WABC 1979 - Roger and Bill's anniversary

From the end of a 1979 Eyewitness News broadcast, Storm Field tosses to Joel Siegel who has a surprise for Roger Grimsby and Bill Beutel. It turns out it's their anniversary - their ninth, to be exact, which means they're entering their tenth year together. (Announcer Gil Hodges mistakenly announces that it's the tenth. It isn't.)

It starts out simply enough. Joel drags out the old clips, the basic biography, the normal anniversary stuff. Then it gets silly, as he begins to tell the tale of two lower east side newsboys who worked together in their youth... complete with doctored photographs in the age before Photoshop.

It ends with the expected circle-7 cake... and a long "Still the One" vocal close - not the original song, but the JAM Creative rendition used by the network at the time.

Finally, one will notice the implied notion that Eyewitness News began with Roger and Bill. It didn't - Roger was there two years before Bill, who was brought in essentially to serve as a counter to Roger's constant sarcasm. However, in most references to the station's history 7 would make this erroneous claim.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• WABC
• 1979
• Roger
• Grimsby
• Bill
• Beutel
• Joel
• Siegel
• Lower
• East
• Side
• Newsboys

[wmbrown6]

Seems some of the "doctored" photos, in the way they were presented, showed something of the "Monty Python" influence (a la animator Terry Gilliam).

[Myrolex]

It is surreal to look at this... these were the best days of EWN. So many for the former members are no longer with us. Thanks for posting this!

[tyrese3745]

4:58 - There's Ernie Anastos, but where's Roseann Scamadella?

[XBoeingCapt]

rip guys you were the best

[dinfg6]

I want to see Grimsby actually anchoring the News at KGO-TV in San Francisco. I noticed Grimsby coined the Happy Talk Format of ABC O&O's like KGO and WABC as Kickers Guts and Orgasms standing for his criticism of KGO's Management before Van Amburg took over his San Francisco Spot. and ABC moved Grimsby to WABC.

[wiedep]

who is that @ 4:07?

[vince065us]

Frick and Frack:)

[thelatebrianjones]

@StukInBuf

That seems so much more ominous in retrospect than it must have in October 1979

[punstress]

Anybody understand what Storm says in the beginning?

[joebradio]

I guess this piece chose to omit the time that Butel left for AM America

[dinfg6]

Thanks for correction.

[nynewsguy7]

Applegate never work for WFLD, but he become VP and GM at KCBS in LA after WBBM.

[recto89]

What happened to Roger Grimsby's KGO co-anchors like Bob Young and Bob Dunn. Because when Grimsby was reassigned to WABC by ABC management in 1968 or 1969 his KGO seat was taken by Ray Tannehill, Jerry Jensen and VanAmburg and Newsbeat and News Scene became the format in the Bay Area. Wasn't the reason that Grimsby came to WABC from KGO was that Grimsby did not get along with the KGO Management. and the KGO GM in 1967 -1968 wanted him out.

[recto89]

I wish we saw more Grimsby clips from KGO-TV with his old Collegue with Bob Dunn

[johnissoevil]

At 6:43, Ernie tells Roger and Bill "Keep fucking that chicken."

[johnissoevil]

And what about their days as teachers in elementary school? I'm sure Charles Gibson from ABC News has fond memories of being sent to the principal's office by Mr. Grimsby many times.

[wmbrown6]

It was Grimsby and Beutel's tenth season at the time. Very big difference from how many years they co-anchored the newscast up to that point.

[giles422]

sweet

[UTAOUB]

Gee -- they included just about EVERYTHING in Bill & Roger's life up till then. Everything, except....WHY did they leave out Bill's exclusive interview with Adam and Eve....and Roger's even MORE exclusive interview....with God! THESE things should have been included!!!!!! : )

[UTAOUB]

WHO says news can't be Funny? Involving? Creative? WHO wrote this classic? Joel Seigel? (Or who?) I hope Storm Field, (who looks EXACTLY the same...except for the hair!), and others around at the original broadcast, have seen this! It's a true classic! I'll always miss Roger and Bill! They gave the "funnies" to even the most serious news stories..."funnies" that translated, really, into HOPE! Thanx, R & B...& thanx, 2, to the creator of this GREAT video!!!!!!

[bankpank]

You are right about that. I stand corrected.

[wmbrown6]

@bankpank - Actually, when Roger first joined, he only anchored the 11 PM news (John Schubeck, later to anchor the news on all three Los Angeles network O&O's - not at the same time, alas - anchored the early evening news until April 1969 when Grimsby took over that newscast too). And prior to Bill joining him at the anchor desk, Roger's co-anchor, for less than a year, was Tom Dunn, later to join WOR-TV for the balance of RKO General's ownership (he left when station ownership changed in '87).

[bankpank]

HulkieD

Bill was there first. He started at WABC in 1962. He originally hosted a hour long 6:00 pm newscast called "the Big News". He was reassigned in 1968 to the ABC London bureau. Roger Joined WABC in 1968 as the main anchor. Then in 1970 Bill comes back and that''s when they first became co-anchors.

[mickeyboy77]

Good evening, I'm Roger Grimsby...here now, the NEWS.

[jody808]

memories of Eyewitness News in the seventies, good to see this clip

[davemock]

I love Doug Johnson's dig at an ex-colleague at 5:07: "Don't say the same thing Tex said about his cake." Tex Antoine lost his Channel 7 job due to a very inappropriate on-air comment..