KSTP News Theme, Cindy Brucato, Dennis Feltgen, Ed Karow - KSTP 1979

[wmbrown6]

This theme was penned by Tom Sellers and titled the "Action News Theme," first used in Philadelphia by WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV) in 1970 up to that station's adopting Al Ham's "Move Closer to Your World" as the opening music for their "Action News." The '5' used by KSTP back then looked almost like that used in the early 1970's by KTLA in Los Angeles - which also used Sellers' music when George Putnam anchored the news there in the '70's.

[autodrivex]

What the hell is that clip immediately after the grain facility? Some lady walking thru a dining area?

[jeremyweatherman]

They put previews of stories in the intro, so there was always a different beginning background.

[branigan22]

@autodrivex haha doesn't Mom and Grandma in the kitchen scream breaking news?

[applesauce2100]

Why didn't they have the downtown skyline as the opening picture of the broadcast?

[MSTLOM]

Damn!!! I really miss these good old days! This was my favorite News Set! And I really miss the Morse Code / NBC Intro! This was also back when Stan Jr had a "Full House" with Anchors and Reporters!

[badwx]

@MSTLOM I miss it too, alot! This was my favorite since they started using it back in 1971 or 1972.

Never could figure out the morse code thing. It must've been random, because I have no idea what "V-V-S" has to do with anything.

[MSTLOM]

I just sent an e-mail to KSTP's Technical Gents and asked them what the V V S was about!

[rexxdexx]

The Eyewitness News Font

Reminds me of Mary Tyler Moore

[chabba77]

I was wondering what the name of that font is. It's not quite the same as Peignot (sp?), which is the MTM font.

[MSTLOM]

It's called, Peignot.Font... And I like that font too.

[tcbluecollarguy1]

The last decent opening theme that KSTP ever used!

[tkaye2]

What's with the two old ladies in the dining room? (I know it's probably from a consumer advocate feature, but it just doesn't belong here!)

[tim12568]

even though this is a short cut of music, i love it

[willg550187415]

As I remember this was in the fall, a couple months after the switch from NBC to ABC.

[chabba77]

Was this before or after the network switcheroo?

[MSTLOM]

This was before the change to ABC. KSTP are in NBC Colors. After the change to ABC, the ABC logo went inside the round part of the "5"

[willg550187415]

That's true. However the logo color changes didn't happen until many months after the ABC change over. Also I didn't own a VCR until AFTER the change over.

[MSTLOM]

YOu may be right!! When was the changeover from NBC to ABC, bout 1982ish?? Or was it more like 1980?

[willg550187415]

KSTP started to pickup up some of the ABC shows over the summer as part of a transition. The complete changover was September of 1979 (just in time for the "new" TV season). This newscast was from the October/November timeframe.

[tigermark64]

Actually, I remember the exact changeover date. March 5, 1979 was when KSTP changed from NBC to ABC, KMSP changed from ABC to independent, and WTCN (now KARE) changed from independent to NBC. I heard about this change for days prior to th actual date. Perhaps it may have taken some time for the stations to complete the whole changeover.

[RTApril]

@tigermark64 Yep. You are right. It was a definitive date. I remember that date very well. It was a huge deal for NBC and WTCN.  They did the Today show from the IDS Center.

In the weeks leading up to the change, ads ran in all the local news papers about the change and what to expect. In the TV Weekly that came with the Sunday March 4, 1979 edition of the Minneapolis Tribune, the front cover had a confused TV set on it asking about the change.

[AarHan3]

The Action News Theme!! 8-)