It was to be my last appearance on Channel 3. (Jean and I were
heading for a vacation to Hawaii the next day and the “sale” to
Post-Newsweek was scheduled to occur during the week we were away. On
my return I would join the radio staff of WTIC. Knowing this, Dick
Oeser thoughtfully recorded the show for me and handed me a two inch TV
tape reel after the newscast was over. I remember it was impossible for
me to conceal it as I walked out of the building but I didn’t really
give a damn.
I was never able to look at the show, of course,
because I didn’t happen to have a two inch tape machine in my house, so
it just sat in the cellar in a cardboard box.
Several years ago, Jeff Israel offered to transfer it to VHS
tape for me and it was then that I saw it for the first time. Still I
didn’t think much about it until I transferred it to a DVD recently. I
suddenly realized that there were people on camera that I hadn’t seen
in a long time and that folks other than me might be interested in
looking at this 35 year old show.
The presentation is typical of the period – relatively few
visuals – no special effects (there were no computers then to generate
them except for what appears to be a primitive Chyron) - no music – no
wide shots – no Teleprompters – no bumpers – no ENG - and no visual
identification of on-camera people, including the anchor. This, I’m
sure, was in keeping with the Channel 3 philosophy that viewers do not
tune in to watch a particular newscaster, they tune in to watch the
Channel 3 news. (The news reporters, however, were given visual IDs
when doing voice-overs). Also, there is not one woman in the entire
newscast, despite the fact that Jean Tucker and I co-anchored the 12
o’clock Report starting in 1969, almost five years earlier! Finally,
there are no closing production credits. The newscast simply ends
smoothly but abruptly.
If you wonder why I did not say “goodbye” at the close of the
newscast it is because I was instructed not to do so by management.
They wanted to make the transition from Travelers to Post-Newsweek as
seamless as possible, and calling attention to my departure would not
be in their best interests.
The content is interesting as well.
There is no blood, no mayhem, just coverage of what Channel 3
considered important to our viewers in keeping with the station’s
image.
The video opens with a VO by George Ehrlich promoting UConn
basketball, followed by a booth announcer whose voice I don’t
recognize.
Appearing on camera in the show are Bill Mill, Ken Garee, George Ehrlich, Bill Haskell, Tom Seem, Sherm Tarr and Ron Milligan.
I hope this brings back some pleasant memories for you.