A Day in the Life of TV-8 News - KCCI Des Moines "Time Capsule" January 1980

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• published: 07 Dec 2015
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KCCI TV-8 "Time Capsule" Program - January 1980 This is the KCCI-TV (Channel 8, CBS) program "Time Capsule" that was produced and aired in January 1980. This edition of the program encapsulated a day in the life of the TV-8 Newsroom. This particular day included the visit of Vice President Walter Mondale to Des Moines and the KCCI studios. Bob McNamara from CBS News was in the building that day following the VP. Both men are interviewed in the program. Co-hosts Kent Peterson and Connie McBurney narrate as we are taken through a typical day at the station. We learn about story selection and assignments, see a couple of field stories produced, the elements of newscast preparation and production, how the director works with the anchors (who were their own producers at the time), and what goes on in the control room during a newscast. This program provides interviews with many of the people who anchored and reported the news at TV-8 at that time. This was a very interesting time for television, particularly local news. It's hard to know if Kent and Connie were aware of the shift taking place, and that is what prompted them to make this program, or if they simply wanted to capture the work of their colleagues. That shift was the newsroom's transition from film to videotape. There is mention in the program of the newer equipment, with one photographer interviewed saying that she hopes some day the equipment could somehow be made smaller and lighter, and more light sensitive (little did she know what was in store!) Looking back, embracing ENG (Electronic News Gathering) equipment was a huge step for any station (not unlike the transition to digital broadcasting in the late 2000s) and TV news has never been the same since. The source video is courtesy of Mark Braun (former KCCI reporter who appears in the video -- now a lawyer in the state of Nevada). My strong, personal interest in this program is that my father, former TV-8 (and WOI-5) anchor George Wylie, is featured throughout. Also, this is the 'era' of KCCI when I often visited my dad at the station at 9th and Pleasant Streets in Des Moines, so this is a wonderful trip down memory lane. These people and the equipment you see if what got me interested in what has now become my career -- video production. George Wylie passed away October of 2010. This video includes seeing and/or hearing from people including: Russ Van Dyke, Paul Rhodes, Connie McBurney, Kevin Cooney, Rick Fredericksen, George Wylie, Almo Hawkins, Brooks Humphreys, Doug Cretsinger (director, voice-talent and on-camera pitchman), Kent Peterson, Bill Johnson, Mark Braun, Mike Reynolds (Assignment Editor and News Open Announcer), Michelle Morrissey Burgad (photographer), Dolph Pulliam, Anne Hawkins, Mark Swanson (photographer), Dave Busiek, Jay Snyder, Pete Kalmes (director), Pete Taylor, Heidi Soliday, Bill Rhode (engineer / technical director) and others in the news, including Dr. R.C. Wooters (Polk County, Iowa, Medical Examiner). NOTES: - The slate that appears at the opening of the video is actually from the 2nd break, but it was the only slate on the recording, so I moved it to the beginning. - The 'false ceiling' seen in the studio shots was a popular video slight of hand of the time -- positioning the camera behind the smaller, portable ceiling 'set,' allowed stations to make it look as though the studio had a finished ceiling. - Director Doug Cretsinger uses abbreviations when calling the shots during the newscast -- "Victor 5" was a quick way of saying VTR 5 -- Video Tape Recorder number 5 -- "Jenny In -- Jenny Out" (phonetic spelling) was for 'ge-ne' short for Character Genetrator, the computer that placed the typewritten-style text on the screen. This video is posted for historical archive purposes in order to demonstrate the news and news production style as of the date of production in a Midwestern television market in the United States. No claim of copyright is expressed or implied.