WILX-TV 10 Action News 1979

This is a short video, using still photographs I had taken on two different days during my job as a TV video news photographer at WILX-TV in January of 1979. The news program's "theme music" at the time was Henry Mancini's "Symphonic Soul." This is how small market TV stations (and some larger ones as well) wished to present themselves, especially in their choice of "theme music." I edited this on Windows Movie Maker, so forgive me if my cuts-on-the-beat aren't up to my usual standards.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Jackson Michigan
• WILX TV
• TV-10 Action News
• TV News Reporters
• TV News Anchors

[sr71ablackbird]

Ahh, the good old days. NO PCs back then like we have today. Just a typewriter, rotary multi-line phone and some tvs (2 of which I have are still b&w, and a color one that runs on vaccum tubes & has "fine tuning" around the channel selector) in there with the only remote was called your own hand & last but not least, those glass coke bottles in the wooden case. All of that brings back some memories. i wonder what the children of today would do if that was all they had ? no iphones, no pcs...

[roberto5247]

@sr71ablackbird LOL!!! Let's not forget those wonderful one- and two-inch videotape machines! Or those Sony 1600 cameras with the single pickup tube that had to be lugged around with separate 3/4" decks and the CCU for white balancing. In fact, the big cameras in the studio also used pickup tubes. Or, how about those editing decks with the pre-roll setup? The reporting, news gathering, broadcasting and the like today, however, seems to be just as bad -- if not worse -- than it was back then.

[smpage09]

Please! Please post any additional clips you might have of WILX-TV. Lansing is a small but wonderful market and I would love to see more of its history. I would like to see different news cast openings, etc. I really appreciate you posting it!

[roberto5247]

Hi. Unfortunately, this is all I have of my days working at WILX-TV. The station never kept good quality records of their broadcasts -- I doubt the newscasts of 30 years ago exist anymore. I am hoping some former colleagues will find this video and perhaps be of some help in providing anything that could be of use to you. I appreciate your interest and will continue to find any other material that can supplement this video.

[ichorz]

Nice work Robb! I'd seen the stills before, but you've crafted them into a story and the choice of music was just right as you'd thought.

[roberto5247]

Thanks, Mike. The music lent itself in allowing me to construct the images in a "three-act structure," which befits the day-to-day operation of the station -- the noon, six and eleven newscasts.

[lugnuts6]

omg.I Salute you! that brung back memories, only thing missing the old action news "Lightning bolt" logo im still scouring some old Jackson Citizen pats for that , and so far ..ive found some old ten logos but the elusive "lightning bolt" remains elusive....post more brother post more !!!