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Eyewitness News

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 67.185.129.207 (talk) at 05:01, 30 May 2006 (Stations that use or have used the ''Eyewitness News'' format or name). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Eyewitness News is a local television newscast format, widely used in different markets across the United States.

History

File:EWNTEAMWABC1992.jpg
WABC-TV's 11PM Eyewitness News team, 1992. From left to right: anchors Bill Beutel and Diana Williams, sports anchor Scott Clark, meteorologist Sam Champion

In 1965, Al Primo, the new News Director at KYW-TV in Philadelphia created the "Eyewitness News" format. The reporter would be the "eyewitness" to the anchor in the studio and the viewer at home. He used the cue "007" from the 1963 film From Russia with Love as the theme. The format quickly became a hit in Philadelphia and allowed KYW to surge past longtime leader WCAU-TV for first place, a position it kept on and off until the late 1970s. Rival WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV) developed the Action News format to compete with it.

KYW used the name and format until 1991 and readopted it in 1998. All five major stations owned by Westinghouse prior to the merger with CBS (KYW, KPIX-TV San Francisco, WJZ-TV Baltimore, WBZ-TV Boston and KDKA-TV Pittsburgh) have used "Eyewitness News" as their newscast titles at some point in time (the former three still do to this day).

In 1968, Primo moved to WABC-TV in New York City and took the Eyewitness News concept there with him, choosing music from the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke--the "Tar Sequence" cue (composed by Lalo Schifrin)--as the theme. However, he added a new twist at WABC--chatter among the anchors, which came to be known as "happy talk". WABC has kept the name and format since then, and has been the highest-rated station in New York for much of that time.

The format, as tweaked by WABC, was copied by many other stations in the United States, with most other stations owned and operated by ABC using the Cool Hand Luke theme. Ironically, WPVI, which developed the Action News format, is now an ABC owned-and-operated station.

Stations that use or have used the Eyewitness News format or name

DMA# DMA Name Station Affiliation Currently Uses Other Notes
1. New York City WABC-TV ABC Yes Currently identifies as "Channel 7 Eyewitness News"
2. Los Angeles KABC-TV ABC Yes Currently identifies as "ABC7 Eyewitness News HD"
3. Chicago WLS-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "ABC7 News"
4. Philadelphia KYW-TV CBS, formerly NBC Yes Eyewitness News format originally introduced at this station. Dropped name from 1991 to use different names for different dayparts; rebranded as "News 3" in 1994 and back to the title in 1998.
5. Boston WBZ-TV CBS, formerly NBC No Currently identifies as "CBS4 News"
6. San Francisco Bay Area KPIX-TV CBS Yes Currrently identifies as "CBS 5 Eyewitness News"
7. Dallas, Texas/Fort Worth, Texas WFAA ABC, formerly NBC No Currently identifies as "News 8"; unrelated to KDFW
KDFW FOX, formerly CBS No Currently identifies as "FOX4 News"; unrelated to WFAA
8. Washington, D.C. WUSA-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "(WUSA) 9 News"
9. Atlanta WAGA-TV FOX, formerly CBS No Currently identifies as "FOX5 News"; still runs a promo verbally encouraging viewers to "call Eyewitness News" if they see news happen
10. Houston KTRK-TV ABC Yes Currently identifies as "13 Eyewitness News"
11. Detroit WJBK-TV FOX, formerly CBS No Currently identifies as "FOX2 News", unrelated to WWJ
WWJ-TV CBS, formerly Independent No Newscast defunct, unrelated to WJBK
12. Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida WTVT-TV FOX, formerly CBS No Used from 1990 to 1997; Currently identifies as "FOX13 News"
WTSP, formerly WLCY-TV CBS, formerly ABC No Used from late-1960s to 1978; Currently identifies as "Tampa Bay's 10 News"
WTOG-TV UPN No Used from late-1970s to early-1990s; No longer has a newscast
13. Seattle KIRO-TV CBS Yes News Programming known as "KIRO 7 Eyewitness News"
14. Phoenix KTVK-TV Independent, formerly ABC No Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 3"
KPHO-TV CBS, formerly Independent No Used in the 1970s; currently identifies as "CBS 5 News"; unrelated to KTVK
15. Minneapolis-St. Paul KSTP-TV ABC Yes
16. Cleveland WEWS-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 5"
17. Miami WPLG-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "Local 10 News," unrelated to WCIX/WFOR
WFOR-TV, formerly WCIX-TV CBS No Used when it was an independent station, currently identifies as "CBS 4 News," unrelated to WPLG
19. Sacramento KXTV-TV ABC, formerly CBS No Currently identifies as "News 10"
20. Orlando, Florida WFTV-TV ABC Yes Currently identifies as "Channel 9 Eyewitness News"
21. St. Louis, Missouri KSDK-TV NBC No Used for a very long time, about 2 decades. Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 5"
22. Pittsburgh KDKA-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "KDKA-TV News"
24. Baltimore, Maryland WJZ-TV CBS , formerly ABC Yes
25. Indianapolis WTHR-TV (formerly WLWI-TV) NBC, formerly ABC Yes
27. Charlotte, North Carolina WSOC-TV ABC, formerly NBC Yes Currently identifies as "Channel 9 Eyewitness News"
28. Hartford/New Haven, Connecticut WFSB-TV CBS Yes
29. Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina WTVD-TV ABC, formerly CBS Yes
30. Nashville, Tennessee WTVF-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 5"
31. Kansas City KCTV-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "KCTV 5 News"
32. Columbus, Ohio WBNS-TV CBS Yes
33. Milwaukee, Wisconsin WISN-TV ABC No Was used during their CBS days
34. Cincinnati, Ohio WLWT-TV NBC No Currently identifies as "News 5", unrelated to WKRC
WKRC CBS, formerly ABC No Currently identifies as "Local 12 News", unrelated to WLWT
35. Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina WSPA-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 7"
36. Salt Lake City, Utah KSL-TV NBC , formerly CBS Yes
37. San Antonio, Texas KENS-TV CBS Yes Currently identifies as "KENS 5 Eyewitness News"
38. West Palm Beach, Florida WPBF-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "WPBF News 25"; unrelated to WPEC
WPEC-TV CBS, formerly ABC No Currently identifies as "News 12"; unrelated to WPBF
39. Grand Rapids, Michigan WZZM-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "WZZM 13 News"
41. Harrisburg / Lancaster / York, Pennsylvania WHP-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "WHP CBS 21 News"
WLYH-TV UPN No No longer carries a newscast; sister station to WHP
42. Norfolk, Virginia WTKR-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "Your NewsChannel 3", unrelated to WAVY
WAVY-TV NBC No Currently identifies as "WAVY News 10", unrelated to WTKR
43. New Orleans, Louisiana WWL-TV CBS Yes
44. Memphis, Tennessee WHBQ-TV FOX, formerly ABC No Currently identifies as "Fox 13 News"; unrelated to WPTY
WPTY-TV ABC Yes unrelated to WHBQ
45. Oklahoma City KOCO-TV ABC Yes
46. Albuquerque, New Mexico KOB-TV NBC Yes Currently identifies as "Eyewitness News 4"
48. Las Vegas, Nevada KLAS-TV CBS Yes Currently identifies as "Channel 8 Eyewitness News"
49. Buffalo, New York WKBW-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "7 News"
51. Providence, Rhode Island WPRI-TV CBS Yes Produces "Eyewitness News: First on FOX" for WNAC
52. Jacksonville, Florida WJXT-TV Independent, formerly CBS No Currently identifies as "Channel 4 News"
53. Austin, Texas KEYE-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "CBS 42 KEYE News"
54. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania WBRE-TV NBC No Currently identifies as "WBRE News"
55. Albany, New York WTEN-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "News 10"
56. Fresno, California KGPE-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "CBS 47 On Your Side News"
57. Little Rock, Arkansas KARK-TV NBC No Currently identifies as "KARK 4 News"
58. Knoxville, Tennessee WATE-TV ABC, formerly NBC No Currently identifies as "WATE 6 News"
59. Dayton, Ohio WDTN-TV NBC, formerly ABC No Currently identifies as "2 News"
60. Richmond, Virginia WRIC-TV (formerly WXEX) ABC No Currently identifies as "8 News"
61. Tulsa, Oklahoma KOTV-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "The News on 6"
63. Lexington, Kentucky WTVQ-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "Action News 36"
64. Charleston, West Virginia WCHS-TV ABC Yes Produces "Fox 11 Eyewitness News at Ten" for WVAH
65. Flint, Michigan WEYI-TV NBC, formerly CBS No Used Eyewitness News name in parts of the 1970s and 1980s; Used variant WEYI-witness News in early-1990s; Currently identifies as NewsCenter 25
66. Fort Myers, Florida WBBH-TV NBC No Currently identifies as "NBC 2 News"
67. Hutchinson / Wichita, Kansas KWCH-TV CBS Yes Currently identifies as "KWCH 12 Eyewitness News"
68. Roanoke, Virginia WSLS-TV NBC No Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 10"
69. Green Bay, Wisconsin WFRV-TV CBS, formerly ABC No Currently identifies as "CBS 5 News"
70. Toledo, Ohio WTOL-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "WTOL News 11"
71. Tucson, Arizona KVOA-TV NBC No Was Eyewitness News at least since 1989. Changed to "News 4" in February 2006
72. Honolulu, Hawaii KHON-TV Fox, formerly NBC No Currently identifies as "KHON 2 News"
73. Des Moines, Iowa WOI-TV ABC Yes
74. Portland, Maine WMTW-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "News 8 WMTW"
76. Syracuse, New York WTVH CBS No Currently identifies as "CBS 5 News"
79. Rochester, New York WHEC NBC, formerly CBS No Currently identifies as "News 10 NBC"
83. Columbia, South Carolina WOLO-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "ABC 25 News"
86. Chattanooga, Tennessee WRCB-TV NBC Yes
87. South Bend, Indiana WSBT-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "News 22"
89. Jackson, Mississippi WAPT-TV ABC No Used "Eyewitness News 16" in the early- through mid-1990s. Has identified its newscasts as "16 WAPT News" since the late-1990s.
93. Pueblo, Colorado KOAA-TV NBC No Currently indentifies as "News First"
95. Rock Island, Illinois (Quad Cities) WHBF-TV CBS Yes Uses the same imaging/graphics as sister station WOI-TV
105. Greenville, North Carolina WITN-TV NBC No Currently identifies as "WITN 7 News", unrelated to WNCT
WNCT-TV CBS Yes Unrelated to WITN
106. Fort Wayne, Indiana WPTA ABC No Currently identifies as "Indiana's NewsCenter on 21 Alive"
107. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina WBTW-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "News 13"
109. Tallahassee, Florida WCTV-TV CBS Yes
111. Tyler, Texas KYTX CBS Yes Identifies itself as "CBS 19 Eyewitness News"
115. Augusta, Georgia WRDW-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "News 12"
119. Boise, Idaho KBCI-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "Local 2 News"
120. Eugene, Oregon KEZI-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "9 News"
122. Panama City, Florida WMBB-TV ABC, formerly NBC No Currently identifies as "News 13"
124. Lafayette, Louisiana KLFY CBS Yes "Eyewitness News" is used to identiy the 6 & 10 p.m. newscasts
133. Rockford, Illinois WREX-TV NBC, formerly ABC No Currently identifies as "13 News"
137. Duluth, Minnesota WDIO ABC Yes
139. Wilmington, North Carolina WWAY ABC No Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 3"
144. Wichita Falls, Texas / Lawton, Oklahoma KAUZ-TV CBS No Currently identifies as "Newschannel 6"
150. Terre Haute, Indiana WTWO NBC No Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 2"
151. Bangor, Maine WVII-TV ABC No Currently identifies as "ABC 7 News"
174. Jackson, Tennessee WBBJ ABC Yes Currently identifies as "7 Eyewitness News"
File:Abc7 00366.jpg
WABC's Eyewitness News open, 2005.
File:ABC7EyewitnessNewsHD.jpg
KABC-TV's Eyewitness News cast has a new name Eyewitness News HD
File:EWNKYW2005.jpg
KYW's Pyburn Films Eyewitness News open, 2005.
File:EWNKSTP2004.jpg
KSTP Eyewitness News open, 2004.
File:Cbs5evy.png
KPIX Eyewitness News logo with older "Everywhere" tagline, 2002-2004.
File:KTRKHNL.jpg
KTRK-TV's Eyewitness News talent intro & tag, 2001-present.
File:EWNWUSA2004.jpg
WUSA 9 News open, 2004, still bearing traces of the Eyewitness News name.
File:Wbns-ewn-open.jpg
WBNS-TV Eyewitness News open, 2004. Station developed new open in 2005. New style developed in 2006.
KIRO-TV Eyewitness News open, 1998.
File:Ewn-wpri.jpg
Eyewitness News on WPRI 12, 2003.
File:BillBeutelWABC1995.jpg
Bill Beutel in 1995 on WABC-TV's Eyewitness News.

In addition, the title had been used in the past in Canada on Edmonton's CFRN (a CTV affiliate), as well as the local newscasts on Australia's Network Ten until the mid-1990s. Spanish-language Telemundo's owned stations also have their own version of Eyewitness News, called Noticias de Primera Plana (Headline News). In Mexico during the 1970s and 1980s, Televisa's local newscasts also used the Eyewitness News format translated in Spanish as Noticias de Primera Plana (a concept translation in Spanish of Eyewitness News). In some middle-sized markets of Latin America, such as Peru's América TV, they also used the Noticias de Primera Plana but sometimes simply as Primera Plana (in the Peruvian case, they used KNBC/WRC-TV's NewsCenter Signature by Michael Randall).

Eyewitness News: the news music package

Eyewitness News is also the name of a syndicated news music package, composed by Frank Gari of Gari Communications.

Since 1968, WABC-TV and ABC's other large market owned-and-operated stations, eg. WLS-TV in Chicago, KABC-TV in Los Angeles and KGO-TV in San Francisco, had used the "Cool Hand Luke" theme on their newscasts. In 1984, they started using News Series 2000, an updated version of the original Schifrin theme, composed by Frank Gari, that had been originally commissioned by WLS-TV in Chicago.

However, in 1993, Schifrin raised his royalties for using Cool Hand Luke and its variations to a level that effectively priced the theme out of the local news market. As a result, Gari was commissioned by WABC to compose a new music package called Eyewitness News. This new package, based slightly on Cool Hand Luke, has been updated several times. WABC currently uses the Series 4 version, which was specifically updated for the station in 1999.

Besides being used in America, the Eyewitness News music package has also been picked up for use overseas. Hong Kong Cable News has been using it for its morning newscast, and POP TV in Slovenia has been using it for its main newscasts.

A station using the Eyewitness News music package might not necessarily use the Eyewitness News title for its newscasts, and vice versa. For example, WXYZ in Detroit uses the music package, but calls its newscasts "Channel 7 Action News".