Classic Video Thread (pre-2008)

[ChesapeakeTV 311]

 

I don't recall seeing this KREM 1985 close, either:

 

I've got a theme ID - the first portion of "Open Country Joy" by Mahavishnu Orchestra.

 

More fresh KREM stuff:

 

A 1995 promo with Brave New World and TVbD/jcbD type graphics (leaning towards the latter given his work for KGW and KTVB):

 

1985 - a new open and a new theme:

 

Also from 1985, NewsCenter II/We're The Team pops up. This must have been right before they dumped it:

 

Their unknown 1987 theme makes an appearance:

 

1990 newsbreak - the theme doesn't sound like PNP in the least:

 

By 1991, though, they were definitely using PNP:

 

And a non-news clip - a Cinema 2 open from 1991 with Network's "Ultimate Quest":

[Samantha 2895]

Crommy's return means we're going to be seeing lots and lots and lots of Spokane stuff. I've seen a lot of it (he pulled all his videos because of something with YT, voluntarily I believe) but there's also new stuff that's being added. He also has KXLY and KHQ stuff too, but he seems to be uploading things thematically and alphabetically. One of the first big things I recall him uploading was a KAYU (!) 1991 open when KREM produced their news — it was one of the first news shares of its kind in the country and I believe the first in the western US, but it only lasted a year.

 

The 1995 stuff is John Christopher Burns. He had it before he decided to remove all his videos. It's a weird chopped-up version of the news open and graphic elements from that period.

 

KREM went through a lot of themes and looks fairly quickly. They even commissioned one and it lasted a year. For that matter, KHQ seems like it really got confused in the 90s. Network Music tracks, Non-Stop, themes that are out of order in the NMSA, and I even think there's a misclassified theme.

 

When the KHQ 1993 open reappears (it's a candidate for "worst news open"), that'll be awesome.

[WWUpdate 1292]

In memory of former Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne, who died on Friday, here's WLS's 10 p.m. news from 1983:

 

[WWUpdate 1292]

 

 

1985 - a new open and a new theme:

 

 

This theme is based on "Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity" from "The Planets" by Gustav Holst:

[Samantha 2895]

 

This theme is based on "Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity" from "The Planets" by Gustav Holst:

 

It was actually used in South Korea, too — it's in one of the "World News Openings" collections.

[WWUpdate 1292]

 

It was actually used in South Korea, too — it's in one of the "World News Openings" collections.

 

Here it is: http://youtu.be/NCqBpdxL3Sw?t=8m13s

 

Also note that the animated sequence at the beginning of that open is from the CBS Evening News open of the early '80s.

[Samantha 2895]

And more specifically, it's Isao Tomita's synth version:

[TServo2049 81]

According to NMSA, KTVI also used this in the late 70s - though NMSA has always had it mislabeled as "Jupiter, Saturn: Hoist the Planets". ("Saturn" doesn't sound like a news theme to me, and "Hoist the Planets" is obviously a corruption of "Holst's 'The Planets'")

[Samantha 2895]

Back to Rockford, where we have a full WREX newscast from August 13, 1995, the last day of the station's ABC affiliation:

 

 

WREX lost ABC because of spite when Quincy Newspapers bought it. Quincy had jettisoned ABC for Fox in South Bend (a move influenced by the large NFC football audience in the market). ABC responded by yanking its affiliation from Quincy's acquisition in Rockford and giving it to WTVO.

 

After Quincy came in, WREX was overhauled. Here are some news promos from 1996 that show the new set, graphics and image for the station.

 

[Samantha 2895]

Never seen this WITI open before, from 1990:

[WWUpdate 1292]

KPNX, Phoenix, AZ; news promo, 1980:

 

 

KTAR (now KPNX), Phoenix, AZ; a special 4:30 p.m. edition of the news before the World Series, 1978:

 

[TheOneManHerd 553]

 

Never seen this WITI open before, from 1990:

 

I guess you havent seen this yet:

[WWUpdate 1292]

WLS, Chicago; 10 p.m., 1987:

 

[Samantha 2895]

You can't get enough Spokane right now, and today Crommy (who has been restoring his content in alphabetical order) hit the "K"s:

 

KXLY:

(one of the worst Turn To adaptations ever)

(with Making the Northwest Difference, Wave I)

1998 5pm open, Counterpoint

 

KHQ:

 

There is also Seattle material, but it's mostly stuff we've all seen.

[radioinsomnia 0]

 

Back to Rockford, where we have a full WREX newscast from August 13, 1995, the last day of the station's ABC affiliation:

 

 

WREX lost ABC because of spite when Quincy Newspapers bought it. Quincy had jettisoned ABC for Fox in South Bend (a move influenced by the large NFC football audience in the market). ABC responded by yanking its affiliation from Quincy's acquisition in Rockford and giving it to WTVO.

 

After Quincy came in, WREX was overhauled. Here are some news promos from 1996 that show the new set, graphics and image for the station.

 

 

Man, you sure did find my videos quickly! Glad they're being enjoyed. And I learned something from you about the affiliate swap. I had bought into the PR about Quincy "having a long relationship with NBC" and assumed it was Quincy that had pulled the plug on ABC.

 

I also appreciate the links to the WIFR and WTVO videos from the early '90s. That's the first WIFR material I've seen on YouTube from that era.

[WWUpdate 1292]

WFLD, Chicago; 9 p.m., 1997:

 

 

And a revised look from later that year:

 

WGN, Chicago; 9 p.m., 1991:

 

[WXmanTim 88]

And a revised look from later that year:

Did WFLD only run this open on nights WGN had a baseball game that pushed their news back?

[24994J 5577]

 

Did WFLD only run this open on nights WGN had a baseball game that pushed their news back?

 

Yup, and Bulls games, too. So it was pretty much year-round.

[Samantha 2895]

 

Man, you sure did find my videos quickly! Glad they're being enjoyed. And I learned something from you about the affiliate swap. I had bought into the PR about Quincy "having a long relationship with NBC" and assumed it was Quincy that had pulled the plug on ABC.

 

I also appreciate the links to the WIFR and WTVO videos from the early '90s. That's the first WIFR material I've seen on YouTube from that era.

 

I get the sense that Quincy really poured long-needed money into WREX. The station's image right before the switch seemed really dated and not terribly well-made, particularly their set. The owner was Marty Pompadur, who owned nine stations and sold them all to different owners (other holdings: WTWO, WRBL, KATC, KQTV).

 

As to what was said, here is a quote from an article mentioning the sale:

 

 

Quincy Newspapers, which just happened to have dropped ABC for Fox its South Bend, Ind., station WSJV, has agreed to buy WREX. Some have speculated that the move by ABC was retaliatory in nature. However, the swap suits all the companies involved. Except for WSJV, all of Quincy's other stations are NBC affiliates. Last year Young Broadcasting, which owns WTVO, received a cash infusion from ABC as part of its purchase of three ABC affiliates. When the swap is completed, Young will have six ABC affiliates and three CBS. Although one station is a UHF and the other a VHF, the two are very close in the ratings. In February's Nielsen book both earned a 6 sign-on-to-sign-off rating, but in share WREX with a 17 edged out WTVO's 16. WTVO, though, wins out in the local news ratings race. [Mediaweek 6/5/95: 26]

ABC characterized the move as "a business decision on our part". Sounds a bit more like a network homogenization deal for Young—extremely common in the period, though I wouldn't doubt some spite played into it.

 

For your trouble, an excellent WABC story promo from 1987 (the channel has a few more in this style):

 

Also, I've made a connection that WIFR and KDLH were indeed sisters under Stauffer. KHQA was also a Stauffer station and used the The Coast PYCCO theme. (A similar connection exists for KKTV and WOWT, which used the same midday news theme in the early 90s).

[sanewsguy 511]

 

I get the sense that Quincy really poured long-needed money into WREX. The station's image right before the switch seemed really dated and not terribly well-made, particularly their set. The owner was Marty Pompadur, who owned nine stations and sold them all to different owners (other holdings: WTWO, WRBL, KATC, KQTV)

 

As to what was said, here is a quote from an article mentioning the sale:

 

 

ABC characterized the move as "a business decision on our part". Sounds a bit more like a network homogenization deal for Young—extremely common in the period, though I wouldn't doubt some spite played into it.

 

For your trouble, an excellent WABC story promo from 1987 (the channel has a few more in this style):

 

Also, I've made a connection that WIFR and KDLH were indeed sisters under Benedek. KHQA was also a Benedek station and used the The Coast PYCCO theme. (A similar connection exists for KKTV and WOWT, which used the same midday news theme in the early 90s).

 

QNI must have made up with ABC by 2001 when they bought the Shockley group. Also, where's the 1991-1999 dates for WIFR using the PYCCO theme coming from? I highly doubt they rode that theme well into the 1990's....

[WWUpdate 1292]

WMAQ, Chicago; 10 p.m., 1997 -- a few weeks before the Springer/Magers/Marin debacle:

 

[radioinsomnia 0]

 

QNI must have made up with ABC by 2001 when they bought the Shockley group. Also, where's the 1991-1999 dates for WIFR using the PYCCO theme coming from? I highly doubt they rode that theme well into the 1990's....

 

I submitted those dates, which come from knowing staffers, possession of letterhead, and personal memory. I believe someone else submitted the start date of 1999 for Advantage, and I remember there was nothing between PYCCO and Advantage. They kept PYCCO for a lot longer than one might expect, but I am not 100% certain on 1999 - it could have been 1998.

 

April 1991 was the switch from an '80s set, that '70s TV set logo and "Move Closer To Your World" to "People You Can Count On." They kept PYCCO until they did a long overdue update of their set and graphics in the late '90s. The new logo included the text "People You Can Count On" even though they'd dumped the theme. Honestly, I would love to find proof and confirm the dates.

[sanewsguy 511]

 

I submitted those dates, which come from knowing staffers, possession of letterhead, and personal memory. I believe someone else submitted the start date of 1999 for Advantage, and I remember there was nothing between PYCCO and Advantage. They kept PYCCO for a lot longer than one might expect, but I am not 100% certain on 1999 - it could have been 1998.

 

April 1991 was the switch from an '80s set, that '70s TV set logo and "Move Closer To Your World" to "People You Can Count On." They kept PYCCO until they did a long overdue update of their set and graphics in the late '90s. The new logo included the text "People You Can Count On" even though they'd dumped the theme. Honestly, I would love to find proof and confirm the dates.

 

Holy crap, they really rode MCTYW into the early 90's? Damn... (yes I know about WPVI and WKBW but I kind of consider them in a different class)

 

It might be 1998 because they had their current "23" by then. And they rode that slogan well into the mid-2000's. You would probably know better than me but I think they ditched the slogan the same time they went HD (for "The Next Generation of News").

 

WIFR has always seemed to have an outdated feel to them. They never got the stock Gray set. Their current set

. It's kinda hard to watch their newscast honestly because the set so obviously wasn't designed for HD which severely limits the shots they can do...

[Samantha 2895]

 

I submitted those dates, which come from knowing staffers, possession of letterhead, and personal memory. I believe someone else submitted the start date of 1999 for Advantage, and I remember there was nothing between PYCCO and Advantage. They kept PYCCO for a lot longer than one might expect, but I am not 100% certain on 1999 - it could have been 1998.

 

April 1991 was the switch from an '80s set, that '70s TV set logo and "Move Closer To Your World" to "People You Can Count On." They kept PYCCO until they did a long overdue update of their set and graphics in the late '90s. The new logo included the text "People You Can Count On" even though they'd dumped the theme. Honestly, I would love to find proof and confirm the dates.

 

KDLH looked pretty meh until 1991, too. The WIFR set, music and logo match KDLH's perfectly from that era (except with the 3 replaced by 23).

[cbs2newengland 72]

 

WMAQ, Chicago; 10 p.m., 1997 -- a few weeks before the Springer/Magers/Marin debacle:

 

 

where was that set? I thought they had the newsroom? I think that time they had the SBS blue colored paint/decal for the newsroom. Apparently CNBC wasn't the first to introduce such dark and depressing newsplex color schemes.