09/08/2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGLozUkJuNk
48 Years Ago Today:
Here are some surviving excerpts from a Umatic aircheck that was recorded at the station (hence the time stamp burned into the picture) which was unfortunately mostly recorded over with an episode of All Creatures Great and Small - the 6:00 PM edition of Eyewitness News on WLS Channel 7.
Anchoring are Fahey Flynn and John Drury (the latter filling in for Joel Daly); plus John Coleman with weather and Mike Nolan (in for Bill Frink) on sports, as mentioned in the open; plus reference to other segments that will not be seen here such as a close-up report by Nancy Becker, a report from John Culea, and a special report about today's Air Force (presumably by Daly).
Includes:
Incomplete open (with voice over by Mike Rapchak), followed by news items:
Federal agents raid a bomb making factory with 200 sticks of dynamite, blasting caps and fuses, and arrest four people; more details promised later in broadcast
Five people shot at Just Games Arcade on Euclid Avenue in Mount Prospect during apparent robbery; one, unidentified, has died, the other wounded are Betty Dean, 15; Tom Sergey (?), 21; Laura Jouse (?), 16; and Victor Mala (?), 21
Rosemarie Gulley on shooting death of 15-year-old Demetrius Thomas (a student at DuSable High School), whose mother insists police fired the bullet that killed him, but police claim said bullet only hit a windowsill; a robbery ad taken place in the building where they lived, aforehand; sister Edna describes the whole melee, followed by Sargent Wesley Dillard of Wentworth District telling his side of the story
April robbery of First National Bank of Skokie was inside job, according to Federal investigators
Fred Villanueva gives detailed report on story Fahey led with; bomb-making equipment was connected to Puerto Rican terrorist group FALN; arrested in Hammond, Indiana, are 42-year-old Mitchell Lawson, his wife Dorothy, and two youngsters; explosives had been purchased in Tennessee
(At this point - 6:06:19 PM on WLS - the recording was unfortunately taped over just as Fahey was introducing Nancy; and we see a PBS sponsor slide for Alpha Beta Company before an airing of "All Creatures Great and Small" on a California PBS station)
Returning to Eyewitness News at 6:55:47 PM, as John concludes his weather report; Fahey then closes newscast by advising viewers to stay tuned for Happy Days, and to preview 10 PM edition, after which a faraway shot of the set and theme is presented
Promo for 3:30 Movie presentation of Prudence and the Pill for Wednesday (voice over by Mike Rapchak)
WLS-TV Rebuttal by Juliette McKinney, concerned parent, on SETA (sp?) Youth Program which gave disadvantaged youth (age range 14-21) job opportunities (opening voice over by Mike Rapchak)
Commercials for:
Chevy Chevette
Soft & Dri ladies anti-perspirant - "Nervous is Why there's New Soft & Dri" (with Charlene Tilton and PJ Soles)
Marriott's Great America - "Nighttime" with Vampire family (ending voice over by Mike Rapchak)
Station ID, with Steve Edwards promoting next day's AM Chicago
Happy Days open (joined in progress), with not-so-happy days of network feeds with 5 kHz telco audio heard throughout (most of opening titles cut to avoid YouTube blockage)
Commercials for:
Dynamo (with Harold Newman) (voice over by Jerry Damon?)
Irish Spring soap - "Soccer" (with ending promo for Colgate Hall of Fame Golf Classic for August 27th and 28th)
First 20 seconds of Act I of episode "Marion Rebels" (S04E15; original air date February 1, 1977)
This aired on August 9, 1977.
Here are some surviving excerpts from a Umatic aircheck that was recorded at the station (hence the time stamp burned into the picture) which was unfortunate...
