Ever since the dawn of local TV news, sometime in the 1940’s and 1950s depending on the market, there have been local TV news promos. And so for the past 80 years or so, television viewers have seen a tsunami of promos.

I contend that local TV news may be the most advertised category on television.

Think of it, 200-plus markets with a half dozen stations in each market promoting their news. And on most stations, news promos enjoy a healthy share of on-air time, perhaps more so than any other category.

And in many cases, the local TV news promos are easily recognized.

News anchors in the newsroom; news anchors in the studio; and news anchors on the street. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s where they work.

Commercials for plumbers show plumbers fixing pipes. Commercials for dentists show dentists in the office. Commercials for furniture stores show furniture.

But through the years, some stations have gone high concept. Hired professional actors, or volunteered station employees, to be in carefully scripted skits that don’t look like the news promos you’re used to seeing, at least at first.

Here are some local TV promos that, at first, don’t look like local TV promos.

Some go back quite a ways. Often these examples have a description that provides information about the promo.

Here are a couple from 1973 for WLS in Chicago.

Here are a couple of highly-creative weather promos from WCSH in Portland, Me.

You don’t always need a highly-produced spot with actors to catch the attention of viewers as this spot from WBZ Boston proves. Sometimes some still photos with a great music bed can get the message across as demonstrated by this WBZ promo for AccuWeather.

Speaking of AccuWeather, here’s a promo from WPVI, the ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, that conveys the accuracy of the AccuWeather forecasts in one word.

Although the quality of this promo on YouTube is poor, the concept is terrific.

Here’s a promo from KVTV, the CBS affiliate in Dallas, that draws you in.

From WJZ Baltimore, here’s a singing tribute for Bob Turk, the weatherman.

One of the most memorable and effective local news promos of all time. The premise? A family visits a city and shoots some home movies. Yet, no matter where they go, there’s that news van again. Here’s a version from WABC New York.

Here’s a compelling news promo from the BBC.

NOTE: Here’s a promo I created using nothing more than words on the screen with a few tight shots of the character who’s talking. Certainly not your typical TV news promo.

Have you seen any local TV news image promos that fit the description of not your typical local TV news promos? Or maybe you created a local TV news image promo that don’t, at least initially, look like a typical local TV news promo. Please share by sending them or the link to paul@newscheckmedia.com

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