Very interesting. In 1962 I lived in south-central Michigan. We got 2 NBC stations (from Grand Rapids and Jackson) and 2 CBS stations from (Kalamazoo and Lansing), but no ABC station. All those stations carried an occasional ABC program, but never ABC News.
It is really amazing that network news was not deemed important in the late '50's and early '60's. I still remember when the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite aired in St. Louis from 5:30 - 5:45 p.m. I believe, but am not certain, that it went to a full half hour when Vietnam got to be important.
@MrMKH2010 CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite went to a half hour in September 1962. The Huntley-Brinkley Report did the same a week later. ABC Evening News didn't expand to a 30 minutes until 1967.
Probably late 1961 or very early 1962; I believe Swayze co-anchored ABC's evening newscast for about six months from September, 1961 through March of 1962.
I believe Al Mann and Bill Lawrence were the other anchors (with the latter in Washington??).
"ABC News Final" was the network's first attempt at a late-night newscast (11 to 11:10 P.M. ET/PT); not many stations carried it, and many who did taped it and played it back at 11:15 ET/PT, after their local news. It lasted a couple of years.
Until Roone Arledge gave it an extreme makeover in the late '70s, hardly anyone watched ABC News because we were already happy with Huntley/Brinkley and Walter Cronkite.
And a couple of years after he joined, Peter Jennings had a short-termed stint at the ABC anchor chair. It wouldn't be until 1983 when he occupied it for the long haul
hard to believe that ABC which in the late 60's and early 70's was refered to as "the last with the least" actually had more newscasts on the air on weekdays that the competition during this time..
@joebradio But ABC's news staff was also smaller than CBS's or NBC's.
However, when Jim Hagerty (previously President Eisenhower's press secretary) became ABC News division president in early 1961, he was able to get a budget increase which allowed him to hire more correspondents and film crews.
ABC still had a smaller news staff through the 1960's than the other TV networks, but not much smaller than its rivals after 1961.
This was seen in the fall of 1961, because "ABC MIDDAY REPORT" (with Alex Dreier) aired from 1:25-1:30pm(et), right after "DAY IN COURT"; "AMERICAN NEWSSTAND" [featuring Roger Sharp as anchor] aired from 4:50-5pm(et), right after "AMERICAN BANDSTAND". The 15 minute "ABC EVENING REPORT" [Bill Lawrence, Al Mann and John Cameron Swayze] aired at 6pm(et), with a 7pm edition for those affiliates who didn't carry it at 6. Ron Cochran anchored the 10 minute "ABC NEWS FINAL" at 11pm(et).
Actually the Big "A" logo was still used through most of 1962, but just in the station identification and the "telop" still ads for ABC-TV, and that the "animated letters" logo had replaced it in only the promo commmercials(both logos were being used along side with each other back then), before both were eventually replaced sometime during the 1962-'63 season with the familiar "Circle" logo.
Would that have been Hank Simms as announcer? Sounds like him . . . however, I'd date this ad as 1961-62. Because I seem to have read that the late-night "ABC News Final" began in 1961 and lasted to '63. (Not to mention the current ABC circle logo taking hold at the end of 1962.)
That's true. That animated ABC logo, with the moving letters that fill the rectangular space as seen in this video which was used in 1961 and 1962 is what followed the Big "A" logo that was used from 1957 through 1960, and also had proceeded the ABC Circle logo that replaced it afterwards.
Nice shots of a couple of B52Gs, fully loaded with hound dog missles.
BadSneakers 3 months ago
WOW! Alex Dreier, I remember when he had his own show here in LA.
What!? No weather girls?
rgarcia77 5 months ago
Very interesting. In 1962 I lived in south-central Michigan. We got 2 NBC stations (from Grand Rapids and Jackson) and 2 CBS stations from (Kalamazoo and Lansing), but no ABC station. All those stations carried an occasional ABC program, but never ABC News.
donwert 5 months ago
@donwert WZZM(Grand Rapids) signed on later in 1962
cr3861 2 months ago
@cr3861 Quite true. Unfortunately, the WZZM transmission antenna was located north
of Grand Rapids and most viewers in the Battle Creek/Kalamazoo area couldn't receive
a watchable signal. WKZO and WOOD had their antennas located halfway between
GR and Kazoo and their signals came in perfectly. It wasn't until WUHQ, Channel 41,
in Battle Creek came on the air in 1970 as a full-time ABC station that viewers in the Battle Creek/Kalamazoo area got access to ABC News.
donwert 2 months ago
It is really amazing that network news was not deemed important in the late '50's and early '60's. I still remember when the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite aired in St. Louis from 5:30 - 5:45 p.m. I believe, but am not certain, that it went to a full half hour when Vietnam got to be important.
MrMKH2010 10 months ago
@MrMKH2010 CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite went to a half hour in September 1962. The Huntley-Brinkley Report did the same a week later. ABC Evening News didn't expand to a 30 minutes until 1967.
observer9670 4 months ago
Amazing quality upload!
chalklounge 1 year ago
I love these old promos.
ftsjr 1 year ago
Amazing, vintage clip. Thanks for this.
xreddragonx 1 year ago
Probably late 1961 or very early 1962; I believe Swayze co-anchored ABC's evening newscast for about six months from September, 1961 through March of 1962.
I believe Al Mann and Bill Lawrence were the other anchors (with the latter in Washington??).
"ABC News Final" was the network's first attempt at a late-night newscast (11 to 11:10 P.M. ET/PT); not many stations carried it, and many who did taped it and played it back at 11:15 ET/PT, after their local news. It lasted a couple of years.
altfactor 1 year ago
@altfactor - And what replaced "ABC News Final" was the weekend editions (Saturday and Sunday nights) that aired after 11 P.M.
wmbrown6 7 months ago
Until Roone Arledge gave it an extreme makeover in the late '70s, hardly anyone watched ABC News because we were already happy with Huntley/Brinkley and Walter Cronkite.
And a couple of years after he joined, Peter Jennings had a short-termed stint at the ABC anchor chair. It wouldn't be until 1983 when he occupied it for the long haul
johnnyafairbanksak 1 year ago
@johnnyafairbanksak Don't forget that Peter Jennings had the "London" chair in the 1978-83 triple-anchor format of "World News Tonight".
altfactor 1 year ago
This is from the days when news was news and reporters were reporters. Not the fluffy, skewed infotainment you have now.
jpx08 1 year ago
hard to believe that ABC which in the late 60's and early 70's was refered to as "the last with the least" actually had more newscasts on the air on weekdays that the competition during this time..
joebradio 1 year ago
@joebradio But ABC's news staff was also smaller than CBS's or NBC's.
However, when Jim Hagerty (previously President Eisenhower's press secretary) became ABC News division president in early 1961, he was able to get a budget increase which allowed him to hire more correspondents and film crews.
ABC still had a smaller news staff through the 1960's than the other TV networks, but not much smaller than its rivals after 1961.
altfactor 4 months ago
...and yes, that's Hank Simms as announcer.
fromthesidelines 2 years ago
This was seen in the fall of 1961, because "ABC MIDDAY REPORT" (with Alex Dreier) aired from 1:25-1:30pm(et), right after "DAY IN COURT"; "AMERICAN NEWSSTAND" [featuring Roger Sharp as anchor] aired from 4:50-5pm(et), right after "AMERICAN BANDSTAND". The 15 minute "ABC EVENING REPORT" [Bill Lawrence, Al Mann and John Cameron Swayze] aired at 6pm(et), with a 7pm edition for those affiliates who didn't carry it at 6. Ron Cochran anchored the 10 minute "ABC NEWS FINAL" at 11pm(et).
fromthesidelines 2 years ago 2
Actually the Big "A" logo was still used through most of 1962, but just in the station identification and the "telop" still ads for ABC-TV, and that the "animated letters" logo had replaced it in only the promo commmercials(both logos were being used along side with each other back then), before both were eventually replaced sometime during the 1962-'63 season with the familiar "Circle" logo.
tbear4pa 2 years ago
Comment removed
tbear4pa 2 years ago
Thanks for helping nail down the right date!
rogersharparchive 2 years ago
Would that have been Hank Simms as announcer? Sounds like him . . . however, I'd date this ad as 1961-62. Because I seem to have read that the late-night "ABC News Final" began in 1961 and lasted to '63. (Not to mention the current ABC circle logo taking hold at the end of 1962.)
wmbrown6 2 years ago
That's true. That animated ABC logo, with the moving letters that fill the rectangular space as seen in this video which was used in 1961 and 1962 is what followed the Big "A" logo that was used from 1957 through 1960, and also had proceeded the ABC Circle logo that replaced it afterwards.
tbear4pa 2 years ago
Comment removed
tbear4pa 2 years ago