KPIX San Francisco complete sign-off from December 12 1977

Oldest sign-off I've found so far, from what was likely a timer recording of a late-night movie. We get the Red Eye Theatre closing, last commercials from main sponsors Body Comfort and Cal Stereo, then an audio-only news update which was common at the time followed by an editorial and religious message followed by the sign-off announcement and America the Beautiful film.
Wondering what time this was, since they had the CBS Late Movie at 11:30 then two local movies afterwards. In the 80s they were still doing all-night movies and usually signed off at odd times close to 5 AM and then running color bars for less than an hour before signing on again. I never got this on tape then because of the odd hours and it rarely came in clear enough to tape, but was stoked to find this.

[@kurttoy5035]

It seems that all the other Group W stations' sign-offs are on KZbin except for KDKA-TV Pittsburgh.

[@luisreyes1963]

The good old days of late night TV sign-offs, now it's a toxic wasteland of infomercials.

[@visaman]

Not even infomercials anymore with overnight news shows not that anybody is up at 4 AM to watch them.

[@rtcp2020]

24/7 tv is the worst

[@ApartmentKing66]

Management, however, loves infomercials. That's guaranteed money, and a business can use all the revenue it can get.

[@luckylady320]

Station Identification From December 13, 1977 at 1:31.

[@jamieschmidt939]

This sign-off aired after the end of the movie "Here Come the Waves" (1944) at approximately 5:30am early Tues. 12/13/77. KPIX-5 would sign-on again a short time later at 6:00am with "Sunrise Semester".

[@TheMediaHoarder]

Yes, that was the movie but how did you recognize it from the last 2 seconds and then know when it was shown? Are you able to ID the date on the KTXL video I uploaded recently, showing the movie Duffy's Tavern sometime in January 1978?

[@jamieschmidt939]

@@TheMediaHoarder I looked it up using Newspaper Archives. Looking up the dates is my specialty. I enjoy researching this type of thing. I will check out the Duffy's Tavern video now.

[@TheMediaHoarder]

@@jamieschmidt939 Cool- I need to subscribe to that. But how did you recognize the movie just from that last 2 seconds? Odd that this tape is older now than that movie was when it was aired.

[@jamieschmidt939]

@@TheMediaHoarder Sarah Boucher found the date before I did, probably based on the news headlines.

[@DJHammerinhank]

I remember KPIX Channel 5 signing off at almost 6am in the olden days!!!!! Nowadays, they begin their early morning newscast at 4:30am. Boy, have times changed! :)

[@NEPatriot]

Well, this has a lot of things and then some...First that Red Eye Theater logo really emphasized KPIX's CBS affiliation; Then there's Tom Campbell, before he hosted the short-lived game show for Chuck Barris Camouflage; And for the sign-off, you can now add KPIX to the line-up playing America The Beautiful...by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

[@brentmann2988]

00:31 Tom Campbell had such a cool, distinctive voice. His Cal Stereo spots were legendary. He also did commercials for Matthew's TV & Stereo City. Sixty-four hundred Mission Street... Top of the Hill... Daly City. ;)

[@PlasmaCoolantLeak]

I remember Tom from KLOK in San Jose. I used to enjoy these late night movies from local stations in the SF Bay Area. Saw "Fail-Safe" on KPIX back in the early 70s.

[@brentmann2988]

@@PlasmaCoolantLeak I lived in the South Bay in the 70s and I used to listen to KLOK occasionally. My favorite station in San Jose back in the day was 106.5 KEZR.

[@AdamJ617]

OMG, the day I was Born.

[@17z483]

KTEH San Jose complete closedown from June 8 1998

[@pauljr.harrington1905]

That $142,000 reward for info leading to the arrests of the Hillside Stranglers duo is equivalent to a little over $610,000 in today’s money, so that was really huge. The Hillside Stranglers’ rampage lasted until February of 1978, having killed 10 people. Both men were captured in 1979. One of the stranglers, Angelo Buono, died in 2002, while the other, Kenneth Alessio Bianchi, is currently rotting in prison for the rest of his life.

[@benhallums146]

This Aired on Tuesday December 13, 1977 for KPIX-TV VIACOMCBS 5 SAN FRANCISCO, THE BAY AREA & WNW, CA.

[@TheMediaHoarder]

Looking up the listings, the annual airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas was on this day, followed by the animated Twas the Night Before Christmas- which I likely watched then, on this station. Back when CBS was magical.

[@TheMediaHoarder]

The CBS Late Movie that night was Joy in the Morning, and after that KPIX aired the movie-length pilot of "Night Gallery" as the first Red Eye Theatre feature. The last 5 minutes of that are at the start of this tape.

[@gladfan1989]

This is such a rare find.

[@erickpaolosantos7016]

KNBC TV 4 Los Angeles was used the sign off followed by America the Beautiful

[@gsnfan]

Tom Campbell briefly hosted the 1980 version of Camouflage

[@RickEarthplay]

I was thrilled to discover your channel. I wonder if it is possible to get the first 15 minutes of the NEWs for Dec 12 1977? The Sausalito Houseboat wars. I recall seeing myself on the 6 o'clock news, front and center. thanks.

[@SDGamer638]

There is one typo in this sign off…the word “conjunction” in the STL disclaimer leaves out the “n”!

[@jareddicarlo7816]

Awesome clip! Now we have sign-offs from all the major affiliates in San Francisco.

[@jareddicarlo7816]

Never mind, I don’t think we have one from KNTV yet, although that’s technically more of a San Jose station.

[@TheMediaHoarder]

@@jareddicarlo7816 That was ABC back then. When we lived in the area we got ABC on both them and ABC-owned KGO, always seemed redundant.

[@mharris5047]

@@TheMediaHoarder San Jose was considered a separate media market back then with the Santa Cruz area. Sometime after that San Jose was moved to the San Francisco Bay Area media market. To this day there is an NBC affiliate in the San Jose area.

[@benhallums146]

KPIX-TV VIACOMCBS 5 SAN FRANCISCO & THE BAY AREA & WNW CA.

[@ReturnofTheBunny]

This is from nearly 10 years before I was born and Red Eye Theater was long gone by then clearly, which is a shame because that logo is so clever. I searched "KPIX Red Eye Theater" and got nothing. ☹

[@TheMediaHoarder]

They were still doing all-night movies in 1987, but I don't think it was under any name by then.

[@user-ip8kv3ym1o]

The Black And White Paramount Logo Came From A 1910 Movie Before KPIX (San Francisco) Sign Off For The Night!

[@erickpaolosantos7016]

KPIX Called sign named after the Channel 11 CW Stations in New York is WPIX TV

[@TheMediaHoarder]

They were Westinghouse back then, there was no such thing as CW and the world was a much better place for it.

[@erickpaolosantos7016]

The CW Television network owned by ViacomCBS and merger with Warner Media (Formerly Time Warner)

[@wmbrown6]

@@TheMediaHoarder - KPIX, however, first signed on years before Westinghouse took over the station - and one year after WPIX' 1948 launch. Neither station was corporately connected, though.

[@ApartmentKing66]

@@wmbrown6 Actually, KPIX signed on Christmas 1948. The station was put on the air by Wesley I. Dumm and Phil Lasky of Associated Broadcasters, owners of KSFO. KPIX's first transmitter site was on top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel on San Francisco's Nob Hill. KPIX's transmitter was on top of the Mark because KSFO's and KPIX's studios were at the bottom of the Mark (KYA would occupy this space in the 60s and 70s). In 1952, KSFO and KPIX would move to Van Ness Ave., although KSFO wouldn't stay long: Gene Autry's Golden West Broadcasters would buy KSFO in 1955 and move the radio station to the Fairmont Hotel. KPIX, however, would remain at the Van Ness facility until 1979 when the move to 855 Battery was made. I'm guessing that Westinghouse bought the station and moved it, although just when, I don't know.

[@wmbrown6]

@@ApartmentKing66 - Ah, so about six months or so after WPIX New York. But again, neither station is or was related to each other.

[@Wizardof]

SO... what film format were these originally made onto? How did you upload 'em?

[@TheMediaHoarder]

This was on Beta. I transfer everything using a consumer DVD recorder to get the material onto the computer.

[@rtcp2020]

@@TheMediaHoarder when did VHS surpass Beta?

[@gidzmobug2323]

I think Dave MacIlhatton is in the signoff pic. Who is the other man?

[@joshgalka9414]

6:39 Is the sign off... NICE SLIDE USED, BY THE WAY!

[@kresblain]

Was that Harold Greene sitting opposite Dave McElhatton?! I knew he was channel hopping across So Cal, but in the Bay Area? That's a surprise.

[@joshgalka9414]

Could Be!

[@joshgalka9414]

Maybe it's not Harold Greene...

[@lvdude8631]

@@kresblain Yes it was Harold. He had a short stint at KPIX. The man reading the Eyewitness News headlines sounds like it could be Harold as well. Can anybody confirm?

[@RolloSmokes]

@@lvdude8631 Greene was at KPIX from October 1977 to May 1978, as 6 and 11 PM co-anchor with McElhatton.

[@lvdude8631]

Was this supposed to be the Bay Area's equivalent to Night Comfort Theatre?

[@TheMediaHoarder]

Channel 36's Movies Til Dawn, sponsored by MMM Carpets, was probably closer. They were an independent station like KTXL, KPIX was a CBS affiliate.

[@lvdude8631]

@@TheMediaHoarder I was thinking because of the waterbeds. I grew up on all three stations and I do remember MMM Carpets Movies Til Dawn but was Gary Ferry's earlier late movie show fully sponsored by MMM or were he and his then partner Channel 36 employees?

[@joshuagalka3526]

6:38

[@chasebakerofthe209]

Why couldn't they use the entire "America the Beautiful" song?

[@ApartmentKing66]

Too long

[@rtcp2020]

When did KPIX become 24/7?

[@PlayaPotna1984]

In the 90s I think with CBS running overnight news. They still signed off late night weekends then.

[@rtcp2020]

@@PlayaPotna1984 I’m talking when did they stop signing off at weekdays

[@crazycoollady]

@@PlayaPotna1984 Around what year did they become 24/7?