pop tunes that were used as news openings

[leach]

This morning on my way to work I heard on the radio the 1968 Mason Williams tune "Classical Gas". The announcer on the air mentioned how back in the 1970's Baltimore's WBAL-TV 11 used that song to open their old "Action News" newscasts. I know Orlando's channel 9 used the same song to open their "Eyewitness News" back in the 70's. Any other stations used this same song to open their newscasts. Any other examples of local TV stations using popular tunes to open their news?

A friend of mine tells me that many years ago, Richmond's WTVR-TV 6 used the Who's "Who Are You" to open their news.

The name of the city and station escapes me at the moment but I am pretty sure there was a station somewhere many years back who used the old Outsiders tune "Time Won't Let Me" to open their news with.

 

[ClearThinker]

> This morning on my way to work I heard on the radio the 1968
> Mason Williams tune "Classical Gas". The announcer on the
> air mentioned how back in the 1970's Baltimore's WBAL-TV 11
> used that song to open their old "Action News" newscasts. I
> know Orlando's channel 9 used the same song to open their
> "Eyewitness News" back in the 70's. Any other stations used
> this same song to open their newscasts. Any other examples
> of local TV stations using popular tunes to open their news?
>
>
> A friend of mine tells me that many years ago, Richmond's
> WTVR-TV 6 used the Who's "Who Are You" to open their news.
>
> The name of the city and station escapes me at the moment
> but I am pretty sure there was a station somewhere many
> years back who used the old Outsiders tune "Time Won't Let
> Me" to open their news with.
>

Classical Gas was used by many many stations. WNEP in Scranton used it, and I would suspect anyone using the same consultant had it too.

 

[ccmfan]

> > This morning on my way to work I heard on the radio the
> 1968
> > Mason Williams tune "Classical Gas". The announcer on the
>
> > air mentioned how back in the 1970's Baltimore's WBAL-TV
> 11
> > used that song to open their old "Action News" newscasts.
> I
> > know Orlando's channel 9 used the same song to open their
> > "Eyewitness News" back in the 70's. Any other stations
> used
> > this same song to open their newscasts. Any other examples
>
> > of local TV stations using popular tunes to open their
> news?
> >
> >
> > A friend of mine tells me that many years ago, Richmond's
> > WTVR-TV 6 used the Who's "Who Are You" to open their news.
>
> >
> > The name of the city and station escapes me at the moment
> > but I am pretty sure there was a station somewhere many
> > years back who used the old Outsiders tune "Time Won't Let
>
> > Me" to open their news with.
> >
>
> Classical Gas was used by many many stations. WNEP in
> Scranton used it, and I would suspect anyone using the same
> consultant had it too.
>

I can't remember the exact period other than it being in the 70's or 80's, but WMC 5 in Memphis used to use the instrumental portion of the theme from Shaft. Isaac Hayes is from the Memphis area, so that was the reason why.

 

[bpatrick]

> > > This morning on my way to work I heard on the radio the
> > 1968
> > > Mason Williams tune "Classical Gas". The announcer on
> the
> >
> > > air mentioned how back in the 1970's Baltimore's WBAL-TV
>
> > 11
> > > used that song to open their old "Action News"
> newscasts.
> > I
> > > know Orlando's channel 9 used the same song to open
> their
> > > "Eyewitness News" back in the 70's. Any other stations
> > used
> > > this same song to open their newscasts. Any other
> examples
> >
> > > of local TV stations using popular tunes to open their
> > news?
> > >
> > >
> > > A friend of mine tells me that many years ago,
> Richmond's
> > > WTVR-TV 6 used the Who's "Who Are You" to open their
> news.
> >
> > >
> > > The name of the city and station escapes me at the
> moment
> > > but I am pretty sure there was a station somewhere many
> > > years back who used the old Outsiders tune "Time Won't
> Let
> >
> > > Me" to open their news with.
> > >
> >
> > Classical Gas was used by many many stations. WNEP in
> > Scranton used it, and I would suspect anyone using the
> same
> > consultant had it too.
> >
>
> I can't remember the exact period other than it being in the
> 70's or 80's, but WMC 5 in Memphis used to use the
> instrumental portion of the theme from Shaft. Isaac Hayes is
> from the Memphis area, so that was the reason why.
>
I remember one by a jazz artist: "Farandole" by pianist Bob James
(who did the "Taxi" theme song), used on KMOL (now WOAI)/4 San
Antonio in 1977.

 

[KMRichards]

There were a number of stations in the 70s who used "Get It On" by the jazz-rock fusion group Chase as a news theme. The stinger at the end was great!
<P ID="signature">______________


</P>

 

[DrBear]

I know WISN-Milwaukee and WNDU-South Bend used Classical Gas as openings, and that WFRV-Green Bay used the fanfare at the end of Shaft.

I also remember reading of one station that used the instrumental break from Donna Summer's I Feel Love.

And for what it's worth, Howard Cosell's Sports Magazine used the end of ELO's Mr. Blue Sky for a while.

 

[rugrats1]

> I also remember reading of one station that used the
> instrumental break from Donna Summer's I Feel Love.
>
I recall WEYI ch.25 in Saginaw using that for their news theme in the late-1970s.

 

[toby]

WPIX used Barry White's "Love's Theme" back in the Action News days.<P ID="signature">______________
WCBS = We're Crazy Buffoons and Schmucks
<a href=http://chuck.spotteddogs.org/tv/>Spotted Dog TV Talk - for all your non-news TV Talk</a></P>

 

[rugrats1]

> WPIX used Barry White's "Love's Theme" back in the Action
> News days.
>

Though, as I read, it was only used at the end of Friday's newscasts.

 

[TheREALJM1]

WUTR-TV20 in Utica used Birdland by Weather Report and some Jethro Tull (forget which tune) for a while as news themes in the 1970's. They,also, used Love's Theme for a musical ID.

 

[Keith_Lake]

WNCT-TV 9 In Greenville NC used "Fire On High" by the Electric Light Orchestra for a while in the early 1980s.

KL

<a href="http://home.nc.rr.com/gttyson/lastradio.html">The Last Radio Station<a>

 

[CrankyYankee]

A tune from "Thunderball" was used by WBZ-TV in the mid 60's(?).
I want to say it was "Street Chase" but I can't seem to find the right reference.
<P ID="signature">______________
"Be seeing you..."</P>

 

[ccmfan]

> WNCT-TV 9 In Greenville NC used "Fire On High" by the
> Electric Light Orchestra for a while in the early 1980s.
>
> KL
>
> The Last Radio Station
>

I can also remember WMC in Memphis using a George Benson instrumental during stock market reports before going into ads, but I can't remember what the title was.

Also, the Weather Channel has a list of the songs they use during local forecasts at http://www.weather.com/aboutus/television/music/

 

[southernboy_404]

> A tune from "Thunderball" was used by WBZ-TV in the mid
> 60's(?).
> I want to say it was "Street Chase" but I can't seem to find
> the right reference.
>
When WGCL(CBS46-Atlanta) was going through their identity crisis as "Clear News" in 2001, they used the song I Can See Clearly Now by Dreamscape Music for their broadcasts.. IMO it was the best I have heard from them..

Here's a link if you want to hear it.. http://www.southernmedia-nmsa.com/search.php?search=3,1,543

 

[mjlarochelle]

WKYC in Cleveland also used Classical Gas. See listing of all stations that used that theme at http://www.southernmedia-nmsa.com/search.php?search=3,1,222

WDIV in Detroit used a number of pop tunes, including Baba O'Riley (The Who), as well as Fooling Yourself and Grand Illusion, both by Styx.

The "Rocky Theme", as performed by Maynard Ferguson, was used on WAAY in Huntsville, Alabama; WMT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and CITY-TV in Toronto, Ontario. CITY used the theme from 1977-1990, while WAAY only used it from 1979-82.

The best one there was though was up in Canada, for CTV's "W5" - they used the keyboard part of Supertramp's "Fool's Overture". My favourite theme ever.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by mjlarochelle on 07/13/05 02:40 AM.</FONT></P>

 

[Calgaryperson]

> This morning on my way to work I heard on the radio the 1968
> Mason Williams tune "Classical Gas". The announcer on the
> air mentioned how back in the 1970's Baltimore's WBAL-TV 11
> used that song to open their old "Action News" newscasts. I
> know Orlando's channel 9 used the same song to open their
> "Eyewitness News" back in the 70's. Any other stations used
> this same song to open their newscasts. Any other examples
> of local TV stations using popular tunes to open their news?
>
>
> A friend of mine tells me that many years ago, Richmond's
> WTVR-TV 6 used the Who's "Who Are You" to open their news.
>
> The name of the city and station escapes me at the moment
> but I am pretty sure there was a station somewhere many
> years back who used the old Outsiders tune "Time Won't Let
> Me" to open their news with.
>
KHQ-TV/6 in Spokane sometimes use old rock/pop tunes during it's morning news at various junctions. They use it when showing lunch menus for area schools or during a community calendar segment. They also use their news theme.<P ID="signature">______________

Canada TV and College Radio</P>

 

[dampier]

> I can also remember WMC in Memphis using a George Benson
> instrumental during stock market reports before going into
> ads, but I can't remember what the title was.

I'll bet it was Breezin'. That song, in addition to being a staple of beautiful music stations, turned up everywhere.

> Also, the Weather Channel has a list of the songs they use
> during local forecasts at
> http://www.weather.com/aboutus/television/music/

Ah the derided "weather channel jazz music." "The intensity is represented by the color code at the top of your screen." They raped the GRP catalog for more than half of their songs in the late 80s.

Here in Rochester, Chuck Mangione (a native) often turned up, especially in morning shows.

 

[ixnay]

> [ B ]ack in the 1970's Baltimore's WBAL-TV 11
> used ["Classical Gas"] to open their old "Action News" newscasts.

WBAL's "Gas" opening began with a visual legal shown to an announcerless kettledrumroll. Then they would launch into a synthesizer version of "Gas" as the camera pulled back to show the legal ID graphic on a monitor in the WBAL control room, then the standard quick cut montage of Baltimore images (including an aerial shot of Memorial Stadium during a Colts game), then an aerial shot of the WBAL building next to the Jones Falls Expressway, then "ACTION NEWS", appearing 1 letter at a time, in the font that NBC (WBAL's network) was using for its own "NBC Nightly News" opening graphic at the time (as well as the Peacock's sports logo).

It's amazing the things a 14 year old from the Philadelphia area (me) can discover while staying at his great aunt's in Anne Arundel County on Labor Day weekend 1975.

WBAL's current news theme, which also is used by fellow Hearst Argyle station WGAL-8 Lancaster, PA (same consultant, or companywide Hearst Argyle dictum?) is lame IMO.

> A friend of mine tells me that many years ago, Richmond's
> WTVR-TV 6 used the Who's "Who Are You" to open their news.

What part? The actual recording, or a freshly minted cover?

> The name of the city and station escapes me at the moment
> but I am pretty sure there was a station somewhere many
> years back who used the old Outsiders tune "Time Won't Let
> Me" to open their news with.
>

Was it in Cleveland, the Outsiders' hometown IIRC?

ixnay

 

[leach]

>
> WBAL's "Gas" opening began with a visual legal shown to an
> announcerless kettledrumroll. Then they would launch into a
> synthesizer version of "Gas" as the camera pulled back to
> show the legal ID graphic on a monitor in the WBAL control
> room, then the standard quick cut montage of Baltimore
> images (including an aerial shot of Memorial Stadium during
> a Colts game), then an aerial shot of the WBAL building next
> to the Jones Falls Expressway, then "ACTION NEWS", appearing
> 1 letter at a time, in the font that NBC (WBAL's network)
> was using for its own "NBC Nightly News" opening graphic at
> the time (as well as the Peacock's sports logo).

A few years back I bought a video tape online featuring old local Baltimore TV
most of it was WBAL, though there is a 1961/1962 WJZ newscast on it complete with station ID !! Interesting there was nothing from WMAR on it. My wife was disappointed in that. She was looking forward to see some vintage Stu Kerr on it

The tape showed two versions of Classical Gas/WBAL. The one you describe and another one, not much in the way of changes other than instead on "Action News"
appearing one letter at a time, this one had the names of the Maryland towns appear one at a time and very fast.


> It's amazing the things a 14 year old from the Philadelphia
> area (me) can discover while staying at his great aunt's in
> Anne Arundel County on Labor Day weekend 1975.

I know the feeling !! Back when I was 10, Lucille Ball came to my hometown. She and Gary Morton appeared on a local radio show on WINC-AM discussing her feelings about Vivian Vance and her then-TV kids ( this was during the Lucy Show days). She said she thought the kids on her show were a "mistake" and Dick Martin and Charles Lane weren't exactly "good actors", etc.. Now did she really mean what she said , no one can really say for sure though her TV kids disappeared not long after this. Oh how I wish I would have taped that. I could make some serious money !! I understand that even Lucie Arnaz goes on Ebay buying things related to her parents.


> > A friend of mine tells me that many years ago, Richmond's
> > WTVR-TV 6 used the Who's "Who Are You" to open their news.
>
>
> What part? The actual recording, or a freshly minted cover?

I never saw it but according to my friend he says it was the actual recording.
Usually when I went to Richmond back then I watched channel 8's Eyewitness News or channel 12's The Scene Tonight. For some reason I never did watch WTVR.


>
> > The name of the city and station escapes me at the moment
> > but I am pretty sure there was a station somewhere many
> > years back who used the old Outsiders tune "Time Won't Let
>
> > Me" to open their news with.
> >
>
> Was it in Cleveland, the Outsiders' hometown IIRC?

I don't think it was Cleveland even though it would have made sense considering that was their hometown. I remember being in a restaurant someplace in Pennsylvania back in the 70s hearing a TV in the background and when I noticed hearing that tune I was thinking to myself "...hmmmm I heard that on the radio yesterday".

I wasn't much into TV back then.

 

[hintomedia]

> WBAL's current news theme, which also is used by fellow
> Hearst Argyle station WGAL-8 Lancaster, PA (same consultant,
> or companywide Hearst Argyle dictum?) is lame IMO.

The latter. The Hearst corporate mandate actually began back in around 1996-97, when its big-to-medium market stations (WCVB, WISN, WTAE, WBAL, KMBC...) started using similar graphics, and a news theme by Gari Communications ("Image News"). Hearst also commissioned a second news theme from Gari ("B Package"), which is what WGAL had been using before.<P ID="signature">______________
Derek
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.tvvancouver.cjb.net>TV.Vancouver</a>: Covering TV stations in Vancouver, BC</P>