History Eyewitness News

1 history

1.1 pioneered westinghouse
1.2 expansion abc
1.3 outside united states
1.4 united states stations use or have used eyewitness news format or name

history
pioneered westinghouse

the earliest known use of eyewitness news name in american television in april 1959 when kyw-tv - @ time, based in cleveland, ohio , owned westinghouse broadcasting - launched nation s first 90-minute local newscast (under title eyewitness), combined 15-minute national newscast. name adopted use westinghouse s other television stations – kpix in san francisco, california; wjz-tv in baltimore, maryland; wbz-tv in boston, massachusetts , kdka-tv in pittsburgh, pennsylvania – local newscasts.

after kyw-tv call letters, management, , staffers moved cleveland philadelphia, pennsylvania in 1965 (the result of government-ordered reversal of 1956 station swap involving , cleveland s wnbk [the current day wkyc] between westinghouse , nbc) then-news director, al primo, created eyewitness news format. in format, meant faster in pace standard newscast format (in anchor read headlines), reporter in field eyewitness news event anchor in studio , viewer @ home. anchors became personalities instead of presenters introduction of banter, or happy talk named al primo. anchors give own personal comments in between stories let viewers know personalities.

primo used cue 007 1963 film russia love musical theme. format became hit in philadelphia , allowed kyw-tv surge past longtime leader wcau-tv first place, position kept on , off until late 1970s. kyw-tv s success spawned rival station wfil-tv (the current day wpvi) develop action news format compete (after nbc ordered re-assume control of cleveland broadcasting properties in 1965, eyewitness news name left city until wews-tv adopted newscasts in 1970s).

kyw-tv used name , format until 1991 , re-adopted in 1998. 5 major stations owned westinghouse prior 1995 acquisition of cbs have used eyewitness news newscast title @ point in time; kyw-tv , wjz-tv continue so. common theme local newscast since cbs logo shaped eye, although until 1995 kdka-tv , kpix affiliated cbs.

expansion abc

in 1968, primo moved wabc-tv in new york city , took eyewitness news concept there him, choosing music 1967 paul newman film cool hand luke – tar sequence cue (composed lalo schifrin) – theme. however, added new twist @ wabc-tv – light, informal-sounding conversation among anchors between news stories , segments, came known happy talk . among newscasters in first wave of happy talk on wabc-tv young reporter geraldo rivera, comical , entertaining weatherman in tex antoine, , bill beutel , roger grimsby anchormen of contrasting yet complementing styles. wabc-tv has kept name , format since then, , has been highest-rated station in new york city of time.

the format, modified wabc-tv, copied many other stations in united states, 4 other stations owned , operated abc – kabc-tv in los angeles, wls-tv in chicago, wxyz-tv in detroit , kgo-tv in san francisco – using both format , cool hand luke theme (in case of kgo, since kpix using eyewitness news name, kgo titled newscasts channel 7 newsscene in 1969 , 1983 channel 7 news, while wxyz used action news name since rival wjbk-tv using eyewitness news name newscasts; kabc , wls free use eyewitness news name did wabc-tv). ironically, wpvi, developed action news format, abc owned-and-operated station.

in addition, u.s. spanish-language stations use own version of eyewitness news, called noticias de primera plana (headline news, concept translation in spanish of eyewitness news) on owned-and-operated stations of spanish networks.

a separate, unrelated, eyewitness news format developed irv weinstein in buffalo, new york wkbw-tv. format based not on original eyewitness news (though used same logo; in actuality, modified version of it) rather on action news format of sister stations in capital cities communications stable. while based on action news s brief , numerous reports, weinstein built eyewitness news newscast around attention-grabbing catchphrases , alliterative headlines, along occasional wisecracking or sarcastic one-liners day s news stories.

this version of eyewitness news used on wkbw other capital cities stations action news name in use station, such wtvd in durham, north carolina. used on few stations not owned capital cities, including wokr (now wham-tv) in rochester, new york.

outside united states

in mexico , other hispanic american countries during 1970s , 1980s, local newscasts used eyewitness news format, under names noticias de primera plana (headline news) , noticias de acción (action news).

the title used in canada, on ctv affiliate cfrn-tv in edmonton.

in indonesia, metro tv branded newscasts iwitness, , abbreviated eyewitness. has since become 1 of featured segments on daytime news program wide shot.

in australia, btq-7 in brisbane adopted eyewitness news branding in 1970s. branding employed nws-9 in adelaide evening newscast. ten-10 in sydney , atv-0 in melbourne, principal stations of network ten, adopted eyewitness news branding in mid-1970s , later adopted other stations in network ten group (sas-10 (later sas-7) in 1976 , tvq-0 (later tvq-10) in 1978) btq-7 , nws-9 later relinquished brand. regional affiliates network ten including ctc-7 in canberra (ten capital eyewitness news, formerly capital 7 eyewitness news, capital television eyewitness news , ten national news), southern cross network in victoria (southern cross/tv8 eyewitness news formerly tv8 newshour), , qtv in townsville (qtv eyewitness news , later ten north queensland eyewitness news), used eyewitness news name. australian version of eyewitness news more closely resembled weinstein s version original format, became 1 of ratings winners in 1980s due one-hour duration unlike other newscasts. network ten dropped use of eyewitness news name in september 1988 (but retained in brisbane until october 31, 1988 on tvq-10) later reinstated in july 1989 6 months, , again in january 1991 4 more years, time using present logo. network ten reinstated eyewitness news branding once again on september 16, 2013.

in south africa, eyewitness news used eyewitness news, located in johannesburg , in cape town. used talk radio 702 , 94.7 highveld stereo in gauteng, 567 capetalk , 94.5 kfm in cape town.

united states stations use or have used eyewitness news format or name

indicates station owned westinghouse broadcasting , owned-and-operated cbs
indicates station owned-and-operated abc