Eyewitness News

Staying with the subject of NBC, another innovative television station was KYW-TV.

Al Primo, a noted innovator in television news born in the Appalachian region, created the innovative Eyewitness News concept at KYW-TV in Philadelphia in the mid-1960's.

Just prior to Al Primo's Eyewitness News, news reporters were being used behind the cameras to avoid paying extra fees; this was the format of a radio-style newscast.

Due to Al Primo's Eyewitness News, news reporters made their appearances with their own story.

By relocating from Philadelphia to New York City, Al Primo's Eyewitness News concept innovated the happy talk trait, in which anchors and reporters have a light-hearted conversation.

In addition, the New York version of the Eyewitness News concept via Al Primo opened new doors for female and minority journalists in major markets.

Happy talk is a trait being used in television news, in which, instead of a simple handoff to some news personnel, anchors can use informal ad-libbed humour.

Even so, the Eyewitness News title originated in Cleveland, which is another place using the KYW-TV letters, but also a place near the Appalachian region.

Back to Philadelphia, WFIL-TV developed Action News, which has stories in 30 or 45 seconds.

British Columbia Television (BCTV)

British Columbia Television (BCTV) is the former official on-air name for CHAN-TV, which is a local television station covering British Columbia; its official on-air name lasted from 1973 to 2001.

Western International Communications (WIC) is the name of a former media empire rooted in Western Canada, whose flagship station was BCTV.

Despite its CTV affiliation from 1961 to 2001, BCTV (CHAN-TV) used its distinctive presentation.

Some of the key drivers that pushed BCTV towards its unique presentation, in spite of its CTV network affiliation, included home-grown ownership and its conflict with CFTO-TV in Toronto.

Under WIC, BCTV defended Western Canadian media interests against national media interests being rooted in Eastern Canada.

For BCTV, it uniquely operated in the form of an independent station, despite its CTV affiliation.

The Pacific Dogwood flower, which serves as British Columbia's provincial flower, also serves as an iconic and famous symbol for BCTV from 1973 to 2001, refined in the mid-1990's.

Initially, BCTV came from its studios at Davie and Richards Streets in downtown Vancouver.

Not long after its 1960 debut, BCTV relocated to its permanent and purpose-built studios at Enterprise Street in the Lake City Industrial Park in 1961, fully opened in 1962.

Tony Parsons was the primary news anchor for BCTV (CHAN-TV), doing its flagship 6 p.m. newscast called the News Hour.

Ray Peters was the powerhouse behind BCTV from around its 1960 launch to January 1990.

Having begun in the sales portion, Ray Peters made his ascent to the BCTV (CHAN-TV) leadership in 1961, when it began to carry some programs from CTV, which it formally joined not long after.

Not confined to BCTV, Ray Peters also served as WIC's President and CEO from 1978 to 1989.

When Ray Peters joined in 1960, BCTV (CHAN-TV) was in debt and had a struggling situation.

But by the time Ray Peters retired in January 1990, BCTV (CHAN-TV) had turned into a financial and ratings success.

Cameron Bell was BCTV's news director from the late-1960's to 1989.

Under Cameron Bell, BCTV pioneered a tabloid news approach that revolutionized television news in British Columbia and helped this station dethrone the CBC's ratings crown.

During its initial years since Tony Parsons joined the station in 1975, BCTV used an isolated, box-like news studio.

In 1977, BCTV began to use a news studio layout that had a unique texture.

For its unique news studio layout, BCTV juxtaposed the regular newsroom backdrop (CBS) with Fred Harpman's NewsCentre (NBC) and its locally-owned indie station status.

Having been a departure from the oft-used philosophy that the studio is the newsroom, emphasized by CBS/WBBM-TV, the philosophy, emphasized by BCTV, was that the newsroom is the studio.

BCTV's specially-made newsroom-as-set trend offered better and more open-concept visuals, improved lighting, superior acoustics and a smoother flow between on-air personnel and journalists.

This hybrid newsroom-control room set trend (which BCTV developed) made the news studio look less conventional and more like a high-functioning, authentic and professional newsroom.

Ray Peters and Cameron Bell, both involved with BCTV, were the geniuses behind the creation of its innovative hybrid newsroom-multi-monitor control room set associated with Tony Parsons.

Modern 21st-century news studio sets do not abandon the philosophies of CBS, NBC and BCTV; they utilize digital technology to merge and evolve them into flexible ecosystems.

The huge success/popularity of the News Hour on BCTV stemmed from its formula being made by its collective trio of architects.

Ray Peters' management, Cameron Bell's editorial direction and Tony Parsons' on-air presence are just some factors in the formula that made the News Hour on BCTV a profound success.

Having been born in a Metal year, BCTV (CHAN-TV) is a force in the television industry.

This Metal element represents BCTV (CHAN-TV), not just in television's heavy and hardware-driven nature, but in its historically physical industrial park location.

Besides, this Metal element also represents BCTV (CHAN-TV) in its main transmitter location on the mountain, which has been used since its inception.

Robert Malcolm anchored the News Hour Final on BCTV from 1972 to the early-1990's.

Linden Soles anchored the News Hour Final on BCTV until being replaced by Ted Chernecki, who did this one from the early-1990's to 2001.

Jill Krop anchored the News Hour Final on Global BC from September 2001 to the early-2010's, when Global News BC1 was about to launch in 2013.

During Robert Malcolm's tenure as its anchor, the late-night newscast on BCTV was the News Hour Final; under his successors, it was simply News Hour Final.

Pamela Martin delivered the news as well on BCTV from 1977 to 2001.

In addition, Tony Parsons anchored Canada Tonight, produced by BCTV for WIC television stations outside British Columbia, from its 1993 inception to its 2001 demise.

Bill Good anchored Canada Tonight in its local BCTV version from its 1993 launch to its 2001 end.

Norm Grohmann was the primary weatherman for BCTV (CHAN-TV), lasting in separate stints until 1998.

For his humorous approach/wit doing the weather on BCTV, Norm Grohmann had earned popularity.

Between Norm Grohmann's departure and return, Fred Latremouille filled in his shoes.

Wayne Cox carried on the legacy begun by Norm Grohmann and Fred Latremouille.

Until 1997, Bernie Pascall, John McKeachie and Barry Houllihan alternated doing sports for BCTV's newscasts.

Squire Barnes, Barry Deley, Keith Wells and Jay Janower replaced the sports team comprising Bernie Pascall, John McKeachie and Barry Houllihan on BCTV in 1997.

Jim Conrad, who was rooted in Canadian radio, served as the primary announcer for BCTV, doing its promos, tags and news intros from the early-1990's to August 2001.

From 1996 to 2001, Jim Conrad famously opened BCTV's newscasts (especially the News Hour) with these words: "Live, from BCTV, here are tonight's...top stories."

After three main news headlines were summarized live on BCTV, Jim Conrad also delivered a famous hand-off with: "Right now, the News Hour, with Tony Parsons."

When its promos end, Jim Conrad announced the words: "on BCTV," "TV for BC" or "BCTV."