WLS Channel 7 - Eyewitness News (Ending of 5pm and Complete Broadcast of 6pm Edition, 12/15/1980) 📺

Here's the last few minutes of the 5pm edition (anchored by Fahey Flynn and Joel Daly), and all of the 6pm edition (anchored by Diane Allen and Kim Peterson), of Eyewitness News on WLS Channel 7. (A bonus will follow.)
Includes:
Recording coming in within report by Frank Mathie on Santa cabbie resembling Roosevelt Lambert
Steve Deshler weather
Kim previews 6pm edition, then Fahey and Joel close newscast
(ABC World News Tonight aired afterwards, posted separately: • ABC News - World News ... )
Diane and Kim preview 6pm newscast, followed by open (voiceover by Al Parker)
- All four suspects in murder of Anthony Hopfner are apprehended; Diane Lawson reports
- Bob Petty with Chicago police on homicide tally
- New York subways unveil new canine patrol to fight crime
Commercials for:
Jontue by Revlon
Manischewitz wines
Convenient Food Mart
Marshall Field's (posted separately here: • Marshall Field's - "Ma... )
- Hugh Hill on Mayor Byrne's call for 44th Ward Alderman Gerald Shay to resign
- 25th Ward Alderman Vito Marzullo laughs at reports she wants to replace him
- Jack Jones on controversy over remarks by Rev. Jesse Jackson regarding Chicago School Superintendent position
Commercials for:
Sharp Microprocessors
Snapper snowplow
American Express card (take it to Merrill Chase)
ON TV
- RTA hit with new headaches in form of structural defects in their Grumman 870's
- Semi trailer truck with 6,000 gallons of gas tips over at Carol Stream, leading to evacuation of apartment complex and shopping center
- North and northwest suburbs allowed to tap into Lake Michigan; Jim Ramsey speaks with La Grange residents about water situation
- Northern Indiana Public Service Co. will not raise gas heating bills as much as expected
- Saudi Arabia increases oil prices to $32 a barrel during OPEC meeting in Indonesia
- Treasury Dept. considering overhaul of appearance of Susan B. Anthony dollar
- Seven on Your Side's Roberta Baskin helps good Samaritan (posted separately here: • WLS Channel 7 - Eyewit... )
Commercials for:
Charlie fragrance (with Shelley Hack)
Ray-O-Vac (posted separately here: • Ray-O-Vac - "Christmas... )
Suitery clothiers
Ponderosa Steakhouse - "Gift Certificates" (posted separately here: • Ponderosa Steakhouse -... )
- Robin Orr explains her departure as Nancy Reagan's press secretary
- Phyllis George Brown explains why she put on 60 pounds after having a baby
- Cheryl Tiegs speaks of her old dietary habits
Tim Weigel sports
Stock market figures
Commercials for:
Chanel for Men
Zenith Space Phone
Brach's Chelsea Chips English toffee
State Street at Christmas (posted separately here: • State Street - "That G... )
- Carlos Rodriguez whose house was mistakenly torn down will receive $22,000
- Hugh Hill with Letters to 7 segment on Diane's rape report and Pat Collins' piece on presidential transition
Commercials for:
Proctor-Silex coffee makers
"Children of a Lesser God" promo
Baby's Perfect Diaper Service
Duracell batteries
- Reagan officially elected President by Electoral College
Steve Deshler weather
Commercials for:
Red Lobster
Ray-O-Vac (repeat)
Kmart Christmas Gift Values
Ivory Liquid (with Beverly and Bob Kipper)
- Continental flight attendants to end 11-day walkout after tentative contract
- Chrysler to seek another federal loan guarantee on Friday
- Day 408 of hostage crisis, no movement on when they'll be released
- ABC's John McKenzie on political situation in Poland
- American Cancer Society releases latest cancer statistics
Commercials for:
Kmart nylon snow boots
Ciara fragrance
Almaden wine
Seiko Ultra-Thin Dress Quartz
- 10 states selling counterfeit Calvin Klein jeans
- Steve's weather summary
Joel previews 10pm edition, then newscast ends
Promo for "The Man Who Could Talk to Kids"
Editorial by VP/GM Peter Desnoes about giving to charity at Christmas time (posted separately here: • WLS Channel 7 - "Chari... )
Commercials for:
McDade's (with Jed Allen) (posted separately here: • McDade's - The Catalog... )
Season's Greetings from Eyewitness News team (posted separately here: • WLS Channel 7 - Eyewit... )
Chicago Horizons
Station ID / AM Chicago promo (with Robb Weller)
Bonus: That's Incredible! preemption notice (voiceover by Ernie Anderson), followed by first two minutes of Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas
This aired on local Chicago TV on Monday, December 15th 1980 within the 5:28pm to 7:02pm timeframe.
This footage was donated to The Museum of Classic Chicago Television as part of the Tony Portnoy Collection.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: [e-mail]

[@jamesburke4358]

Thanks for this upload. This one is LOADED with classic 80s Channel 7 Chicago stuff - pure comedy/tragedy/nostalgia bundle. Wow. Wonder what the final investigation determined with the "good samaritan" of the first story? Most people would think those weren't hitchhikers, and transportation assistance wasn't the goal. And what a twist that average guy's wife was smoking HOT, but had creepy "duping delight" quality. WILD GUESS - was he a human traffic handler/driver, got mob hit, and the hitman framed the girls? (weird to think they are my age now)

[@mysticakhenaton1701]

12-15-80 my birthday. just entered my teens/13. growing up in the 80's, was fun. boy, I miss it.

[@EnthusiasticHidingCat-rh9uh]

Same here

[@EnthusiasticHidingCat-rh9uh]

Time machine 😅

[@stevengallant6363]

I turned 13 in 1987. Wish l could go back. I don't understand the world today.

[@WPPCProductions]

I'm glad the taper stopped the recording the program before this. If not we wont be watching this footage today. Thanks Fuzzy for sharing this with us..........

[@FuzzyMemoriesTV]

Me too!

[@NEPatriot]

Kim Peterson nicknamed "The Kimmer" these days is heard on Atlanta talk radio station XTRA 106.3 from 3:00PM to 6:00PM. For years he was heard on the city's iconic WSB.

[@user-qjvqfjv]

Quite possibly the greatest radio personality in Georgia history.

[@jtlynn23]

The victim in the hitchhiker story is Anthony Hopfner.

[@FuzzyMemoriesTV]

Corrected, thanks Joe!

[@EnthusiasticHidingCat-rh9uh]

RIP Anthony!

[@tomservo56954]

@@EnthusiasticHidingCat-rh9uh Anyone think he expected to get lucky?

[@stevengallant6363]

The 2 Oldest girls only got eleven years in prison. I can't find any sentence regarding the 2 minors. In their defense they said that Anthony was trying to solicit them for sex

[@jasonadair9849]

His wife didn't seem very upset. Sounds like the drunk jerk tried getting laid and ended up getting what he deserved.

[@1thetvzone]

Was the 6pm broadcast an hour-long? Is this the same Diane Allen who was at KYW& WCAU in Philly? Jim Ramsey no idea he was at Ch. 7 he was on WGN. Nice video!

[@andyrose5616]

41:33 The “Children of a Lesser God” commercial is voiced by Hal Douglas.

[@fataudra7579]

Fahey Flynn Joel Daly Bob Petty Tim Weigel 🌭 #MyChildhood 😭

[@jonathanwalburgh7560]

1:42 - that reporter in the background drumming on everything with his pencil.

[@user-qjvqfjv]

18:15 It's only the Kimmer! Herp!

[@AriesSuperLove]

Oh wow just when you thought that it gotten worse now,it was a whole lot worse back in the day

[@ken_danerdiest1]

Whatever happened to the Dy-Dee Wash diaper service anyway? 🤔

[@Foxonian]

Disposable diapers spelled the end of many of these companies.

[@RusstheTroubadour]

They are still in business going by the name Bottoms Up by Dy-Dee Wash Diapers . Located in Waukegan. They've been in business since the early 90s.

[@kingofmadprops]

Whoops on that blooper with the graphics. Using the lady who found the wallet in the hitchhiking story and using the unfortunate victim of the hitchhiking murder for the lady who found the wallet!

[@TheloniousJackson]

Whatever happened to Jack Jones?

[@wmbrown6]

Died in 1991 of pancreatic cancer. For most of his career, he worked out of Philadelphia. There were a couple Philly-based news legends who did some time in Chicago. After her run at WLS was over, Diane Allen went to Philly.

[@scottquistdrummer]

Hi, any chance you could set CC for all videos on the channel?

[@Bigeazy87]

At 8pm the network switched to the Monday Night Football game. The final score from Anaheim: Rams 38, Cowboys 14.

[@roberthansen2008]

An early on in this upload when the celebrities were being mentioned and the term fat farm was used. Wow that's back in the day! I would have been 10 years old when this came out.

[@frankcheers7529]

Manford Byrd finally got the job in 1983.

[@salty6pence672]

Im sure they were "Hitch Hikers" and not working or pretending to be to rob someone.

[@dsriggs]

27:27 Miracle at the Met

[@kengeorgejones6855]

Thanks. That whole segment disagreeing with Pat Collins for not being respectful enough to the President feels like something from a country that left us a very long time ago.

[@jmroose7749]

Hearing the news guy say we need gun control is very sad indeed. Look where we are today, they knew guns were an issue…😢

[@jesusnodal8948]

When the world actually still made sense!!!

[@StudioZ7]

Teenage girls robbing a man of $17 and then murdering him, that sure made a lot of sense.

[@t40onbass]

It didn't make sense even back then. The difference is now we have 24hr media sources to show us all day long everywhere we go how things don't make sense.

[@jeffs869]

the more things change the more they stay the same!

[@RusstheTroubadour]

Did Channel 7 drop Hollywood Squares or was it airing in a late night slot?

[@TimEric4d3d3d3]

29:50 By many a Bear fan today DeVeryl O'Dowd's sentiments are echoed 43 years later. Save for the prices being much, much higher

[@RusstheTroubadour]

46:47 Red Lobster was owned by General Mills at the time.

[@SagittariusQueen1980]

Even some teenagers in 1980 was as bad as some teenagers in 2023. Plus I was only 12 days old when this aired.

[@jeshkam]

Some even worse.

[@mysticakhenaton1701]

great point, Sag.

[@MinifigNewsguy]

Your cover art for a lack of better word - is lousy

[@FuzzyMemoriesTV]

I thought it had a certain “Goodfellas with the piano coda to Layla playing” vibe.

[@3hooks781]

@@FuzzyMemoriesTV Agreed! I thought it fit just right! Great vibe representing the times.

[@jamesburke4358]

That was actually very common for TV back then. But especially for Channel 7. I even noticed it then by 1983 when I was 10 "Channel 7 really gets up in there" I thought. I'd get scared for no reason. BUT THEN - we had a Cop murder suicide down the block on 76th st street in Nov 84, and yes they made sure to show the covered bodies being carried out, complete with us kids watching. THUMBNAIL - that is a typical, and dare I say, classic Chicago/Vegas mob era scene.