WNEW Sign-Off, April 7th, 1985 (Easter Message)

From early Easter Sunday morning, April 7th 1985, here's the full sign-off (after a late-night showing of "Ship of Fools") from WNEW, New York City's channel 5. It begins with the last bit of credits, followed by a drunk driving PSA from the National PTA with Bruce Weitz (Belker from "Hill Street Blues"). Then there's a brief promo for "Leadfoot," a presentation of Capital Cities Family Specials. The reading of news headlines by Tom Gregory is after that, with some interesting stories (look deeper into the awful case of Dennis Walters if you have a minute). A plug for The Milkman's Matinee with Marty Wilson on WNEW-am 1130 is next, then another promo, this one for "The King's Thief." Since it is Easter morning, in place of the sermonette there's a filmed meditation on the life of Christ. As far as I can tell, the recited words are the slightly-altered lyrics of "Here Was a Man" by Johnny Bond and Tex Ritter, famously recorded by Johnny Cash. This is followed by the Good Night slide (and a VO that mentions that the station signal operates at 76-82 megahertz), their version of the "Star-Spangled Banner" including lots of random local footage, and then static. Stay tuned for the super-rare sign-ON, which I will be uploading next!
No rights held or implied. (If you'd like this video removed for copyright reasons, please contact me rather than notifying KZbin, I will gladly take it down from this channel.) This is on compilation 84 at oldtvads.blogspot.com...

[@JeffMinde]

This aired in the mid-1960s too, and I was absolutely terrified of it at age 6.

[@LuvvyDuck]

I love the Easter message! Thanks for sharing. ❤️

[@sunnydayzie1202]

wow - you'd never see anything so faith based on mainstream TV now. Love the Milkman's Matinee jingle too! "eleven three oooooooohhhh.."

[@michaelwilliams2865]

Thanks for sharing. I always enjoyed these. This was actually the Saturday morning before Easter

[@HugoFaces]

Do you have a TV guide or anything showing that this was Saturday morning? The other ads in the recording led me to believe this came after a late Saturday night/Sunday morning airing of "Ship of Fools."

[@michaelwilliams2865]

@@HugoFaces When Tom is doing the weather I was following him and he was doing the weather for Saturday and then he went into Sunday. He even said, "Easter Sunday." Then at 9:22 for the attraction of the "King's Thief" It says 3PM Saturday

[@Gigidawi]

The cross when it was dark scared me alot

[@jareddicarlo7816]

Alexander Scourby, in an unfortunate coincidence, died a couple of months before this aired.

[@Musicradio77Network]

The music at 12:53 is a discofied version of a patriotic song that I don’t remember too much, it was followed by an audio which was lifted from the “Flag Evolution” film in 1969 or 1970 to be exact. 8:41 is an audio promo for the “Milkman Matinee” which was an overnight show on WNEW-AM back then, and of course the familiar WNEW-TV sign-off at 12:03.

[@JMFabiano]

Yes, @Christopher Hagee , the Flag Evolution is where the SSB is taken from. I know there's another instance of the 1983 montage on here where someone did identify the tune that plays before and after the SSB in the comments section. I never tire of seeing said 1983 montage, as I say on the sign-on video.

[@Musicradio77Network]

Christopher Hagee Thanks! They also did the same for the Macy’s 4th of July fireworks show from 1998 and 1999 where the audio from the “Flag Evolution” film was played. I used to have a number of Macy’s 4th of July fireworks from 1995 through 2004 on VHS, including the 1998 and 1999 editions but I got rid of it a long time ago.

[@JMFabiano]

And the song is....As The Army Comes Marching Along.

[@floydmayo790]

What year did the Easter message first air on WNEW-TV? I remember watching this message during the Christmas season of 1966.

[@JeffMinde]

That's right. It was a Christmas message in 1966 and it scared me into hysterics as a kid.

[@floydmayo790]

@@JeffMinde I know what you mean. I was 4 myself in '66. That organ you hear in the background gave me the shivers.

[@wmbrown6]

1966-67 was the first season where WNEW-TV had live studio color; they also had color via film, slides and tape starting the year before. So if 1966 was the first year, it would fit.

[@looneytunes9000]

This was ONE year before FOX bought WNEW-TV(Now WNYW-TV) and sold WNEW radio to another company separating channel 5 and WNEW-AM completely and made channel 5 the East Coast Key Station of the FOX Network.

[@1986SSMONTECARLO]

Back when 5 was GOOD...Today it's all a bunch of HORSESH*T!!!

[@jareddicarlo7816]

Does anyone know anything more about that “living unicorn” story?

[@sharptoothtrex4486]

I like the Ed Ladd sign off instead.

[@apastlongforgotten7378]

Scary