now known to not actually be from the 1994 WYFF pack (which was just two weeks away from debuting at this point) is interesting. (Also note the older WYFF logo!)

Oh yeah, it was '79. It occurred when Combined Communications sold to Gannett and had to split the radio stations. There's also a cut of It's All Right Here used as background music. A word of warning: there's some loud encoding static in parts. Watch your ears. ——— Also...WTHI in 1988...snooooooze... KVEW's Northwest Nightcast in 1995... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=HfMTNA4IhYw;t=761

Yes it is. A good amount of the article went to describing the new "9 News Now" 5pm newscast (NMSA sample 1) which was geared to women and aired after Oprah. However, the "this year" mentions for KPNX are another nail in the idea of News Station in 1992. So too is the newspaper mention I found that said KPNX changed slogans sometime in April. This is what they were using in 1992 at KPNX (there's also the open in the NMSA, which is my white whale and I've wanted to see it for years):

Speaking of rarities... "WPSD Cares About You", the full image song! The recording is baaaaad, but it's listenable. It's also from 1988! This theme was composed by Dan Steele and Forrest Turner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=quveaqLbLi0;t=201

Straight out of left field, but WTVH 1988 is...Non-Stop!?!?!?!? (Syracuse Herald-American, June 26, 1988) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=8e2ysL77FiE;t=166 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id=29OlXchoU9Y;t=1634 ——— The KCRA 1991 10pm theme is custom and local. Turns out they wanted something different, actually...a theme from a Miami station. (September 16, 1991) I wonder what is being described. Either WSVN's Real News (which had already hit Sacto airwaves by this point on KRBK) or WTVJ's Watch Our Team Work. Someone whip up a resync! ——— Please notify me when we get 1995-era KPLR. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 24, 1995) For searchers: Alspach goes by the name Scott Spock. ——— WHYY's Delaware newscast in 1982 had a theme composed by Ken Rosenberg. (Philadelphia Inquirer, December 22, 1982) ——— WLTV 1985 debuted in 1983. No mention of the composer, but the music is custom. Potential lead: "The new set, "pulse" concept and station identification were created by Media Vision of Miami at a cost of $80,000." ——— WTVQ began using Hello News in 1986. ——— Was Gari ever based in Boston? Or is this something else? The station in question is KWCH, in 1989: (Wichita Eagle October 21, 1989) ——— Who in Atlanta might have been responsible for WPCQ 1988? (Charlotte Observer, April 2, 1988) ——— WWBT was using The Mission in 1990, but it looks like they also had something else going on... (Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 16, 1990) ——— Date: September 7, 1993. Can you guess the station? (Note the "this year" line. News Station indeed debuted in 1993!) ——— Boston Herald, October 18, 1993: ——— The Enforcer package never was used in 1994. Robert Feder, Chicago Sun-Times December 29, 1994: ——— WKJG 1992/93 is local as well: (Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, August 20, 1993) (This cannot be WKJG 1995 which I once heard as a production track on a promo that aired on KMGH in 1993) ——— Not an ID, but this quip about KUSI from 1992 might still apply to KUSI in 2017: -John Freeman, San Diego Union-Tribune