Eyewitness News Explained

Eyewitness News is a style of television presentation that emphasizes visual elements and action videos, instead of the older,"man-on-camera" style of newscast.[1]

History

Westinghouse

The earliest known use of the Eyewitness News name in American television was on April 6, 1959, when KYW-TV (now WKYC-TV) – at the time, based in Cleveland and owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting – launched the nation's first 90-minute local newscast (under the title Eyewitness), which was combined with the then 15-minute national newscast. The name was then adopted for use by Westinghouse's other television stations – KPIX in San Francisco; WJZ-TV in Baltimore; WBZ-TV in Boston; and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh – for their local newscasts.

After the KYW-TV call letters, management, and some staffers moved from Cleveland to Philadelphia in 1965, the station's then-news director, Al Primo, created the Eyewitness News format. In this format, a reporter in the field would be the "eyewitness" to a news event to the anchor in the studio and the viewer at home. The anchors became personalities instead of presenters with the introduction of banter, or "happy talk" as it was named by Al Primo. Anchors would often give their own personal comments in between stories.

Primo used the cue 007 from the 1963 film From Russia with Love as the musical theme. The format quickly became a hit in Philadelphia and allowed KYW-TV to surge past longtime leader WCAU-TV for first place, a position it kept on and off until the late 1970s. KYW-TV's success inspired rival station WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV) to develop the Action News format to compete with it (after NBC was ordered to re-assume control of its Cleveland broadcasting properties in 1965, the Eyewitness News name left that city until WEWS adopted it for its newscasts in the 1970s).

KYW-TV used the name and format until 1991, and re-adopted it in 1998; the name was dropped altogether in 2023,[2] with station vice president and general manager saying that "Eyewitness News really was no longer relevant to a modern news and information consumer."[3] All five major stations owned by Westinghouse prior to its 1995 acquisition of CBS have used Eyewitness News as their newscast title at some point in time.

Expansion to ABC

In 1968, Primo moved to WABC-TV in New York City and took the Eyewitness News concept there with him, choosing music from the 1967 Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke – the "Tar Sequence" cue (composed by Lalo Schifrin) – as the theme. However, he added a new twist at WABC-TV – light, informal-sounding conversation among the anchors between the news stories and segments, which came to be known as "happy talk". Among the newscasters in the first wave of happy talk on WABC-TV was young reporter Geraldo Rivera, a comical and entertaining weatherman in Tex Antoine, and Bill Beutel and Roger Grimsby as anchormen of contrasting yet complementing styles. Primo also criticized the then-standard practice of "three white men" "preaching the news" at viewers and included women and persons of color to reflect the diversity of the viewing audience.[4] WABC-TV has kept the name and format since then, and has been the highest-rated station in New York City for much of that time.

The format, as modified by WABC-TV, was copied by many other stations in the United States, with four other stations owned and operated by ABCKABC-TV in Los Angeles, WLS-TV in Chicago, WXYZ-TV in Detroit and KGO-TV in San Francisco – using both the format and the Cool Hand Luke theme (in the case of KGO, since KPIX was already using the Eyewitness News name, KGO titled its newscasts as Channel 7 NewsScene in 1969 and by 1983 simply Channel 7 News, while WXYZ used the Action News name since rival WJBK-TV was using the Eyewitness News name for its newscasts; KABC and WLS were free to use the Eyewitness News name as did WABC-TV). Ironically, WPVI, which developed the Action News format, is also now an ABC owned-and-operated station.

In addition, U.S. Spanish-language stations also use their own version of Eyewitness News, called Noticias de Primera Plana (Headline News, a concept translation in Spanish of Eyewitness News) on certain owned-and-operated stations of Spanish networks.

A separate, but mostly unrelated, Eyewitness News format was developed by Irv Weinstein in Buffalo, New York, for WKBW-TV. This format was mostly based not on the original Eyewitness News (though it used the same logo; in actuality, a slightly modified version of it) but rather on the Action News format of its sister stations in the Capital Cities Communications stable. While based on Action Newss brief and numerous reports, Weinstein built his Eyewitness News newscast around attention-grabbing catchphrases and alliterative headlines, along with occasional wisecracking or sarcastic one-liners about the day's news stories.

This version of Eyewitness News was used on WKBW as well as other Capital Cities stations where the Action News name was in use by another station, such as WTVD in Durham, North Carolina. It was also used on a few stations not owned by Capital Cities, including WOKR (now WHAM-TV) in Rochester, New York. Despite its familiarity as a format on ABC owned-and-operated stations, it is actually CBS that owns the rights to the Eyewitness News name, as it originated from KYW-TV.[5]

WKBW dropped the Eyewitness News brand in 2022, as its owner, The E. W. Scripps Company, was convinced the brand was outdated.[6]

Outside the United States

In Mexico and other Latin American countries during the 1970s and 1980s, some local newscasts also used the Eyewitness News format, under the names Noticias de Primera Plana (Headline News) and Noticias de Acción (Action News).

The title was used in Canada, on CTV affiliate CFRN-TV in Edmonton.

In Indonesia, Metro TV branded its newscasts as iWitness, and abbreviated as Eyewitness. It has since become one of the featured segments on the daytime news program Wide Shot.

In Australia, BTQ-7 in Brisbane adopted the Eyewitness News branding in the early 1970s. The branding was also employed by NWS-9 in Adelaide for its evening newscast. TEN-10 in Sydney and ATV-0/10 in Melbourne, the principal stations of Network Ten, adopted the Eyewitness News branding in the mid-1970s and it was later adopted by other stations in the Network Ten group (SAS-10 in 1976 and TVQ-0/10 in 1978) as BTQ-7 and NWS-9 later relinquished the brand in their respective cities. Regional affiliates for Network Ten also used the Eyewitness News name.

The Australian version of Eyewitness News more closely resembled Weinstein's version than the original format, but it became one of the ratings winners in the 1980s due to its one-hour duration unlike other newscasts. Network Ten dropped the use of the Eyewitness News name in 1988 but later reinstated it in July 1989 for six months, and then again in January 1991 until late 1994. Network Ten reinstated the "Eyewitness News" branding once again on 16 September 2013 until 31 October 2018, when it was retired as part of a network relaunch and replaced with 10 News First.[7] [8]

In South Africa, Eyewitness News is used by Eyewitness News, located in Johannesburg and in Cape Town.[9] It is also used by Talk Radio 702 and 94.7 Highveld Stereo in Gauteng, 567 CapeTalk and 94.5 Kfm in Cape Town.

United States stations that use or have used the Eyewitness News format or name

Market NameStationAffiliationCurrently usesOther notes
Albany, New YorkWNYT (formerly WAST)NBC (formerly CBS and ABC)NoUsed 1969-1975, it was a clone of WABC-TV's Eyewitness News format; has identified as NewsChannel 13 since 1991.
WTENABCIdentified as 10 Eyewitness News 1986–1995; known as News 10 since 1995.
Albuquerque, New MexicoKOBNBCNoIdentified itself in 1970 as TV-4 Eyewitness News, in 1984 as Eyewitness News Network, in 1994 as Channel 4 Eyewitness News. and in 1998 as Eyewitness News 4. Now known as KOB 4 News since April 2023.
Amarillo, TexasKFDA-TVCBSNoUsed 1974–1980; has identified as NewsChannel 10 since 1995.
AtlantaWXIA-TVNBCUsed from 1969–1972 as WQXI-TV; has identified as 11 Alive News since 1982.
WAGA-TV[10] Fox (formerly CBS)Used from 1981–1998; has identified as Fox 5 News since 1998; previously it used the title TV-5 News Scene from 1973–1981, borrowing WABC-TV's Eyewitness News format.
Augusta, GeorgiaWRDWCBSHad identified as News 12 since 1998.
Austin, TexasKXAN-TV (formerly KTVV)NBCUsed from 1973–1984; has identified as KXAN News since 2012.
KEYE-TVCBSBranded itself K-EYEwitness News with its callsign until 1999; has identified as CBS Austin News since 2016.
Bakersfield, CaliforniaKBAK-TVYesIdentified itself as 29 Eyewitness News 1992–2009, currently identifies as KBAK Eyewitness News.
KBFX-CDFoxCurrently airs Eyewitness News on Fox 58 produced by sister station KBAK-TV.
Baltimore, MarylandWJZ-TV1CBS (formerly ABC)NoHad been identified as Eyewitness News since 1965, dropped branding on October 23, 2017, and is now identified as WJZ News. Rival station WBAL-TV cloned WABC-TV's Eyewitness News format for its TV11 News from 1969–1974.
Bangor, MaineWVII-TVABCCurrently identifies as Your Bangor News.
Binghamton, New YorkWIVTIdentified as 34 Eyewitness News from 1993 to 1998; has identified as NewsChannel 34 since 1998.
Boise, IdahoKBOI-TV (formerly KBCI-TV)CBSIdentified as CBS 2 Eyewitness News from 2007 to 2009; currently identifies as KBOI 2 News.
BostonWBZ-TV1CBS (formerly NBC)Used 1966–1993; has identified as WBZ News since 2007.
Buffalo, New YorkWKBW-TVABCNoOriginally used 1970–2003; identified as 7 News from September 8, 2003, to October 27, 2008, when Eyewitness News was restored. Its version of Eyewitness News was in name only and used elements of the Action News format instead. On December 31, 2021, the 7 News branding was restored.
Cedar Rapids, IowaKCRG-TVABCUsed name from the early 1970s to late 1980s; has identified as KCRG TV-9 News since 1994
Charleston, South CarolinaWCBD-TVNBCUsed name from mid-to-late 1980s as an ABC affiliate; has identified as News 2 since 1998
Charleston / Huntington, W.V.WOWK-TVCBSIdentified as Eyewitness News in the early 1970s until it was purchased by Gateway, who re-branded the newscast as Action News.
WCHS-TVABCYesUsed a lowercase "e" logo 2002–2005 and identified as Eyewitness News 8 since 2002 without using the channel number (8) in their news title.
WVAH-TVCatchy Comedy (formerly Fox)NoNewscasts during Fox affiliation were produced by sister station WCHS.
Charlotte, North CarolinaWSOC-TVABCYesHas identified as Channel 9 Eyewitness News since 1996. Rival station WCNC-TV cloned Group W's original format for its newscasts when it was under Group W ownership.
Charlottesville, VirginiaWVIR-TVNBCNoIdentified as Eyewitness News 1973–1980; has identified as NBC 29 HD News since 2008.
Chattanooga, TennesseeWRCB-TVIdentified as (Channel 3) Eyewitness News from 1984 to 2022; has identified as Local 3 News since 2022.
ChicagoWLS-TV2ABCYesIdentified as Eyewitness News 1969–1996 and since October 26, 2013 (as ABC 7 Eyewitness News); as ABC 7 News 1996–2013.
CincinnatiWLWTNBCNoIdentified as Eyewitness News 5 1998–2004; has been rebranded as News 5 since 2004.
WKRC-TVCBSIdentified as Eyewitness 12 News 1977–1992; has identified as Local 12 News since 2004.
ClevelandWEWS-TVABCUsed 1972–1991, originally cloned WABC-TV's format from 1972–1974; has identified as News 5 Cleveland since 2016.
WKYC1NBCThe first station (as KYW-TV) to use the Eyewitness News name, on April 6, 1959, used until 1965; has identified as 3 News since 2019.
Colorado Springs / Pueblo, COKOAANBCIdentified as Eyewitness News 1980–2002. Currently identifies as News 5.
Columbia, South CarolinaWOLOABCHas identified as ABC Columbia News since 2005.
Columbus, GeorgiaWRBLCBSWas identified as 3 Eyewitness News, now identified as News 3 On Your Side.
Columbus, OhioWBNSKnown as 10TV Eyewitness News 1977–2007; rebranded as 10TV News (HD) in April 2007.
Corpus Christi, TexasKIII-TVABCIdentified itself as 3 Eyewitness News (1977–2000); has identified as 3 News since 2000.
Dallas / Fort WorthKDFWFox (formerly CBS)Identified as Eyewitness News 1975–1978; has identified as Fox 4 News since 1996.
Dayton, OhioWKEFABCUsed 1972-1974, cloning WABC-TV's Eyewitness News format; has identified as Dayton News Now since 2019.
WDTNNBCIdentified as Eyewitness News from the 1981 to 1984, but uses the "Action News" format of then sister-stations WBAL, WTAE and WISN; has identified as 2 News since 1990.
Denver, ColoradoKCNC-TV (formerly KOA-TV)CBS (formerly NBC)Used 1969-1976, it was a clone of WSIX-TV's Eyewitness News format; has identified as CBS News Colorado since 2023.
KWGN-TVCWIdentified as TV-2 Eyewitness News 1980–1981; has identified as Channel 2 News since July 2011.
Des Moines, IowaWHO-DTNBCIdentified as "Eyewitness News" in the mid–1970s; has identified as "Channel 13 News" since 2001.
WOI-TVABCIdentified as Channel 5 Eyewitness News 2001–September 2006; has identified as Local 5 News since 2015.
DetroitWJBKFox (formerly CBS)Identified as Eyewitness News 1968–1997, has identified as Fox 2 News since 1997. Rival station WXYZ cloned WABC-TV's Eyewitness News format for its newscasts.
WWJ-TVCBSIdentified as 62 CBS Eyewitness News at 11 in 2002. The newscast was produced by WKBD-TV, which shut down its news department later that year. Newscasts on WWJ-TV resumed in 2023 under the identification of CBS News Detroit
Duluth, MinnesotaWDIO-TVABCUsed from 1988 until January 2019; rebranded as "WDIO News" in January 2019.
Elmira, New YorkWENY-TVUsed from the 1970s through the 1990s. Station now brands as WENY-TV News.
Erie, PennsylvaniaWSEECBSUsed 1968–1978; currently identifies as WSEE NewsWatch. Station operated by WICU-TV in a local marketing agreement since 2002, with news departments being consolidated since 2009.
Eugene, OregonKEZIABCIdentified as Eyewitness News from the 1970s to the late 1990s; has identified as KEZI 9 News since 2007.
Eureka, CaliforniaKIEMNBCIdentified as Eyewitness News from around the early 1970s until 1996; currently identifies as Redwood News.
Evansville, IndianaWEHTABCYesUsed since December 1, 2011, after the station merged its news operations with WTVW as part of a local marketing agreement.
WTVWThe CW (formerly Fox and ABC)Used from the mid-1970s to 1996; identified as Fox 7 News 1996–2004 and 2005–2011, WTVW NewsChannel 7 2004–2005 and Local 7 News from July 1 to December 1, 2011, when WTVW began identifying as "Eyewitness News" again after the station entered into a local marketing agreement with WEHT.
Fargo/Grand ForksKRDK-TV (formerly KXJB-TV)Cozi TV/NewsNet/BEK Prime/MyNetworkTV (formerly CBS)NoIdentified as KX 4 Eyewitness News from 1980 to 1987 when it was affiliated with CBS.
Flint / Saginaw / Bay CityWEYI-TVNBCUsed Eyewitness News name in parts of the 1970s and 1980s; Used variant WEYI-witness News in the early 1990s; currently known as NewsCenter 25.
Florence / Myrtle Beach, S.C.WBTWCBSUsed from the early 1980s to 1995; currently identifies as News 13.
Fort Myers, FloridaWBBHNBCIdentified as TV-20 Eyewitness News from the late 1970s to 1996; has identified as NBC 2 News since 1996. but currently WZVN-DT 7.1 likes the "Eyewitness News" brand.
Fort Wayne, IndianaWPTAABCIdentified as Eyewitness News from the early 1970s to 1978; was previously identified as "21Alive News" since 2012 switch of newscasts to high-definition; on November 7, 2016, rebranded as ABC 21 News.
Fresno, CaliforniaKGPECBSYesIdentified as 47 Eyewitness News from 1985 to 1992; has identified as CBS 47 On Your Side News since 2004. On October 9, 2013, rebranded as CBS 47 Eyewitness News.
Grand Rapids / Kalamazoo, MichiganWZZM-TVABCNoIdentified as Area 13 Eyewitness News 1975–1984 & 1995–1997, and Eyewitness News 13 1984–1995. Currently identifies as WZZM 13 News.
Green Bay, WisconsinWFRV-TVCBSUsed from the mid-1970s to 2001; has identified as Channel 5 News since 2007.
Greensboro / High Point / Winston-Salem, N.C.WGHPFox (formerly ABC)Identified as TV-8 Eyewitness News from June 17, 1974, to 1986; has identified as Fox 8 News since 1995.
Greenville / New Bern / Washington, N.C.WITNNBCUsed variant EyeWITNess News for several years; has identified as WITN News since 2007.
WNCTCBSIdentified as Eyewitness News 9 from 1998 to 2012, now identifies as 9 On Your Side.
Greenville / Spartanburg / AshevilleWSPAIdentified as Eyewitness 7 News from 1974 to 1979, and as 7 Eyewitness News from 1979 to 1994; has identified as 7 On Your Side since 2011.
Harlingen / Brownsville / McAllen, TXKRGV-TVABCUsed in the mid-1970s; has identified as NewsChannel 5 since 2000 and as of September 2009, it is now known as Channel 5 News.
KGBTAntenna TV/MyNetworkTV (formerly CBS)Identified as Eyewitness News from 1967 to 1977 when it was affiliated with CBS; has identified as CBS 4 News (via simulcast with KVEO-DT2) since 2021.
Harrisburg / Lancaster / York / Lebanon, PAWHP-TVCBSIdentified as Eyewitness News 21 from the mid-1990s until 2002; has identified as WHP CBS 21 News since 2004.
WLYH-TVCWIdentified as Eyewitness News at 10 from 1995 to 1999 and as 15 Eyewitness News from 2001 to September 2003, when the newscast was dropped; current newscast is identified as CBS 21 News at 10; sister station to WHP-TV.
Hartford / New Haven, CTWFSBCBSYesHas identified as (Channel 3) Eyewitness News since 1974.
Honolulu, HawaiiKHON-TVFox (formerly NBC)NoUsed from the early-to-late 1970s; has identified as KHON 2 News since 2003.
HoustonKTRK-TV2[11] ABCYesHas identified as 13 Eyewitness News since 1973, a clone of WKBW-TV's Eyewitness News format. From 2015 to present, it is also identified as ABC 13 Eyewitness News although both identities (with or without ABC), are used interchangeably.
Huntsville, AlabamaWAAY-TVNoUsed from 1977 until the late 1990s; has identified as WAAY 31 News since 2000.
Idaho Falls / PocatelloKPVINBCIdentified as Channel 6 Eyewitness News during the 1990s; currently known as KPVI News 6; was a clone of WKBW-TV's Eyewitness News format.
KIDKDabl (formerly CBS)NoIdentified as Channel 3 Eyewitness News from 2007 to 2023 (now airing on KIFI-DT2). KIDK-DT2, a simulcast of Fox affiliate KXPI-LD, now known as Local News 8.
IndianapolisWTHRNBCNoIdentified since 1971 as Eyewitness News (as WLWI), was a clone of WABC-TV's Eyewitness News format, and in 1976 as Eyewitness NewsCenter 13; later identified as Channel 13 Eyewitness News (1995-2020); then as 13 News since then.
Jackson, MississippiWAPTABCNoUsed Eyewitness News 16 during the early 1990s; has identified its newscasts as 16 WAPT News since the late 1990s.
WJTVCBSUsed Eyewitness News during the 1970s and 1980s; has identified its newscasts as WJTV 12 News.
Jackson, TennesseeWBBJABCYesIdentified as just Eyewitness News from 1994 to 1999, then as 7 Eyewitness News from 1999 to 2007; has identified as ABC 7 Eyewitness News since 2007.
Jacksonville, FloridaWJXTIndependent(formerly CBS)NoIdentified as Eyewitness News from the 1970s to 2005, similar to WTOP-TV's format; has identified as News 4 Jax since 2014.
Johnson City, TennesseeWJHL-TVCBSNoIdentified itself in 1985 as TV-11 Eyewitness News, and in 1989 as Eyewitness News 11; has identified as News Channel 11 Connects since 2009.
Kansas City, MissouriKCTVUsed Eyewitness News branding 1966–1984; has identified as KCTV 5 News since 1999.
Knoxville, TennesseeWATE-TVABCUsed various versions of the Eyewitness News moniker 1969–2001, currently known as WATE 6 News.
Lafayette, LouisianaKLFYCBSEyewitness News was used to identify the 6 & 10 p.m. newscasts; was first used in the mid-1980s through 2011. Now known as News 10.
Laredo, TexasKLDOUnivisionIdentified as Laredo Eyewitness News in the 1980s as an ABC affiliate; now identifies as Spanish-language Noticias Univision 27.
Las Vegas, NevadaKLASCBSIdentified as Eyewitness News 8 from 1982 to 1989 and as Channel 8 Eyewitness News from 1989 to 2009; currently identifies as 8 News Now.
Lexington, KentuckyWTVQABCUsed variant TVQ Eyewitness News for several years; has identified as ABC 36 News since 2009.
Lincoln, NebraskaKLKNABCNoIdentified as Channel 8 Eyewitness News until 2021, currently known as Channel 8 News.
Little Rock, ArkansasKARK-TVNBCNoIdentified as Channel 4 Eyewitness News from the 1970s to the mid-1980s and again from the late 1980s–1994; has identified as KARK 4 News since 2005.
Los Angeles, CaliforniaKABC-TV2[12] ABCYesIdentified as (Channel 7) Eyewitness News 1969–1997, then ABC7 Eyewitness News since then.
Louisville, KentuckyWLKYCBS (formerly ABC)NoIdentified as 32 Eyewitness News from 1969 to 1977 when it was an ABC affiliate; has identified as WLKY News since 2008.
Lubbock, TexasKCBD-TVNBCIdentified as Eyewitness News from the 1970s to the early 1980s, has identified as Newschannel 11 since 1997.
Madison, WisconsinWISC-TVCBSIdentified as TV-3 Eyewitness News from September 13, 1971, to April 24, 1982, has identified as News 3 since 1989.
WKOWABCUsed Eyewitness News from the mid-1980s to 1995, currently identifies as WKOW 27 News.
Macon, GeorgiaWMAZCBSIdentified itself as Eyewitness NewsCenter from 1977 to 1979, as Eyewitness News from 1979 to 1992 and as 13 WMAZ Eyewitness News from 1992 to April 18, 2018, when the "Eyewitness" name was dropped from the title; now identified as 13 WMAZ News
Medford / Klamath Falls, OregonKOBI/KOTINBCCurrently identifies as NBC 5 News(KOBI)/NBC 2 News(KOTI)
Memphis, TennesseeWHBQ-TVFox (formerly ABC)Identified as Eyewitness News from the early 1970s to 1995 and Fox 13 Eyewitness News from 1995 to 1997; has identified as Fox 13 News since 1997
WATN-TV (formerly WPTY)ABCNoHas identified as ABC 24 News Right Now since 2021, news department shared with WLMT
Minneapolis / Saint Paul, MinnesotaKSTP-TVABC (formerly NBC)YesHas identified as 5 Eyewitness News since 1973
KMSP-TVFox (formerly ABC, Independent, UPN)NoUsed 1969–1973 as an ABC affiliate; has identified as Fox 9 News since 2002
MiamiWPLGABCCloned WTOP-TV's format in the 1970s. Used 1983–2001; has identified as Local 10 News since 2004.
Milwaukee, WisconsinWISN-TVUsed the title when it was a CBS affiliate from 1973 to 1976, it was a clone of WABC-TV's Eyewitness News format. Has identified as 12 News since 2003.
WITIFox (formerly CBS)Identified as TV-6 Eyewitness News in 1970s; currently known as Fox 6 News.
Nashville, TennesseeWKRN-TVABCUsed 1969–1972 as WSIX-TV; has identified as News 2 since 1994.
WTVFCBSUsed the early 1970s–1989; has identified as NewsChannel 5 since 1989.
New Orleans, LouisianaWWL-TVIdentified itself as Eyewitness News from 1968 to 2023. Now identifies as WWL Louisiana News.
New York CityWABC-TV2ABCYesOriginally identified as just Eyewitness News, then as Channel 7 Eyewitness News beginning 1984–1998; was identified as ABC 7 Eyewitness News 1999–2003 before reverting to Channel 7 Eyewitness News in 2004.
Norfolk / Portsmouth / Newport NewsWTKRCBSNoIdentified as Channel 3 Eyewitness News 1992–1994, has identified as NewsChannel 3 since 1995
WAVY-TVNBCIdentified as Area 10 or Channel 10 Eyewitness News 1969–1982, has identified as WAVY News 10 since 1989.
Oklahoma CityKOCO-TVABCIdentified as Channel 5 Eyewitness News 1974–1977, then as Eyewitness News 5 1998–2013; now identifies as KOCO 5 News
KWTVCBSUsed Eyewitness News title 1966–1971, has identified as News 9 since 1997.
Orlando / Daytona BeachWFTVABCYesHas identified as Eyewitness News since 1976.
WRDQIndependentWFTV produces newscasts identified as Eyewitness News This Morning and Eyewitness News at 10 PM.
PhiladelphiaKYW-TV1CBS (formerly NBC)NoThe Eyewitness News format was originally introduced at this station in 1965; dropped name from 1991 to use different names for different dayparts; rebranded as News 3 in 1994 and reverted to Eyewitness News in 1998. The name was dropped again in 2023, now identifies as CBS News Philadelphia
PhoenixKTVKIndependentUsed 1981–1986 (at that time an ABC affiliate); currently identifies as 3TV News.
KPHO-TVCBSUsed in the 1970s (at that time independent); has identified as CBS 5 News since 2004.
PittsburghKDKA-TV1Used from 1965 to 1996; has identified as KDKA-TV News since 1996.
Panama City, FloridaWMBBABCIdentified as 13 Eyewitness News from 1987 to 1996; has identified as News 13 since 2003.
Portland, MaineWMTWHas identified as News 8 WMTW since 2000.
WCSHNBCIdentified as WCSH Eyewitness News in the 1970s; has identified as News Center 6 since 1986.
Portland, OregonKATUABCUsed 1967–1973; has identified as KATU News since 2003.
Providence, Rhode IslandWPRICBSIdentified as Channel 12 Eyewitness News 1989–1996, was identified as Eyewitness News from 2002 to August 31, 2020, when it re-branded as 12 News; produces 12 News Now at 6:30 & 10 on Fox Providence for WNAC.
Quad CitiesDavenport, Iowa / Moline, Illinois / Rock Island, Illinois / Bettendorf, Iowa / East Moline, IllinoisWHBF-TVUsed the same imaging/graphics as sister station WOI-TV, identified as Channel 4 Eyewitness News 2002–2007, has identified as Local 4 News since 2015.
WQAD-TVABCIdentified as Eyewitness News 1975–1978, has branded as Quad Cities' News 8 since 2009.
Raleigh/ DurhamWTVD2YesUsed Eyewitness News until dropping for WTVD 11 News in 1985; this was a clone of WKBW's Eyewitness News format. Brought back the title in 2000 as ABC 11 Eyewitness News. Also produces Eyewitness News at 10 on CW22 for WLFL-TV.
Reno, NevadaKOLO-TVNoIdentified as Eyewitness News from the mid-'70s to early 1990s; has identified as KOLO 8 News Now since 2007.
Richmond, VirginiaWRIC-TVUsed from the late 1980s to 1992; has identified as 8 News since 1992.
Roanoke, VirginiaWSLSNBCUsed during the 1960s and 1980s, has identified as 10 News since 2017.
Rochester, New YorkWHECUsed from the early-to-late 1970s; has identified as News 10 NBC since 2000.
Rockford, IllinoisWREXUsed when it was an ABC affiliate; has identified as 13 News since 1996.
SacramentoKXTVABCUsed 1978–1985; has identified as News 10 since 1985.
St. Louis, MissouriKSDKNBCIdentified itself in 1969 as just Eyewitness News, then in 1976 as Channel 5 Eyewitness News Central, and in 1979 as Channel 5 Eyewitness News. Now identifies as NewsChannel 5.
Salt Lake City, UtahKSL-TVNBC (formerly CBS)Identified as Eyewitness News from the 1970s to 2002, and as KSL 5 Eyewitness News from 2002 to 2009; currently identifies as KSL 5 News.
San Antonio, TexasKENS-TVCBSIdentified as Eyewitness News 1970–1998, and as KENS 5 Eyewitness News from 1998 to 2022; currently identifies as KENS 5 News.
San Diego, CaliforniaKNSDNBCUsed 1973–1977 when it was affiliated with ABC, it was a clone of WABC-TV's format; has identified as NBC 7 News since 2011.
San FranciscoKPIX1CBSIdentified as Channel 5 Eyewitness News from 1965 to 2005 (aside from a brief period in the mid-1990s when it identified as KPIX 5 News), has identified as CBS 5 Eyewitness News from 2005 until 2013. The station adopted KPIX 5 News branding again in early 2013. Rival station KGO-TV borrowed WABC-TV's Eyewitness News format. As of December 2022 KPIX San Francisco has renamed their newscasts CBS News Bay Area as part of a move to name their news operations after their feed on the CBS News app.
KGO-TV2ABCHas identified as ABC7 News since 1998, which follows the Eyewitness News format though not in branding.
Scranton / Wilkes-Barre, PennsylvaniaWBRENBCYesIdentified as 28 Eyewitness News from the 1980s to 2001 and WBRE Eyewitness News since 2008.
SeattleKIRO-TVCBSNoPreviously used 1981–1987 and 1997–2015, currently identified as KIRO 7 News.
ShreveportKSLAUsed from the 1980s to the 1990s; currently identifies as KSLA News 12.
KTBSABCUsed from the 1970s; currently identifies as KTBS 3 News.
Sioux City, IowaKCAU-TVUses similar imaging/graphics as sister stations WOI-TV, WHBF-TV, and KLKN; identified as Channel 9 Eyewitness News from 2001 to 2013; has identified as ABC 9 News since 2013.
South Bend, IndianaWSBTCBSIdentified in 1978 as 22 Eyewitness News and in 1983 as WSBT Eyewitness News; has identified as WSBT News since 2007.
Spokane, WashingtonKHQNBCIdentified as Q-6 Eyewitness News in the 1970s, currently identifies as KHQ-6 Local News.
Springfield, MissouriKSPRABCIdentified as 33 Eyewitness News 1986–1989, has identified as KSPR News since 2007.
Syracuse, New YorkWTVHCBSIdentified as Eyewitness News 5 1999–2002, has identified as CBS 5 News since 2005.
WSYR (formerly WNYS and WIXT)ABCIdentified as Eyewitness News 1974–1989, currently identifies as Newschannel 9.
WSYTFoxIdentified as Fox 68 Eyewitness News 2000–2006; produced by WTVH. No longer carries a newscast.
Tallahassee, FloridaWCTVCBSYesIdentified as Eyewitness News from the 1980s until 2001, now known as WCTV Eyewitness News.
Tampa / St. Petersburg, FloridaWTVTFox (formerly CBS)NoBranded as Channel 13 Eyewitness News 1989–1996 and briefly as Fox 13 Eyewitness News 1996–1997; has identified as Fox 13 News since 1997.
WTSPCBS (formerly ABC)Used 1970–1977 when the station was WLCY-TV; currently identifies as 10 Tampa Bay News since 2020.
WTOGIndependent (formerly the CW)Used from 1982 to 1985. Viacom shut down the station's news department in 1998.
Terre Haute, IndianaWTWO-TVNBCIdentified as (TV-2) Eyewitness News 1973–1994, has identified as simply WTWO since 2006.
Toledo, OhioWTOLCBSIdentified as Eyewitness News from 1966 to 1974; has identified as WTOL 11 News since 2010.
Topeka, KansasKTKAABCIdentified as 49 Eyewitness News before local news was dropped in 2002, bought by new owners and brought back news in 2006 and currently identifies as 49 News.
Traverse City, MichiganWGTUName used in the 1970s; local news now limited on the station.
Tucson, ArizonaKVOA-TVNBCWas Eyewitness News at least since the early 1970s, identified as Eyewitness News 4 from 1999 to February 2006, identified as News 4 since February 2006.
Tulsa, OklahomaKOTVCBSIdentified as Eyewitness News 1978–1986, has identified as The News On 6 since 1986.
Tyler, TexasKYTXIdentified as CBS 19 Eyewitness News 2004–2008; currently identifies as KYTX CBS 19 News.
Utica, New YorkWUTRABCYesIdentified as Eyewitness News in the 1980s and early-to-mid-1990s. Stopped newscasts in 2003; revived newscasts under the Eyewitness News name in 2011.
Waco, TXKXXVNoPreviously identified as Eyewitness News 25 from 1985 to mid-1990s; currently identified as NewsChannel 25.
Washington, D.C.WUSACBSIdentified as Channel 9 Eyewitness News from 1971–2002 (as WTOP-TV from 1971–1978, later WDVM from 1978–1986 and WUSA since 1986); has identified as WUSA 9 News from 2002–2006 and again since 2013; was previously identified as 9 News Now from 2006–2013.
West Palm Beach, FloridaWPBFABCIdentified as Eyewitness News 25 1998–2004; has identified as WPBF 25 News since 2009.
WPECCBSUsed from the late-1980s to the mid-1990s, has identified as CBS 12 News since February 1, 2008.
Wichita, KansasKWCHNoIdentified as Eyewitness News 1969–1977 and again 1983–1995 and then Channel 12 Eyewitness News 1995–2001. Has identified as KWCH 12 Eyewitness News from 2001 to 2022. Now identifies as 12 News since 2022.
Wichita Falls, Texas / Lawton, OklahomaKAUZ-TVNoUsed title Channel 6 Eyewitness News 1974–1988; currently identifies as Newschannel 6.
Wilmington, North CarolinaWWAYABCIdentified as Eyewitness News 3 1983–1995; has identified as NewsChannel 3 since 1995.
Youngstown, OhioWYTVIdentified as 33 Eyewitness News from the late 1970s to 1999; has identified as 33 News since 2004. Both the news department and the station as a whole have been operated by WKBN-TV in a shared services agreement since 2007.
Yuma, Arizona/El Centro, CaliforniaKYMA-DT (1988–2020)Station now defunctUsed from 1988–1990 (at that time an NBC affiliate), station later used News 11 for newscasts until license for station was surrendered in 2020.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Michael D. Murray . Encyclopedia of television news By . 1999. 73 . 9781573561082.
  2. News: Vadala . Nick . Eyewitness News rebrands as CBS News Philadelphia . April 12, 2023 . . April 12, 2023 . en.
  3. News: Dillon . Dak . Philadelphia's KYW drops Eyewitness News with rebrand focused on community . April 12, 2023 . NewscastStudio . April 12, 2023.
  4. Web site: ABC7 looks back on 50 years of Eyewitness News. David. Ono. February 28, 2019. Abc7.com. December 23, 2021.
  5. Web site: EYEWITNESS NEWS Trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Serial Number: 72288902. Trademark.trademarkia.com. December 23, 2021.
  6. Web site: Critic. Alan Pergament News TV. Alan Pergament: WKBW drops Eyewitness News brand, names Hannah Buehler 11 p.m. anchor. January 7, 2022. The Buffalo News. en.
  7. Web site: TEN looks set to relaunch its nightly news bulletins. DeciderTV. Kevin. Perry. September 25, 2018. November 17, 2018.
  8. Web site: Upfronts 2019: 10: variety, new dramas, multichannel rebrand.. TV Tonight. David. Knox. November 1, 2018. November 17, 2018.
  9. Web site: Eyewitness News: Contact us (in South Africa). Ewn.co.za.
  10. Web site: YouTube . . November 25, 2016 . April 10, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160410081749/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRSOx5Zudbo . dead .
  11. Web site: KTRK Channel 13 Eyewitness News Tonight Intro 10/17/90. December 23, 2021. YouTube.
  12. Web site: ABC 7 Eyewitness News at 11 Open. December 23, 2021. YouTube.