For those who are concerned, I looked up John L. Huston of the Livestock and Meat Board and he's alive and well. He retired after a very success career and his love for meat was never a health issue...so there.
I was a college student way back in the 70s and during summer and holiday vacations worked on the WEWS studio production crew which was responsible for operating the cameras, lighting, assembling the sets, etc. As a result, I got to know all of the WEWS personalities including the ones on this news set: Dave Patterson, Ted Henry, Gib Shanley, and Don Webster. Don’t recall the guy in the middle - typically Dorothy Fuldheim was in that seat. I will say this: they were all professionals. And they were all characters. Lot’s of good humor, some egos, but always professionals. One interesting point: on the opening shot, the expensive looking “ceiling” that you see over the top of the set was actually a 3x3 foot piece of wood and plastic that was designed and shaped to look like it covered the entire studio ceiling and fit perfectly against the walls. It was actually suspended by a chain and pulley and hung down from the real studio ceiling which was about 20 feet higher. It probably weighed all of 15 pounds and was lowered right in front of the TV camera (Camera #1) just before the opening shot, and then quickly raised by one of the production crew (sometimes me) so that Camera #1 could quickly be moved forward and to the right to it’s next position right after the open, which was a close-up shot of Ted Henry. Camera #2 would lock-down on Dave Patterson, and Camera #3 would swing between the other three people when their segments (commentary, sports, weather) came up. As the least experienced and most junior member on the crew, my job was to put on headphones, plug into one of the TV cameras, and cue the talent on set, always following the instructions passed along from the Show Director who was up in the control booth looking down on the studio. One evening, being a newbie, while standing next to the camera with my headphones on, I went to cue either Dave Patterson or Ted Henry and swung my arm in too wide of an arc. My hand hit the fake “ceiling”. Since it was super light weight and hanging from a chain, it immediately started swinging, which made it look like the TV station was experiencing a massive earthquake. I caught some hell for that as you can imagine.
Anyone wondering the name of the music used by WEWS during this period... "Catch 5" by Gari Music, and I believe this was Frank Gari's first ever news music package, and Gari would later go on to create other music packages, including "Hello News", "Newschannel", "Turn to News", "The Great News Package", "Advantage", "Eyewitness News", "CBS Enforcer", "Image News", "NBC Collection", and so forth.
@mobilene Someone on the WEWS technical staff must have favored those mics over lavaliers since they were using them long after everyone else. The Morning Exchange used shotgun mics well into the mid-'80s.
These old broadcasts were so easy to watch. Just the raw video. They didn't have all of the video arcade style graphics and sounds effects crap that they throw in your face every few seconds today.
When Fox got the NFL contract, they were looking to move from their high number UHF stations, to VHF channels. Fox did give WEWS a look before eventually buying WJW TV 8, the long time CBS affiliate in Cleveland. CBS then moved to WOIO channel 19, which was the Fox affiliate (pretty much making it a straight up network swap).
I so still remember this years later.😇
For those who are concerned, I looked up John L. Huston of the Livestock and Meat Board and he's alive and well. He retired after a very success career and his love for meat was never a health issue...so there.
Cleveland had great tv, radio and culture! I miss Ted Henry, Don Webster and Dorothy Fuldheim. Thanks for putting this up!!
WEWS in those days had RCA TK-27 film chains (they later acquired TK-28's), and TK-44A/B live studio cameras.
That theme song was also used at former sister station WMC/Memphis.
I was a college student way back in the 70s and during summer and holiday vacations worked on the WEWS studio production crew which was responsible for operating the cameras, lighting, assembling the sets, etc. As a result, I got to know all of the WEWS personalities including the ones on this news set: Dave Patterson, Ted Henry, Gib Shanley, and Don Webster. Don’t recall the guy in the middle - typically Dorothy Fuldheim was in that seat.
I will say this: they were all professionals. And they were all characters. Lot’s of good humor, some egos, but always professionals.
One interesting point: on the opening shot, the expensive looking “ceiling” that you see over the top of the set was actually a 3x3 foot piece of wood and plastic that was designed and shaped to look like it covered the entire studio ceiling and fit perfectly against the walls. It was actually suspended by a chain and pulley and hung down from the real studio ceiling which was about 20 feet higher. It probably weighed all of 15 pounds and was lowered right in front of the TV camera (Camera #1) just before the opening shot, and then quickly raised by one of the production crew (sometimes me) so that Camera #1 could quickly be moved forward and to the right to it’s next position right after the open, which was a close-up shot of Ted Henry. Camera #2 would lock-down on Dave Patterson, and Camera #3 would swing between the other three people when their segments (commentary, sports, weather) came up.
As the least experienced and most junior member on the crew, my job was to put on headphones, plug into one of the TV cameras, and cue the talent on set, always following the instructions passed along from the Show Director who was up in the control booth looking down on the studio. One evening, being a newbie, while standing next to the camera with my headphones on, I went to cue either Dave Patterson or Ted Henry and swung my arm in too wide of an arc. My hand hit the fake “ceiling”. Since it was super light weight and hanging from a chain, it immediately started swinging, which made it look like the TV station was experiencing a massive earthquake. I caught some hell for that as you can imagine.
Anyone wondering the name of the music used by WEWS during this period... "Catch 5" by Gari Music, and I believe this was Frank Gari's first ever news music package, and Gari would later go on to create other music packages, including "Hello News", "Newschannel", "Turn to News", "The Great News Package", "Advantage", "Eyewitness News", "CBS Enforcer", "Image News", "NBC Collection", and so forth.
The lady in the middle of that "Morning Exchange" slide....would that have been Liz Richards?
Dave Patterson would eventually settle in Phoenix, on Channel 10 (then CBS affiliate KTSP-TV).
@mobilene Someone on the WEWS technical staff must have favored those mics over lavaliers since they were using them long after everyone else. The Morning Exchange used shotgun mics well into the mid-'80s.
Are you talking about how today's newscasts are done? This clip was recorded back when news was serious and not biased, like the crap we get today.
It was probably still CIA control back then but now they just rub your face and if they don't care if you know
I watched that on Allview Cable Channel 7 in St. Thomas, Ontario
with poor reception. they should have kept WJET-TV, Erie on Cable 7!!!
The WEWS Station ID featuring "Morning Exchange" was v/o by former staff announcer and now current WJW FOX-8 staff announcer Bill Ward.
These old broadcasts were so easy to watch. Just the raw video. They didn't have all of the video arcade style graphics and sounds effects crap that they throw in your face every few seconds today.
@myronfalwell Thought I was the only one who liked the classic TV themes and channel bits. :)
Not a single blood and guts story in the whole A block...A long line at the license office ?.. Mercy somebody get them a consultant and quick. :)
I was always trying to remember that thing's name.
WEWS did trully grasp the Eyewitness News happy talk format...
When Fox got the NFL contract, they were looking to move from their high number UHF stations, to VHF channels.
Fox did give WEWS a look before eventually buying WJW TV 8, the long time CBS affiliate in Cleveland.
CBS then moved to WOIO channel 19, which was the Fox affiliate (pretty much making it a straight up network swap).
Well, I wonder where "Bill Sullivan" is today? lol!
Reddy Kilowatt!