"EarWitness News"

[10Viewer 334]

The package used by KOVR in the late '80s and KTVT and KOLO has been ID'd as "EarWitness News" by Lars Clutterham.

 

Great package! Sadly only used from 1987-89 at KOVR.

[TServo2049 81]

I'm the one who got the info and clear cuts from Mr. Clutterham. I contacted him after finding the registration record for the package in the U.S. Copyright Office. And you're right, it is a great package.

[CircleSeven 1955]

The music almost has a style of Craig Palmer (of Tuesday Productions/Network Music fame). Very Superb. I wish more folks can make good quality music like this. Sadly we have to deal with themes that has that soft rock element.

[TexasTVNews 1377]

Here's the link to the theme on SouthernMedia.

http://southernmedia-nmsa.com/#3,1,925

[TServo2049 81]

I think this was done in San Diego, so the Tuesday comparison would be apt. I believe Lars Clutterham composed for Tuesday and Network Music, then he left to join Silvertree Inc. with Bo Donovan, and then he forged out on his own, which is when he did this package.

 

Going off on a tangent, Silvertree is an enigma in itself. They used to have a website with a news music sampler, I think NMSA identified one theme out of that sampler, but many more unknown themes have been added to the database over the years. Some of them might have been in that sampler, but nobody caught them because they weren't in the NMSA yet, or no recordings had surfaced anywhere that matched up with the samples. (This was before YouTube, after all.)

 

Now, the site no longer exists, Silvertree is defunct and Bo Donovan is no longer with us. Their old site is backed up on Internet Archive (including a list of their past client stations), but not the audio files. Did anybody here maybe save that Silvertree music sampler?

[Ntropolis 596]

Going off on a tangent, Silvertree is an enigma in itself. They used to have a website with a news music sampler, I think NMSA identified one theme out of that sampler, but many more unknown themes have been added to the database over the years. Some of them might have been in that sampler, but nobody caught them because they weren't in the NMSA yet, or no recordings had surfaced anywhere that matched up with the samples. (This was before YouTube, after all.)

 

Now, the site no longer exists, Silvertree is defunct and Bo Donovan is no longer with us. Their old site is backed up on Internet Archive (including a list of their past client stations), but not the audio files. Did anybody here maybe save that Silvertree music sampler?

http://web.archive.org/web/20010408013556/http://silvertreeproduces.com/client_list.html#tvstations

 

I see WDAF and WWTV are both listed there... maybe Silvertree did the "WDAF 1989 News Theme." A WWTV/WWUP open with that theme recently surfaced on YouTube prompting the NMSA entry for that... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGTRVtkujlM. Just a hunch.

 

Also, KFMB, WBOY, and CFPL... all stations that used the "KFMB 1992 News Theme."

[TServo2049 81]

I have the same hunches as you. Also, WFTV and WQAD may be "WFTV 1987 News Theme". (WFTV wouldn't be referring to "WFTV 1988 News Theme", that was written by Rob Barrett while he was at The Coast, before he founded Third Street Music.)

 

Unfortunately, I have no solid proof for any of these. That's why I was wondering if anyone saved the music sampler back when.

[10Viewer 334]

This is great information.

 

Maybe Silvertree did the "KPNX 1986 News Theme"?

 

I see WXFL listed, but I have been under the assumption that the "Spirit of Tampa Bay" theme was a Collier Concepts theme.

[TServo2049 81]

Silvertree's work for some of those stations might not have been related to news at all. If nobody saved that news music sampler MP3, we may never know.

 

If it wasn't "The Spirit of Tampa Bay", I can't think of anything else news-related from the WXFL era that's left to ID. And Silvertree started in 1984, but I thought "The Spirit of Tampa Bay" started in 1982 when Channel 8 was still WFLA. (And speaking of that package, you said you knew "for a fact" that Collier Concepts did the "Newswatching out for you" promos which have a very similar melody. It's not that I don't believe you, I am just curious to know how you found that out.)

[10Viewer 334]

Well, the "Newswatching Out for You" promos are basically the same style as "The One to Watch" promos done for WDVM, WAGA, KNXT. Same V/O guy, too.

[Samantha 2895]

Well, I'll just leave the KPNX 1986 theme's open and image song here for you to look at. These are from one custom package probably titled "We're Going Where You're Going"—the image song's melody is in the news theme as well. I can see where this is Silvertree now after listening to all of the elements again.

 

Image song:

 

Main open:

 

10pm open:

(the cut is slightly different esp. at 2:03 and 2:15)

 

The NMSA has the 30-second close as the theme's sample. The close particularly reflects the melodic influence of the image song across the package.

 

What's baffling me is that KXLN entry for this theme. Given that this package is so heavily tied to an English-language image song I don't know how well that would have gone over. In addition their news department began in 1988 with only primetime updates. I highly suspect they didn't use the package, but I can't be sure of anything especially with a Spanish-language station.

 

On an unrelated note, that WCPO newscast from December 1986 appears to be using a custom package from Jay Gilbert Productions. Jay Gilbert was also a radio DJ on WEBN around that time period (starting in 1974 and going on). The company started up in 1983 (source: US Copyright Office, Cincinnati Magazine). I've also managed to find a composer for the WPSD 1992 News Theme, which dates to 1989 (ridiculously obscure composers) and is actually called—surprise!—"WPSD Cares About You". Here's what I wrote two years ago on the video for this theme:

 

"This WPSD Cares About You era was definitely in by January 1990 but I'd say likely started 1989 or 1988."

 

I was right.

[sfomspphl 490]

I think this was done in San Diego, so the Tuesday comparison would be apt. I believe Lars Clutterham composed for Tuesday and Network Music, then he left to join Silvertree Inc. with Bo Donovan, and then he forged out on his own, which is when he did this package.

 

Going off on a tangent, Silvertree is an enigma in itself. They used to have a website with a news music sampler, I think NMSA identified one theme out of that sampler, but many more unknown themes have been added to the database over the years. Some of them might have been in that sampler, but nobody caught them because they weren't in the NMSA yet, or no recordings had surfaced anywhere that matched up with the samples. (This was before YouTube, after all.)

 

Now, the site no longer exists, Silvertree is defunct and Bo Donovan is no longer with us. Their old site is backed up on Internet Archive (including a list of their past client stations), but not the audio files. Did anybody here maybe save that Silvertree music sampler?

Didn't realize Bo passed away. About 8 years ago I managed to get a CD with many of the KNTV 'Do you know the way to San Jose' cuts on it in order to sample for a corporate project. Had to return it to him as part of the agreement - there was sensitivity around the Dionne Warwick license - but lost my electronic versions of the files.

 

Wonder if Lars has it anywhere, would be a shame if that package completely disappeared.