WAFF-TV Disco Shaft Sign Off - Before the Station Burned

WAFF-TV Channel 48 in Huntsville, Alabama concludes another broadcast day. This video is ca. 1981-1982. This was used when the station was still located in the original Huntsville location on Governors Drive on the mountain. This location was destroyed by a fire in 1982. Because the station was destroyed recordings of WAFF-TV from this era can be hard to find.
The Grass Valley video switcher seen at :55 and very briefly at 1:16 is the same model that was used as a prop in the original Star Wars. It was used as the control panel for the planet destroyer on the Death Star.
The music is a disco version of the Theme from Shaft by Love Unlimited Orchestra. You can hear the full version at:
• Theme From "Shaft" (Di...

[@cluny]

London House disco, Denver, by microburb of Glendale Colo, 1978 era. The 1:50 oclock Lights up, bar closing theme was Disco Star Wars.

[@90sNath]

I beat in November of 82 when the fire happened people were like. Wait what! What happened! There's no sign off!

[@CameraBryan]

They didn't even get to see the ending of Quincy.

[@90sNath]

CameraBryan wait you remember what was on when the fire happened?

[@TheRootifiedGamein]

After this was done the helicopter was the start of the national anthem then the channel ID

[@TheRootifiedGamein]

There was a sign off

[@mariepavlov9144]

the fire at WAFF took place in Spring 1982, the ending of Quincy wouldn't come until the very next year to make room for St. Elsewhere at Wednesdays 10pm.

[@TylersNeighborhoodGarage]

Haha...you don't have to strain hard to hear the theme from "Shaft"

[@CameraBryan]

I'm glad it's not just me. Who's the news machine...

[@CameraBryan]

Possibly by Love Unlimited Orchestra

[@EricEbac22]

Well, Shaft was one bad mother.....

[@CrestwoodRocks]

The Love Unlimited Orchestra - Theme from Shaft

[@TimBoyd2012]

Shut your mouth!

[@baylinkdashyt]

Everybody *says* they have the Death Star switcher... but yours appears actually to *be* a 1600-3J (or -3K; I'm not sure you can tell them apart from the panel). #nice

[@bethmosher3598]

Coolest sign-off EVER

[@fredicagoillanoise1309]

This was during the NBC Network slogan campaign "Our Pride Is Showing", I remember as a kid we had the same type of promo in Chicago for WMAQ Channel 5.

[@bethdacattfm477]

I thought it said "Our Friday Showing".

[@allentheseganintendofan2007]

It was our pride is showing

[@TheComputerParts]

Oh, it goes like "Channel 5, Our Pride is Showing!", This one goes like "Forty-eight, Our Pride is Showing!"

[@fredicagoillanoise1309]

@@TheComputerParts Exactly. I guess whatever agency creating the promos made personalized packages for every station.

[@VectraQS]

One of my favorite sign-off sequences. I love these kinds of pieces that are edited to change along with the beat of the music. It's a shame a better copy doesn't exist (though simultaneously, it's a miracle that this copy exists). What kind of tape did this come off of? Almost looks like bad 3/4" to me.

[@CameraBryan]

This may have come off of a VHS dub of a 3/4" copy many generations old. I forgot exactly which tape it came from. It could have come off of a 3/4" tape, but would have been a few generations old. A lot of WAFF-TV from this era doesn't exist because the station burned down in 1982. Somewhere I have a VHS tape that has a complete newscast. I saved it when around 1988 I stumbled on a 3/4" tape someone had made to record Saturday Night Live, and they started the tape recording before the news for some reason. (It was the episode where Steve Martin performed King Tut.). There may be another floating around, but as far as I know it's the only complete newscast recording of WAFF from before the fire.

[@dougfredricks2017]

From the good old days of 📺 😃

[@johnmiller8338]

waff-tv burned-down really gee i didn't know that.

[@CameraBryan]

The fire was in 1982. The transmitter today is where the original building stood. I've been there a few times and outside on the slab I can still see they layout of the first floor of the old station.

[@Squishbites]

The WAFF fire preshow

[@lavontreyclarke3285]

"WAFF, TV48 in Huntsville, Alabama, now concludes another day of broadcasting. We invite you to join us later this morning for more of the best in programming from the NBC Television Network and WAFF."

[@TheComputerParts]

Do you have the full station id of 48 from 1981-'82 (Our Pride is Showing)?

[@CameraBryan]

It might be on some tapes I have that I haven't been able to convert. I have a couple of boxes of 3/4" unconverted.

[@CindyWu1665]

This seems hip

[@binmanz751]

Song name?😍😍

[@CameraBryan]

Disco version of Shaft

[@binmanz751]

Thanks!

[@scottb2020]

@@CameraBryan I think it's the version by Love Unlimited Orchestra.

[@TimBoyd2012]

How was the fire caused?

[@CameraBryan]

I don't know if it was ever officially determined, but it's believed to of happened in a storage room in the upstairs (normally unoccupied at night) where there was a lot of wiring and there was also a lot of paper, including the logs, was stored.

[@somethingiguess9783]

Probably a wire short.

[@MonkeyRatSaq]

Still confused about the fire? Learn more by watching this KZbin video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmmcnKxrlN6Kr7s&t

[@eascec8374]

Did It Show A Technical Difficulty Slide During The Fire?

[@rayray2613]

TimBoyd2012 i heard a rumor a disgruntled employee set the fire. They couldn’t prove it. I worked at 48 back in the 90’s.

[@johnmiller8338]

waff-tv channel-48 Huntsville/decatur alabama home of the channel-48 news-team weeknights on channel-48 Huntsville decatur alabama.

[@austinstitzel]

I'm going to guess that you are a Sagittarius.

[@vinniemorciglio4632]

Not Disco, SHAFT!!!