WREG 10pm Weekend Newscast 1979

[kstarpictures]

BTW, interesting shot of Memphis International Airport's terminal as it was in 1979.  Not much has changed. IIRC, it opened in 1963.

[kstarpictures]

So it appears that WPTY initially tried to capture the spirit of every preexisting newscast in Memphis. They used both "News Watch" (WREG) and "Eyewitness News" (WHBQ) early in their history as an ABC affiliate.

[soulgirl66]

Yikes I remember that old logo at the beginning! Feeling old now :(

I remember Mr. Dorman speaking at my third grade class!

[kstarpictures]

@soulgirl66 Yep, that cool looking 3 logo had quite a bit of longevity. I can tell from old Memphis area TV Guides that they were using it as far back as the early 70's. Could even be older, as you can see by 1979 the design was already a bit dated... with the 60's style "star" motif and the red/green/blue coloring that suggests the transition from black and white to color, which would have happened a decade prior to this clip.

[soulgirl66]

@kstarpictures The logo has got a new life on Channel 3s new digital channel (3.3 Antenna TV).

[kstarpictures]

@soulgirl66 That's cool! I love it when TV stations acknowledge their own legacy.

[tonygall0]

Paul Dorman was my Great-Grandfather, he was a great man and he is missed by myself and the rest of his family.

[sctvhound]

Look at the suit and top coat he's wearing. Looks like the 50's.

[shaunfossett]

RIP Paul Dorman. He passed away on July 22, 2009.

[fedexrazorback]

Man this brings back old memories. I can remember when Paul Dorman would do the weather (sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer) and Russ Hodge would do the news.

[newsboyarizona]

Pretty sure that was Harv Stegman doing the announce on the ID and maybe the open too.

[michaeltstroud]

Dorman seems a bit stentorian and droning, even for pre-1980s newscasts. That must have been WREG's dominant style (i.e., its standard), particularly when you consider that channel 3 was (and still is) a CBS affiliate, with a network that, in those days, self-consciously cultivated a serious, even grave, approach to newsreading.

[blklthrtn]

Amazing when you look and this news open and the 1978 WFAA news open how similar they are.

Both feature City Hall/County CourtHouse, Football/Stadlums, and Airports at night,and traffic!!!!!

I have never seen footage of the fountain at City Hall before the trolley tracks were put in.

[gsnman]

I miss old-school intros such as channel 3's!