KYW Channel 3 [Philadelphia, PA] - Eyewitness News - "Savitch's Last Philly Newscast" (8/19/1977) 📺

Here's an edition of the 5:30pm Eyewitness News on KYW Channel 3 in Philadelphia, PA, which was the last co-anchored by Jessica Savitch before she joined NBC News as a reporter in Washington and Sunday news anchor in New York. Her other co-anchor was Roy Weissinger, and also featured are reports by Charles Bierbauer, Malcolm Poindexter, Jay Scott, Andy Gastmeyer, Sandy Starobin, Dick Sheeran, Don Fair, Robin Mackintosh and Tony Hernandez, and appearances by Vince Leonard and Jack Jones (later of WLS Channel 7 in Chicago).
Includes:
Tail end of preview
PSA for Temple University's Association for Retired Professionals - with Frank Tooke of Temple U.
Promo for Evening Magazine for 7pm (voiceover by Gary Geers - not to be confused with WLS Channel 7's Gary Gears)
Commercial: Ear Piercing at Gimbels
Animated station ID (voiceover by Gary Geers)
Opening titles (voiceover by ??)
Jessica opens newscast with news of thousands of Pennsylvania state workers walking off job in protest over not being paid; Charles Bierbauer reports on a Philadelphia demonstration, and Malcolm Poindexter reports on coordinated campaign by unions
Roy reports that walkout affected jails and hospitals in Western Pennsylvania, and introduces report by Pittsburgh station KDKA Channel 2's Jay Scott who in turn introduces report by Andy Gastmeyer
Sandy Starobin and Dick Sheeran in Harrisburg report on failure to pass state budget
Jessica reports on world and national news:
- Hubert Humphrey operated on in Minneapolis, diagnosed with terminal cancer
- Four people (including two sisters) shot to death in St. Louis; possibly triple murder and suicide
- Earthquake and tidal wave hit eastern part of Indonesia, no reports yet of death or destruction
In place of vacationing Bill Kuster, Jessica gives weather forecast
Jessica and Roy preview upcoming stories before break
Commercial: Exxon Dealers (voiceover by Peter Thomas)
Bumper with Data Bank (traffic conditions at I-95, Schuylkill and Roosevelt, plus mass transit and Conrail/Trenton rail service info)
Commercial: American Tourister Verylite (ending voiceover by Gary Geers)
Roy introduces special report on criminals preying on elderly by Don Fair
Roy reports on YM-YWHY guitar concert for Jewish Singles Group for August 24th, then introduces report by Robin Mackintosh on walkout by workers at Pennhurst State School and Hospital
Jessica and Roy preview upcoming Tony Hernandez fishing and dining report before break
Commercial: N.B. Liebman Furniture-Carpet Showcase Warehouse
Bumper with preview of 6pm edition
Commercial: Sugar Twin
Commercial: Haley's M-O Laxative Lubricant
Tony Hernandez completes a special report on fishing and dining
The rest of the newscast is devoted to Jessica's farewell, with a few words from her including her national news reports and anchoring to be aired over KYW, followed by outtake clips and comments from Atlantic City H.S. Principal William Vaunce, a brief appearance (from a vintage clip) by Al Meltzer, and (pre-taped) closing wishes from Vince Leonard.
With that, they pass the baton to Jack Jones who previews the stories of the 6pm newscast.
Commercial: Serta Sale Time at Gimbels
Promo for The Mike Douglas Show for 4pm, with Kate Jackson co-hosting for week beginning Monday, August 22nd (ending voiceover by Gary Geers)
Brief commercial for Caton ginger ale and tonic water (voiceover by Gary Geers)
Animated station ID (voiceover by Gary Geers)
Opening titles (voiceover by ??; Vince Leonard is off so Jack anchors by himself)
Jack opens with Pennsylvania state workers' walkout and start of Charles Bierbauer report, before tape cuts out
"I find myself in the unique position of leaving and staying at the same time."
This aired on local Philadelphia TV on Friday, August 19th 1977 during the 5:29pm to 6:01pm timeframe.
This footage was donated to the MCCTv as part of the Savitch Family Collection.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The Museum of Classic Chicago Television's primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s and early 80s, primarily) recorded off of any and all Chicago TV channels; footage which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical purposes. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to DVD, and to view more of the 4,700+ (and counting) video clips available for viewing in our online archive, please visit us at:
www.fuzzymemories.tv/index.php...

[@henrystowe6217]

I like the way they covered news back then. You really had to listen to find bias in the local broadcasts. There was, but the broadcast had a human touch and compelling coverage. Thank you for this wonderful nostalgia from an era long gone

[@dougfredricks2017]

A golden era. TV today is goat tripe 😂

[@lablaine1981]

​@@dougfredricks2017we had 4 channels I 🤔...2024 500+ channels and 😳🧩ing...

[@newstarcadefan]

You guys are awesome for digging up a lot of these time capsules. Even if some had a different connection. It still is wonderful to see a KYW Eyewitness Newscast from this era in tact.

[@paulwalker1443]

Thanks for this. A rare video for sure. Jessica's story has been told before, but this vid shows her at her peak. Just a heavy-duty big market local anchor who was destined for the network big-leagues. BTW, that was a super-cool KYW set. They don't make 'em like that anymore! The highlights of her KYW career at the end are terrific, and some were used in her biopic after her tragic death. What an interesting, yet sad look at someone with so much potential cut short.

[@jimduncan-qw6xo]

How you keep getting the late '70's stuff is awesome.

[@julesrandolph5687]

Jessica looked so happy and so filled with hope as she prepared to go to NBC News, which ultimately and unfortunately led to her downfall.

[@m.e.d.7997]

Some say she was sin over her head when she went national.Seemed happy in Philly.

[@KiddBloo86]

@@m.e.d.7997 I thought similarly watching her "this is prime time television folks" moment. I could read in her mannerisms "Why didn't I stay local?" going through her head.

[@dougfredricks2017]

RIP Jessica

[@hrtvfan2870]

Been great seeing these classic newscasts, especially the Jessica Savitch newscasts for KYW. Interestingly, Jessica would not be the only person in this newscast who would soon move to the big leagues, as Charles Bierbauer would soon move on to ABC News and then spent two decades as a CNN correspondent, including being Senior White House correspondent from 1984-93.

[@m.e.d.7997]

She was really beautiful.

[@colettenasielski1533]

I belive that Jessica Savich is in heaven now RIP

[@jeromelombardo6053]

1977 Living in West Philadelphia 50th Kershaw. What a great place to live back then. Take the 10 Trolly down town to Wanamakers eat lunch at the Crystal Tea Room.

[@gsnfan]

I remember just three days before this that I first heard the news of the death of Elvis Presley from Jessica.

[@wmbrown6]

Ironically, this final local KYW newscast of hers was before the first bulletins came in on the death of Groucho Marx - whose death ended up overshadowed by Elvis' anyway. (One Pittsburgh TV station anchor's report was something he himself would've quipped: "Groucho Marx has taken a turn for the worse - in fact, he died." That station, incidentally, was one where a certain Len Johnson worked before coming to WGN Channel 9 in the '60's.)

[@MrCraigblaze]

@@wmbrown6 And Jessica would be dead just 5 or so years later .?

[@wmbrown6]

@@MrCraigblaze - Six years after this.

[@kirkrasband]

Great quality!! Also love this news theme .

[@NEPatriot]

That is called "Streets of..." by Telesound. It's as classic a Philly TV news theme as WPVI's Move Closer To Your World, used on Action News, which it still uses.

[@davanmani556]

What affiliate?

[@NEPatriot]

ABC owned and operated. Was owned by Capital Cities Communications at the time of that newscast. Cap Cities merged with ABC in 1985.

[@wmbrown6]

Telesound. I thought there were some similarities to their "And You" package in some spots. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.

[@rwboa22]

@@davanmani556 at that time, KYW-TV was a Group W-owned station affiliated with NBC. In 1995, Westinghouse (the parent company of Group W) acquired a 51% stake in CBS and all of the Group W-owned stations were either switched from either ABC or NBC to CBS or were sold. As such, KYW-TV and WCAU-TV (a station owned and operated by CBS, yet was sold to NBC as FCC rules prohibited two TV stations carrying the same network programming) literally swapped programming, with KYW-TV becoming a CBS station and WCAU-TV becoming a NBC station.

[@newscenter5]

fantastic

[@RedArrow73]

I see they still had Vince Leonard voice-overs.

[@Raymel2366]

From one Eyewitness News cast to another. From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.

[@MisterB2eternity]

And both were owned by Group W/Westinghouse Broadcasting Company

[@lvdude8631]

And when Jay Scott left Pittsburgh, he went to yet another Eyewitness News - KXTV in Sacramento (they were Eyewitness News in the late 70s and early 80s when he was there, although they were never part of Group W).

[@chriscraft1334]

In a strange coincidence WTAE in Pittsburgh & WPVI in Philadelphia both have Action News & it's a coincidence that Philadelphia is the birthplace of Eyewitness News & Action News.

[@chriscraft1334]

​@@lvdude8631After KXTV in Sacramento he went on to WCAU also in Philadelphia.

[@chriscraft1334]

@Raymel2366 coincidentally WTAE in Pittsburgh & WPVI in Philadelphia both have Action News.

[@rwboa22]

Besides the video having Jessica Savitch in it, the top story of the newscast was reported by none other than Charles Bierbaurer, who would later go to work for ABC News and then CNN (when both were still reputable news outlets).

[@drewhunkins7192]

In the early 1980s she put together an enthralling and spectacular documentary on NFL football, gambling, possible game fixing and the outlaw line. One of the best things I've ever seen on the internet. It's extremely difficult to find online. I've seen it on KZbin only to disappear then reappear then disappear, etc.

[@ajk]

wonder if that's why she died later......too close to the truth

[@drewhunkins7192]

@@ajk Yeah, there's speculation that she was rubbed out. I'm not sure.

[@itscringecat]

R.I.P

[@RedPolarBearRanger]

I seen the story about Savitch in the 90’s as a kid when she’s worked for KYW it was a decade before it went from NBC to CBS. This was a year before I was born it was sad her life was cut short.

[@thunderlightning1980]

NBC to PBS. She worked in both NBC and PBS. (NBC from 1978-1983 and PBS in 1983).

[@RedPolarBearRanger]

@@thunderlightning1980 no I’m talking about KYW was NBC then CBS not PBS. But yes she did work for PBS before she died.

[@thunderlightning1980]

@@RedPolarBearRanger Oh, KYW. Oh, nevermind.

[@closetedhippie]

2:24 a pre CNN Charles Bierbauer.

[@JCNDCIII]

The lighting is terrible on Jessica as she reads her goodbye. Her key shot was much better. It's interesting Jessica is reading about Hubert Humphrey who would die a few months later. Unfortunately for Jessica her live coverage of Humphrey lying in state in the Capitol rotunda did not go well. Not her fault exactly as she had just joined NBC News and was still learning the ropes.

[@70sleftover]

Thanks for sharing this. 1977 was a lousy year in my memory, and this single news report reminds me why. Wasn't Channel 3 the first to go full videotape and was that around this time? I definitely recall that Eyewitness News set, with the wall telephone visible on the curved desk. I associate it with Beverly Williams, which I guess was after Savitch left for the big time.

[@j.r.g.3849]

From what I read someplace, KYW (Channel 3) was the first in Philly to go full ENG. WCAU and WPVI were early users of the technology, but KYW went from all film to all videotape within a year or 2. It took longer for channels 6 or 10 to get rid of their last film camera.

[@70sleftover]

@@j.r.g.3849 I think the story was KYW (was it during their "disco news" attempt a year or two after this?) raced to go all tape and that ended up causing some major editing headaches when the mobile news vans returned with reams of tape. Like the digital camera decades later the freedom and seemingly limitless recording videotape provided also encouraged very quickly its overuse.

[@michaeldemenchuk6988]

@@70sleftover This is such a professional newscast and makes what WPVI was doing at the time look kind of small-market. They must have messed up something fierce to have let Channel 6 basically kick their butts into the next century.

[@70sleftover]

@@michaeldemenchuk6988 I agree with you. I actually don't recall Channel 3 being on top of the news ratings at the time, but read about that years later. It seemed by the late 1970s the entire Delaware Valley - except my family and a few others - was impressed by rapid-fire Action News with its between-story haha chatter and laughter among their on-air personalities.

[@darkridedan1]

@@michaeldemenchuk6988 Channel 6 and Channel 3 went back and fourth in the number 1 spots during the Savitch era, but Channel 6 was number 1 within 6 months of the debut of Action News in 71. Channel 3 had a reign at number 1 in the 60’s with the debut of Eyewitness News. Prior to that, Channel 10 dominated. Ever since, 6 has dominated. Not even their biased reporting of world events beginning in 2016 seemed to make an effect. Now we’re post Jim Gardner. It’s too early to tell what’s next.

[@usa02]

Roy Weissinger would later go on to WEWS in Cleveland where he remained there until his retirement in 1998.

[@elllsss828]

He's still in Cleveland 22 years later...

[@franciscogarcia7113]

A year before John Wayne gacy gets caught

[@TheMrlocalcelebrity1]

I am glad you uploaded this. I believe you might want to change the date. You got September instead of August.

[@FuzzyMemoriesTV]

Corrected. Thanks! :-)

[@dirkdarwin2571]

WHOA. I'm a retired professional, sitting around doing nothing, bored with inactivity, anxious to get involved.

[@Perririri]

But we're you born in 1912 or before?

[@wmbrown6]

How many who saw this would notice the pic quality in the news set as representative of RCA TK-44A/B cameras (which KYW used during this period)? I for one can see the difference (WPVI Channel 6 then still had Norelco PC-70's, and WCAU Channel 10 was transitioning to Thomson TTV-1518's.)

[@TheMrlocalcelebrity1]

Do you think you can upload a newscast from 1977 from WPVI with Jim Gardner?

[@DrRussPhd]

Action Jim with Gardner News?

[@MisterB2eternity]

@@DrRussPhd hahahahahahaha

[@fairfaxcat1312]

Stupid framing of the story by Channel 3. How on earth does is the mayor responsible for the absent state budget and state worker paychecks?

[@LaurenLover81]

The date says 8/23/77, so that would’ve been a Tuesday, then I see August 19 which was Friday in the description.

[@FuzzyMemoriesTV]

Doh! Sorry; really screwed it up. It's fixed now, thanks.

[@LaurenLover81]

The Museum of Classic Chicago Television (www.FuzzyMemories.TV) no problem

[@wmbrown6]

The news about Hubert Humphrey was the key to unlocking when this was. That and Ms. Savitch's Wiki bio.

[@JohnnyBeane]

😂@9:29

[@DrRussPhd]

Mayor Frank Rizzo, thug cop who got elected to City Hall. Activist Milton Street, who would become mayor and burn down a few blocks of the city trying to remove some black separatists by having his cops drop a bomb on the roof of their building. Jessica Savitch, who in 7 years from this broadcast would wind up in the Delaware canal in New Hope PA , trapped inside her car. This sure brings back memories.

[@70sleftover]

Not Milton but his brother John Street became mayor, but not until well after W. Wilson Goode's tenure, which was when the May 1985 Osage Ave. MOVE eviction disaster happened. And despite that, Goode was reelected.

[@charlesgracie6949]

Philly still suffering from same party rule since the early 50s-mostly hack politicians; low accountability and zero leadership!