WABC Eyewitness News Round-Up, Morning Message, and sign-off (July 14, 1983)

Here is a vintage overnight audio-only news recap from channel 7 Eyewitness News in New York. Also includes a few PSAs from Alcoholics Anonymous, the United Negro College Fund, Women's American ORT, the NY State Division of Substance Abuse Services, The President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, the Hearing HelpLine, the Family Association of America, Deborah Heart and Lung Center, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the NYC Mayor's Task Force on Graffiti. Then, following the Morning Message from the Rev. Msgr. James W. Asip of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, WABC signs off for the night.

[@AndyUpdale]

I do remember the earliest date I seen WABC TV use the US Marine Corps film for the SSB was when Ch 7 signed off the air early Saturday morning July 23rd, 1983!

[@LogoMan7777]

15:39 - Card Sharks at 10:30? Must have been syndicated second-run.

[@AndyUpdale]

The first time I remember WABC TV Ch 7 using the US Marine Corps SSB film was after the same late Friday/early Saturday July 23rd, 1983 when "New York Hot Tracks" first premiered!

[@DanZero77]

What a rare thing this is to see! I don't think I ever saw a news-sign off anywhere on here from WABC yet (plenty of examples from the other NY stations especially WNEW) as well as the Moog SSB!

[@wmbrown6]

There's a sign-off newscast from this station from 1982 (read by Tedd Lawrence).

[@AndyUpdale]

There's also a sign off newscast on WNBC TV Ch 4 from March 1980 voiced by Don Pardo!

[@wmbrown6]

@@AndyUpdale - And from late August 1979, by Bill Rippe.

[@AndyUpdale]

And WNBC TV from June 1986 voiced by Fred Facey!

[@wmbrown6]

@@AndyUpdale - Wait a minute, the news on that sign-off was done by Bill Wolff - better known as the announcer for the soap "Another World."

[@jareddicarlo7816]

The music in the Family Service commercial was also used by WFLD in Chicago for their sermonettes in the late 80s.

[@AndyUpdale]

I only wish that someone can locate a video air check of WABC TV signing on or off the air from the early 1970's with the "Morning Prayer" sermon!

[@wmbrown6]

@@AndyUpdale- There's one from 1982 with "Father" Tedd Lawrence, off-screen, doing the sermon. From about the early 1960's to 1983, staff announcers handled sermonettes "in cooperation with" such entities as the Communications Office of the Archdiocese of New York, the New York Board of Rabbis, and the Council of Churches of the City of New York, apparently initially as an economy measure (they did have "people of the cloth," on-camera, handling such sermonettes before sign-off or during sign-on, in the late 1950's).

[@AndyUpdale]

I recall WABC TV Ch 7 starting to show "Morning Message" in the Fall of 1982!@@wmbrown6

[@wmbrown6]

Bob Lloyd was the announcer on duty at the time the station signed off on this, the anniversary of Bastille Day. Too bad the volume is so low. But it is a treasure, for sure. At what point would WABC have ceased to use this Moog SSB, perchance? And wouldn't this have been one of their last-ever sign-off newscasts?

[@AndyUpdale]

I believe that WABC TV stopped using the MOOG SSB around July 22nd or 23rd, 1983.

[@wmbrown6]

@@AndyUpdale - At around what time would WABC have stopped doing sign-off newscasts, would you know?

[@AndyUpdale]

For a while there was it true that WOR TV Ch 9 started using the MOOG SSB in late 1974?

[@wmbrown6]

@@AndyUpdale - 1974-75. Someone put up a sign-on dated 1975 where Art Helmer was the announcer.

[@AndyUpdale]

Probably early 1985!

[@vln2012]

He was the announcer on the early episodes of dark shadows

[@wmbrown6]

And handled sponsor billboards in the early years of "One Life to Live."

[@NEPatriot]

Wow...40 years ago, when I was 9. I could tell stories about the Mianus River Bridge collapse and the traffic nightmares it caused..

[@mp1323]

Best ASMR video 📹 👌

[@mikesmemoriesfromthepast89]

Different announcer of WABC. That was Bob Lloyd.

[@wmbrown6]

He was among the rotational core of ABC announcers who handled the evening to sign-off shift at WABC-TV; a group that included Tedd Lawrence, Wally Parker, Ed Williams, and Allan Jefferys. (Until the late 1970's, so did Ed Jordan.) Mr. Lloyd had been with ABC since at least the mid-1960's; he handled announcing duties for "Dark Shadows" in its early years, as well as for "One Life to Live." Mr. Jefferys' voice sounded a bit similar to Mr. Lloyd's, only a bit more nasal.

[@AndyUpdale]

Bob Lloyd's voice sounded almost like Tom Gregory from WNEW TV Ch 5! @@wmbrown6

[@wmbrown6]

@@AndyUpdale - A former WABC Musicradio 77 DJ, Frank Kingston Smith, called Mr. Lloyd "The Sleepwalker" because, in the former's estimation, the latter always sounded tired when doing the :55 and :25 news updates during Smith's shift.

[@AndyUpdale]

If I am not mistaking, wasn't Jim Perry the overnight News updates on 77 WABC Radio? @@wmbrown6

[@mikemercer2394]

Bob Lloyd's easy going voice for sure

[@julianpulido1]

When did WABC switched to the 49 star American flag getting raised down Star Spangled Banner video?

[@wmbrown6]

Not long after this. Probably the fall.

[@NEPatriot]

@@wmbrown6 Probably from the condition of the film, it mad sense.

[@AndyUpdale]

July 23rd, 1983!

[@AndyUpdale]

Did WABC TV Ch7 start using the MOOG SSB in the Fall of 1976?

[@davidchildress6432]

If they did that sign off now it would be different

[@joshgalka9414]

rare

[@jareddicarlo7816]

Reverend Asip died in May 2005.