News promos may be off the air for years, but thanks to YouTube, they never die. In an article last week, we shared some classic news promos from the early 1970s that were done for WTAE in Pittsburgh. The article generated a lot of comments so I thought it might be fun to see what […]
News promos may be off the air for years, but thanks to YouTube, they never die.
In an article last week, we shared some classic news promos from the early 1970s that were done for WTAE in Pittsburgh. The article generated a lot of comments so I thought it might be fun to see what other news promo from years gone by might be worth sharing.
Here’s an ABC News promo from 1969 that still looks pretty good. Graphics-driven, punchy, with a lot of flash, something like this could still air today and not look dated. One thought I had while watching it was the focus on the international aspect of the evening news which you don’t see these days.
You don’t see many celebrity endorsements in news promos. If Lady Gaga told us she likes watching one local news over the others, I doubt it would matter much in the ratings.
But in Dallas, if a popular cowboy character from a long-running western TV series says he watches only one local newscast, that just might carry some weight.
It takes a lot of people, with sophisticated tools and equipment to electronically gather the news and bring it to viewers. Here’s a spot from WEWS Cleveland in 1978 touting its Action Cam that demonstrates the process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgPOon-s8nc
Without news photographers, we’d all be news radio. Here’s a spot from West Palm Beach that pays homage to those camera-carrying heroes who are on the front lines taking the punches, kicks and slaps when people don’t want their picture taken.
Here’s a news promo from WWL New Orleans that uses matched-action to capture how firemen and newsmen get ready to go out to do their jobs. That camera looks so heavy.
Over the years, how newscasters deliver the news has changed. That was true in the early ’70s and I guess it’s still true. In this spot from a Chicago station, the station portrays its on-air news talent as being just themselves.
Local TV news operation ought to stand for something in the minds of viewers. Some want to be investigative, some want to be on your side. Some want you to think that they’re everywhere. The concept of being everywhere lends itself to bold, original and very creative concepts. Here are a couple spots that have nailed that brand wildly and successfully.
WJKW-TV 8 Cleveland – 1982 “NewsCenter 8” old… by tvnut
And finally, here’s a classic morning news promo from those zany folks at WGN in Chicago.
Who doesn’t love a news promo featuring a leprechaun.
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