Jess 1110 Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Thought this'd be fun for a change. We've all seen the new studio many times already, so let's look at the one they just left. Actually, let's look at every set they had in the one they just left. Considering how long they typically go between set changes, it's a hell of a lot easier than you think. So let's transport back to 1979. Construction is complete on 7 Lincoln Square, the new home of WABC-TV. This is how their new digs looked back then: This capture was from the brief period where they anchored "direct from the Eyewitness Newsroom" until their new studio was ready. In late 1979, this new, state of the art set was introduced: The large "Eyewitness News" logo was perfect for opens - and frequently used as the newscast opening graphic during this period. The large TV wasn't a permanent part of this set and could be removed when not needed. This is another logo zoomout, from early 1981. This one shows the weather area, and the stick-on map. In addition to the main desk, there are two auxiliary desks. Reporters frequently used these to introduce their stories; this is before live shots were a common thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted September 26, 2011 Author Share Posted September 26, 2011 Part two... Identical logos were placed on both sides of the set, and both were used for the zoom outs. This gave the set some nice symmetry. Another crowded group shot, with Joe Witte at the weather board. The chroma key is now in place, a two-toned circle 7 to give it some color. It was a layer in front of the map, which the weatherperson would then roll back to reveal the map. Early in 1981, the set was modified to include a giant backlit circle 7 and the opens were redone accordingly to a wide shot of the set. Not as effective, as it fails to capture the neat perspectives you get when showing it from an angle. Moreover, the circle 7's backlighting affected the main backdrop, causing this weird undesirable orangeish effect. Also couldn't resist a chance to show off Ernie Anastos' mighty 1980s afro. I got more interesting stuff on the way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceManNYR 223 Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 At one time on YouTube was a clip from WABC 1979 where they talked about the new studio and showed a time lapse video of it being built. Am I'm correct that the old WABC studio, before the move to 7 Lincoln Square in 1979, used to be at the corner where the current new studio is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nynewslover 269 Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 hows this for a flashback? http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/International/usa/wabc.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRAP-TV 145 Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 hows this for a flashback? http://www2.tv-ark.o...l/usa/wabc.html Yeah, I would say that that's pretty comprehensive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvknowledge 5 Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Incredible memories. Thanks for posting Hulkie. I don't think anything can come close these days to the likes of hanging out with Grimsby between shows. And there was never more of a gentleman than Beutel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 Incredible memories. Thanks for posting Hulkie. I don't think anything can come close these days to the likes of hanging out with Grimsby between shows. And there was never more of a gentleman than Beutel I wasn't old enough, nor close enough (being a Philly native) to see them in their heyday. But I have had the pleasure of seeing full newscasts, and I can say with near-certainty that there was never a better anchor pairing than Roger and Bill. At any station. Past or present. There's a chemistry there, between the rough and sarcastic Grimsby and the butter smooth Bill Beutel that I can only describe as akin to Siskel and Ebert or Kornheiser and Wilbon. They didn't argue or debate on air, but there's kind of that same sense that they're simultaneously good friends and fierce rivals. Thanks guys for responding and liking this... I'm working on the next set and I'll have that up tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 Part 2 - 1982-1985 The 1979 set was replaced in 1982, after just over three years of use. In that time, the set had gone from nice looking to dated, and there's a good reason for that: News 4 New York. Their warmer control room set is still one of the finest news sets ever constructed, with its swooping curves, unconventional use of light and shadow, and tight close ups. Additionally, WCBS introduced a set that, while not as dramatic, reflected the more modern look of News 4. Thus, WABC introduced a new set that kind of goes halfway between the old beige set and the News 4 set. And here is that set. I kind of like it because there's no right angle to be seen, but it's all a collection of curves put together. Still beige, but the background isn't exactly flat - along with the curviness of the design, there's also quite a bit of rim lighting lifted straight from News 4 New York. Television sets are still part of this design, but notice that this one is broadcasting only a blue image. To aid in readability, the image is actually chroma-keyed onto the actual television set. This is before they invented flat panels, so anything shot from a CRT would have to be specially adjusted to look right... and even then there's that trademark blue tint. Reporter side desks are again part of this design, but this time they're integrated into the actual desk itself. As you'll see, this set can - and often did - fit quite a few people. There's one more feature to this design - the back of the anchor platform has a ring of both fake and real "screens", with EWN and circle 7 logos. Coming up... the rest of the 1982 set tour, and then they apply a lick of paint... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Newsroom 1151 Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Hey Hulkie, since you made a set retrospective on WABC, can you make one for WPVI (since we both are from Philly and have a love for Action News) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad 276 Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I really appreciate this Hulkie! Thanks for posting this looking forward to seeing the 90s retrospective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 Hey Hulkie, since you made a set retrospective on WABC, can you make one for WPVI (since we both are from Philly and have a love for Action News) ? While I've always been a fan of WPVI, I honestly can't think of another station with a less interesting set history. From the 1970s until 1993, WPVI's set was little more than a desk placed in front of a blue chroma key wall. The only changes of note were to the magnetic weather boards. Even after they got a real set, it was still heavily based on chroma key, and when they finally ditched that in 1998 they managed to do that with a less interesting set. I'm not planning to go beyond the NYC stations yet, but if I do head to Philly, I'll probably do the other stations first. I really appreciate this Hulkie! Thanks for posting this looking forward to seeing the 90s retrospective. You won't have too long to wait! After I get through the 1982 set and its repaint, there's only about four sets to go - two of which were used through the 90s. So you'll see it very soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess 1110 Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 Set 2 (1982-85) Part 2 So you've seen the main set area, but there's a LOT more to this set than meets the eye. First up, a shot of the set I couldn't get in the last one: An open to the 5:00 Eyewitness News from '84. This shows off a little more of the right side of the set, which contains the weather wall. Like before, there are removable panels, but the circle-7 decoration is on the non-decorative part. While the chroma wall is a section of the set, shots are framed so that the corners aren't visible. There's also no physical map this go-round. You might also wonder why Kaity Tong and Kate Kelly are waving - that's because Tom Snyder wheeled his anchor chair out of view! There's more to the weather center, only seen on the 5pm. This is actually kind of pioneering - I think every weather center has a physical screen now, but in 1985 this was pretty advanced. Yes, that's Ira Joe Fisher here, and he's about to segue into another 5pm weather bit. That being magic marker weather. A screen is put in front of Ira Joe and he draws the map temps and conditions on it - there's another piece of glass to the left of this where he can write the temperature! Very interesting and archaic, but cool. They also had, get this, a dedicated interview set. Not very well constructed, either - the wood stripes appear to be curtains, and they visibly wave through this segment. Also, note the recycled Circle-7 from the old set. Yes, that's Kelly McGillis. Remember, this was when Live at 5 ruled with celebrity interviews. Plus, WABC had a reason to do these sorts of things - you can't waste one of the great interviewers of our time. Last one, and best one. Tom Snyder and Kaity Tong say goodbye as the camera pans out to reveal Roger and Bill, already at the desk in front of them. This is a cool shot, and I don't know if the distance between them and the 6pm anchors is that great, but it's a cool effect. Next Up: Some paint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey 779 Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Wow, Ira Joe and the map he draws on! He did that for years when he was on CBS and did The Saturday Early Show... I had no idea it was retro! He was quite the artist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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