WMAR 1970 George Collins glasses Break On Air

[soln4suhreborn]

MFSB KJee

[djrage70]

thats terrible

[wiedep]

another good reason for contacts, aside from reflecting the 'prompter

[rxpro19]

I didn't know that opening song was from 70.....came out in 76 i think...date is wrong

[ch1ldpr3d3t0r]

@rxpro19 i was about to say the set and anchors looks too 70's to be 1970

[wmbrown6]

@rxpro19 - The opening instrumental was originally released in 1975 - but 1976 was the point when WMAR first used it as its news theme.

[MCL21]

LMAO @ 0:01- 0:12 George Collins= Young Johnnie Cochran?

[MCL21]

Groovyy man.... look how cool these guys are... I'm surprised they're not smoking cigarettes on the set

[Sexycosy]

LMAO.... this is so fucking FUNNY

[a1cjlock]

This is Newswatch 2! Home to the grooviest news team in Baltimore! With George Brothers! White Shadow Rodgers and Sexy Specks Collins! -disco dances-

[maximushuts]

This looks like an outtake from "Anchorman, The Legend Of Ron Burgundy".

[maximushuts]

George Rogers voice sounded like he lived on nothing but cigarettes and whiskey.

[wmbrown6]

@maximushuts - Within a year or two of this clip, Rogers was fired from WMAR after many years with them. His serious, no-nonsense style was increasingly out of place in the changed climate of news that followed in the wake of the "Happy Talk" style that gained a foothold in the late 1960's. It should be noted that WMAR was once "a contenduh" in the news ratings - until rival WBAL hired Rolf Hertsgaard and revamped its newscasts near decade's end.

[dkapone]

The brother probably bought those shits from the dude that stops by the Barber Shop on Fridays. No receipt, cash only.

[IIIIdepechemodeIIII]

He should've used Navin R Johnson's 'optigrab' glasses..that would've never happened!!

[wmbrown6]

And based on what I've researched within Google News Archive, this newscast was likely from Sept. 27, 1976. The two firemen who pulled the five false alarms were Leroy Johnson and William Bartholomew. The judge who presided over that case was James Walsh of the Southern District (notice this cuts off as Collins said, "However, Judge James Wa--").

[springloadedchicken]

that's not 1970 the intro speaks for itself. more or less 1976.

[wmbrown6]

@springloadedchicken - This sure was 1976. Sept. 27, 1976, based on the lead story.

[thatmuse76]

That song was on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. This would be after 1977 sometime.

[wmbrown6]

@thatmuse76 - But WMAR used this music as early as 1976 - one year after the MFSB LP "Universal Love" (Philadelphia International PZ 33158, from which this tune first emanated) was released.

[southerngentleman82]

I think this broadcast was after 1970. The opening disco music was from around 1975.

[chillwil2]

That was funny!! But George Collins look alot like the young STAN STOVEL.

[East180thStreetYard]

This is when local news was actually fun to watch,and this is coming from someone that was born on the same year of this broadcast.I like the pre-show laughter and then the program quickly becomes serious in nature.It's interesting how the narrow neckties of the '60's quickly became wide around 1970.The narrow ones were much better giving an "ultra modern" appearance.I don't know why they became wide in the '70's.

[7855waldo]

Oh, just hand the g-d'ed copy to your partner to read, idiot.

[InternetKev]

Awesome news set. Very mod.

[cackagill]

im feeling the opening song

[wmbrown6]

Also . . . one gets the sense that the fake "SCTV News" bits with Joe Flaherty as 'Floyd Robertson' and Eugene Levy as 'Earl Camembert' were more professional in presentation than this or the other 1970's WMAR news clips.

[wmbrown6]

Couldn't Collins have had small screwdrivers with either Phillips or flat heads to try to take care of the problem with his glasses? Also, would anyone know which cameras WMAR used in those days?  Looks like it could've been Marconi Mark VII, though I could be wrong . . .

[furaha35]

the intro music made me wanna dance!

[meterman432110]

wow was this actually on the air in 1970 ? looks later then that , i say 1977 or 79

[wmbrown6]

@meterman432110 - No, 1976 or '77 at the earliest.

[wmbrown6]

Besides, as of 1975 Passport's "Will o' the Wisp" was their news theme.

[Baltimoreman78]

So Do you thing WMAR would rather have that clip back than the lousy rating they have now?

[wmbrown6]

@Baltimoreman78 - They had lousy ratings back then. ;D

[cjzzzzz]

what kind of anchor desk is this? lol

[mizzsarahdepp]

you know the camra man thats in the shot in the begining thats my av teacher he told my class about this video and how you cant mess up on live tv

[Airsoftcleaner]

His name was George Rogers,

[TheBRONXTHRUEXP]

That music is awesome.

[thetaxmancometh]

WMAR was a CBS affiliate. Mark Dulmage was the news director. I probably should have quit school and taken a job with them.

[thetaxmancometh]

I interned at WMAR news in the summer of 1979...writing a story every night and writing the entire late night Newswrap....it hadn't progressed much from 1970

[Pedro4life09]

How was that like interning at Channel 2 ? and that was back when they were a CBS affiliate right ? before they went to NBC and then later ABC.

[MCL21]

@thetaxmancometh : Was the building the same one off of York Road that it is today? I interned there for a few summers about 8 years ago

[nakamichiguy]

Poor guy didn't handle that very smoothly at all. I certainly wouldn't have done any better though! Great clip.

[worm082]

good god look at that set, why is there that big opening in it on the right

[Cathalain]

Wow, I didn't know that 'K-Jee' was the opening theme to the news then. That's actually kind of hot!

I missed all the good stuff, heh.

[radudeATL]

No kidding, man! We played that song in my marching band in HS back in the day. That was pretty sweet!

[TSquared2001]

And he's still doing it now.

[mochacutie23]

poor george...he tried his damnest 2 play that off lmao

[WordUp4Life]

I think George Collins lost one of his glasses mirrors.

[coffeehigh420]

this reminds me of that movie "anchorman"

[khencke]

TITULAR CAPITALIZATION FAIL

[Zuurkool1]

haha i lolled

[RatPakFan]

Good lord...look at that watch.

[StudioCOnline]

LMAO! We meed more newscasts like this!! hahaha

[CoffySarai]

I love the music!

[Squirrel3D]

I think it's from saturday night fever...according to my father.

[saturnday]

The song was called "K-Gee" or K-Jee and was performed by M.F.S.B. (Mother Father Sister Brother), the Philadelphia International Records studio musicians.

It was on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977 and the song was a remake of one performed by New Birth in 1974-75

I love both versions of the song

[wmbrown6]

The MFSB recording originated from the group's 1975 LP "Universal Love" (PZ 33158), and was used by WMAR as the news theme as early as 1976 - before "Saturday Night Fever" was released. As for the original version, it was recorded by The Nite-Liters in 1971.

[saturnday]

I know that The Nite Liters later became New Birth. I always thought the original song was earlier than 1974 but all I ever had in my collection was a New Birth greatest hits collection with little information and dates in the liner notes.

I also have the MFSB album. The Sat. Night Fever soundtrack did contain a couple previously released songs like Kool & The Gang's "Open Sesame"

[albear972]

This is the ugliest news desk I have ever seen! and dig those fresh disco beats!

[overdrive2000]

Poor guy is right. He was really struggling.

[steeltownbrown52]

LOL,poor guy.

[amnewsboy]

I'd forgive it if his glasses broke as he read... but it looks like he was having issues even as the open rolled!

[tkaye2]

Cut the man some slack... it's tough being on News*WATCH* when you're having trouble keeping your glasses together! :-)

[dylansdad65]

Damn! The Optical Department at Sears FAILED!

[henrytvwhiz]

How did you find such hilarious & rare footage?

[faysal21adigun]

It's tough to be 60 years old as a news station and that whole time,you couldn't lead the pack at least once in your station's lifetime.

[faysal21adigun]

I really hope they find a way to attract viewers in town.

[WordUp4Life]

You're talking about George Collins?

[faysal21adigun]

Not Collins,but the station itself.

[bamagamma]

wow really stupid why is this on the tube well everything else is so i guess its fine

[ASKconard]

The slides looked hand-drawn. The set was kind of weird looking. But I love the music.

[tkaye2]

What's with that extremely low portion on the right-hand side of the anchor desk? Looks like the set designer was ADA-compliant ahead of his time.

And I've been trying to figure out what that display thing is on the front of the desk, too. It seems to be something white-on-black that would have been used in a luma key graphic.

[southerngentleman82]

I think that space is for the weatherman. Back in those days the weather map and the anchors were placed next to each other.

[warszawianka]

I loved the graphic of the fireman with handcuffs. Not exactly something you'd find in the stock clipart section.

[pvx]

Indeed, I'm guessing it was something hand-made by WMAR's art department.

Almost every TV station prior to the advent of computer graphics for television in the 80s had an art department with staff graphic artists to create such graphics by hand by way of letraset lettering, graphic tape, freehand drawing, etc., as possibly seen here...

[RolloSmokes]

As I mentioned in another clip, it's "K-Gee", by MFSB, from the aforementioned soundtrack album.

WMAR's newscasts looked troubled, but at least the music was kick-ass!

[elfdog100]

This clip has to be either 1977 or 1978 because the music is from the movie Saturday Night Fever.