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

From early Easter Sunday morning, April 7th 1985, here's the full sign-on (less than an hour after the end of a late-night showing of "Ship of Fools") from WNEW, New York City's channel 5. I already posted the sign-off that preceded this by about 28 minutes. It begins with a bit of the color bars that filled the gap, then a station ID slide. The Star-Spangled Banner plays again, then the sign-on message (which is identical to the sign-off except it concludes with "Have a good day!") The same meditation upon Christ's life is shown, then a short promo for "The Fat Albert Easter Special." The same news headlines are replayed; I've only left in the very beginning, and the tape ran out midway through anyway.
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 85 at oldtvads.blogspot.com...

[@DanZero77]

A very rare treat indeed. Thank you

[@kennethdegruchy5503]

Most people did not see this because of the hour it occurred but I saw many of them because I worked their from 1972 and still going. You are hearing the voice of Tom Gregory who was one of our staff announcers back when the announce voice was still live. He would do a rip and read newscast for a few minutes. The story of Jesus had a big effect upon me as I was captivated by that famous announcer's voice (Alexander Scourby) and I learned that he had recorded the compete bible as a talking book back in the early 1950's for the American Blind Society. To this day I love to hear the bible read to me by the voice of the bible who for me is A. Scourby.

[@jondickinson5623]

Tom Gregory was the Voice of Channel 5.

[@RustyMuck]

Kenneth deGruchy When were those sign off/sign on news headlines phased out by? I’m guessing that they were dropped right after the sale to Fox and switch to WNYW (although the filmed meditations and custom SSB continued running on WNYW for a few months thereafter, despite the now-obsolete WNEW callsign being so prominent).

[@richcook2007]

It was a beautiful time.

[@wmbrown6]

I know that in the late 1970's to early 1980's period the announcing pool was Mr. Gregory, Lou Steele (both joined in December 1955 when it was still WABD but the DuMont Network had been dismantled and the two stations left were reorganized into the DuMont Broadcasting Corporation), Ed Ladd (joined around 1960, no?), Chuck Caron (who seemed to have been with Channel 5 dating to the mid-1960's), and Peter Lucas. (The last-named, when reading the "It's 10 P.M. . . . " notice, pronounced "where" as "h'were.") Didn't Lucas also double at WNET/Thirteen? I saw an aircheck from '85 on 'Thirteen' and I swear I heard his voice on it.

[@johnfenner5550]

One thing I'm sure everyone would agree with me on, I'd love to see the sign on from their first day owned by Fox and using the then-new call letters WNYW from 1986

[@JMFabiano]

Differences between sign-off and sign-on: here, Tom says, "As ASSIGNED by the FCC..." instead of "As authorized..." And "some programs and portions of programs...ARE recorded" instead of "have been recorded." The "are recorded" version was used on all WNYW-era announcements.

[@JMFabiano]

This is badass! And both spiels carried over into the Fox days, including changing so it has the "have a good day" ending in the morning. Besides the, ahem, obvious changes that were needed. The 1983 signon/signoff montage is one that makes me smile, no matter how many times I see it. Love the small town feel of the video. Here is something I wonder...on the video of a *WNYW* signon, it begins with a PM5544 test pattern instead of the color bars, as I recall from late '80s Channel 5. Some comments mentioned there was a WNEW version of the PM5544 as well that read "WNEW-TV, MMI 5 NYC" as opposed to the later's "WNYW, FOX 5 NYC". True or false? If true does anyone have this on video???

[@jareddicarlo7816]

At the end of this video you can see it: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5esYWawZdWpb6c

[@JMFabiano]

@@jareddicarlo7816 Well I'll be, there it is! Do we know what year they used it? I guess close to the Fox deal?

[@jareddicarlo7816]

I have no idea. I’m guessing it was put in place around the time this montage was introduced.

[@christopherdunbar394]

These are classics show videos of 1970’s

[@lejlakantar9692]

0:22 Anthem Starts

[@ScoopNemeth]

Just like WCBS: WNEW signed off, took a one hour break, and then signed back on the air. That is...by the video description

[@MrSamer83]

What’s the name of that instrumental disco song that’s played before/after the national anthem? Kinda funky...lol

[@ericsamuelson5656]

Caissons Go Rolling Along

[@gwailou5]

What time the Sign on happened? 5 AM?