This is imminent in today’s media landscape. TV stations are transforming into local digital media companies.

Bumping this... WWAY debuted the new Morris package today.

It's a library track. WTVJ used it in a promo in 2001. If it was a theme from "The Hour" that made it into the Gari production library, I'm not sure, but it's certainly possible. Quoting @KentBrockman from when I brought it up in the Discord server:

All that’s missing are these graphics

Yes, it sounds like one of the headline bed cuts.

Maybe it was freely distributed to a bunch of Fox stations back in the day, which is why a lot of smaller-market affiliates used it? That would be my guess.

This demo reel from Jeff Hertrick offers a rare look at ill-fated Martinsburg, WV Fox affiliate WYVN's newscast. Also includes some clips of his time at WTOC. WYVN used the "USA News"-copycat production track "America's Station" from Firstcom.

I believe WFMY used that cut too. It's sooo ridiculously 90s... especially the first letter mismatched font type on the supers. I love it.

One of the things I noticed about this is how smaller-market WBTW looked at the time. Robeson and Scotland counties (NC) hadn't been added to the DMA yet. They looked more Pee Dee-focused... Myrtle Beach was on the cusp of the explosion in growth it experienced in the 1990s, so it's no surprise there are only a couple Grand Strand shots in the open. I would've expected a golf course flyover in there, but Myrtle just wasn't quite there yet.

This is an improvement. I never cared for the old logo... it was a bastardization of the 2003 logo.

My big find this weekend! FINALLY, a WBTW news open from the 80s.

I think those came out in the spring... March-ish

Futureproofing

In the podcast, Kalehoff notes that Drew wanted the theme updated because he noticed it was in mono and sounded flat. The 2007 update made it stereo.

KJRH in June 1989 with "The Image Leader"