Action News
Action News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV) in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV.
The main difference between Action News and Eyewitness News was that the former was far more tightly formatted. Time limits were set on packages - for instance, a reporter package could be no longer than 90 seconds. This difference enabled the station to cover more stories than what their competitors were using. Another key difference was the focus on the surrounding Philadelphia suburban areas - a response to the movement of residents from the city to the suburbs. Finally, WPVI placed more emphasis on young talent - while WCAU-TV and KYW-TV used older, respected news anchors such as Vince Leonard, Tom Snyder and John Facenda, WPVI used a young Larry Kane as their top anchor. Later the station would add the very popular Jim O'Brien as their main weathercaster.
The format quickly took off, and after a few years of going back and forth with KYW for first place, WPVI took the lead in 1977 and has held it ever since. Capital Cities Communications, WPVI's owner at the time, took the format to most of its other stations
Interestingly, WKBW-TV in Buffalo, also owned by Capital Cities, called itself "Eyewitness News" and used the Move Closer to Your World theme, but used the basic "Action News" format.
WPIX-TV in New York City, an independent station at the time (now affiliated with The WB and owned by Tribune Broadcasting), picked up the Action News concept (and music) successfully for its 10 p.m. newscast. The newscast won numerous awards, but the station never approached the ratings of longtime leader WNEW-TV (now WNYW-TV).
Since 1976, the ACTION NEWS® mark has been federally registered to Cox Holdings, Inc., an affiliate of Cox Broadcasting, Inc., which owns fifteen television stations across the country. Many of Cox's stations use the ACTION NEWS mark. In addition, Cox licenses the mark for use by television stations owned by other companies. The dates of the trademark’s first use by stations referenced in this article have not necessarily been confirmed.
Outisde North America, the name Action News was used by Germany's RTL II (then known as RTL2) in the 1990s, and by NWS-9 in Adelaide, Australia, in the 1980s.
In the TV show Family Guy, the local newscast on channel 5 is Action News with Tom Tucker, Diane Simmons, Ollie Williams, and Tricia Takanawa.
Action News Now
Like Eyewitness News, Action News is usually nothing more than a name since its innovations have been incorporated into newscasts across the country. The name is found on fewer stations than Eyewitness News. The format has also developed somewhat of a reputation as a tabloid format, although this was not the intention of its creators (the "Action" refers to the pacing of the newscast and not the actual news content). Perhaps no station exemplifies this more than WOIO in Cleveland, Ohio, which adopted the name for a tabloid-style newscast. While the station has begun to challenge for second place, it has done so using a variety of questionable tactics; famously, the station aired a sexed-up report centering on anchor Sharon Reed posing for a nude charity photo shoot.
Theme
While the format started in 1970, 1972 marked the start of the well-known "Move Closer to Your World" theme by Al Ham on WPVI. It was actually first used by WNAC-TV in Boston (now WHDH-TV) in 1970. However, its news director moved to WPVI in 1972 and took the theme with him. It quickly spread to other stations across the country, but was mostly used in the Northeast.
Unlike most stations, WPVI still uses this theme after three decades, and the theme has arguably become as much a part of the Philadelphia consciousness as the Rocky theme. This was proven in 1996 when the station replaced it with a fuller, orchestral rendition of the same theme performed by the London Philharmonic. Viewer outcry was so great that the station dropped the more thunderous and authoritative version within five days. WPVI has made numerous remasters of the theme to keep the sound fresh and to make it sound less dated. The theme has the unique distinction of being probably the only news theme to be offered as a ringtone.
Although "Move Closer to Your World" is strongly associated with the Action News format by Philadelphians and many others, many stations that have used the "Action News" name actually chose to use other pieces of music for their newscasts. Conversely, stations that use "Move Closer to Your World" do not necessarily use the "Action News" name or format either.
Stations That Use or have used the Action News Format or Name
| DMA# | DMA Name | Station | Affiliation | Currently Uses | Other Notes |
| 1. | New York City | WPIX | WB | No | Used as an Independent station; Currently identifies as "WB 11 News" |
| 2. | Los Angeles | KCBS-TV | CBS | No | Used from 1989 to 1997; Currently identifies as "CBS 2 News" |
| 4. | Philadelphia | WPVI-TV | ABC | Yes | Originator of the "Action News" format |
| 6. | San Jose/S.F./Oakland, California | KICU-TV | Independent | No | Newscast defunct, but station calls itself "Action 36" |
| 7. | Dallas/Fort Worth | KXAS-TV | NBC | No | Used from 1972 to 1984, its years of using Move Closer to Your World. Currently identifies as "NBC 5 News" |
| 9. | Atlanta | WSB-TV | ABC, formerly NBC | Yes | Used since 1972. |
| 11. | Detroit | WXYZ-TV | ABC | Yes | Uses or has used elements more commonly associated with "Eyewitness News", such as circle 7 logo and "Cool Hand Luke"-based themes |
| 12. | Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida | WFTS-TV | ABC | Yes | Currently identifies as "ABC Action News" |
| WTSP | CBS, formerly ABC | No | Used in the 1980s; unrelated to WFTS | ||
| 14. | Phoenix, Arizona | KPNX | NBC | No | Used during the 80's; Currently identifies as "12 News" |
| 16. | Cleveland, Ohio | WOIO | CBS | Yes | Produces "19 Action News at 10" for WUAB-TV |
| WKYC-TV | NBC | No | Used from 1974-1984; currently identifies as "Channel 3 News"; unrelated to WOIO | ||
| 17. | Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | WFOR-TV (formerly WCIX-TV) | CBS | No | Used from 1989 to 1995; Currently identifies as "CBS 4 News" |
| 19. | Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, California | KOVR | CBS, formerly ABC | No | Used as an ABC affiliate in the 1970's; currently identifies as "CBS 13 News" |
| KMAX-TV | UPN, formerly WB; independent | No | Used in the 1990s; formerly unrelated to KOVR | ||
| 20. | Orlando | WRDQ | Independent | Yes | Produced by WFTV |
| 21. | St. Louis | KTVI | FOX, formerly ABC | No | Used during the early & mid 1970's; Currently identifies as "Fox 2 News" |
| 22. | Pittsburgh | WTAE-TV | ABC | Yes | Used in 1970s-1989; Brought back again in 1995 |
| 24. | Baltimore | WBAL-TV | NBC, formerly CBS | No | Used from 1974 to 1985. Currently identifies as "11 News" |
| 26. | San Diego | KFMB-TV | CBS | No | Used briefly in the 1970s; followed by the year a la Match Game, i.e. "Action News '75"; Currenty identifies as News 8. |
| 27. | Charlotte | WAXN-TV | Independent | Yes | Produced by WSOC-TV |
| WCNC-TV (formerly WPCQ-TV) | NBC | No | Used from 1980 to 1996; Currently identifies as "WCNC 6 News"; unrelated to WAXN/WSOC | ||
| 28. | Hartford/New Haven, Connecticut | WTNH | ABC | No | Used from 1984 to 1996; Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 8"; former sister station of WPVI |
| 29. | Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina | WRAL-TV | CBS, formerly ABC | No | Used during the 70's and 80's; Sister station of WRAZ Fox 50. Currently identifies as WRAL News. |
| 31. | Kansas City | KSHB-TV | NBC | Yes | |
| WDAF-TV | FOX, formerly NBC | No | Used from 1974-1992; currently identifies as "Fox 4 News"; unrelated to KSHB | ||
| 32. | Columbus, Ohio | WTVN-TV, now WSYX | ABC | No | Used as WTVN; Currently identifies as "Columbus' News Center" |
| 33. | Milwaukee | WISN-TV | ABC | No | Used from 1977 to 1985; Currently identifies as "12 News" |
| 34. | Cincinnati | WLWT | NBC | No | Used from the mid 1970's to the mid 1980's; Currently identifies as "News 5" |
| 35. | Greenville | WYFF Formerly WFBC-TV | NBC | No | Used from 1975 to 1981; Currently identifies as "WYFF News4" |
| 38. | West Palm Beach, Florida | WPTV | NBC | No | Used in the 1980s and early 1990s; currently identifies as "NewsChannel 5" |
| 40. | Birmingham, Alabama | WVTM-TV | NBC | No | Used in the 1970s; currently identifies as "NBC 13 News" |
| WIAT | CBS | No | Used in the 1980s and 1990s; currently identifies as "News 42"; unrelated to WVTM | ||
| 41. | Harrisburg/York/Lancaster, Pennsylvania | WLYH-TV | UPN, formerly CBS | No | Used as a CBS affiliate; ceased carrying a newscast in 2004, but will resume when they become a CW affiliate in the fall of 2006 |
| 44. | Memphis, Tennessee | WMC-TV | NBC | Yes | Currently identifies as Action News 5. |
| 46. | Albuquerque/Santa Fe, New Mexico | KOAT-TV | ABC | Yes | Currently identifies itself as "Action 7 News Live." |
| 48. | Las Vegas | KTNV | ABC | Yes | |
| 50. | Louisville, Kentucky | WHAS-TV | ABC, formerly CBS | No | Used from the mid 1970's to when it flipped from CBS to ABC; Currently identifies as "WHAS News" |
| 51. | Providence, Rhode Island/New Bedford, Massachusetts | WLNE-TV | ABC, formerly CBS | No | Used during its CBS days; Currently identifies as "ABC 6 News" |
| 52. | Jacksonville, Florida | WTLV | NBC | No | Used during the mid & late 1970's; Currently identifies as "First Coast News" |
| 53. | Austin, Texas | KVUE | ABC | No | Used from 1978 to 1997; Currently identifies as "KVUE News" |
| 54. | Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania | WYOU | CBS | No | Used from 1974 to 1997; Currently identifies as "WYOU News" |
| 55. | Albany, New York | WTEN | ABC, formerly CBS | No | Used during its first few years as a ABC affiliate; Currently identifies as "News 10" |
| 56. | Fresno/Visalia/Merced, California | KFSN-TV | ABC, formerly CBS | Yes | |
| 57. | Little Rock, Arkansas | KTHV | CBS | No | Newscast name used before the purchase by Gannet; Currently identifies as "Today's THV" |
| 58. | Knoxville, Tennessee | WBIR-TV | NBC | No | Used from 1970 to 1974 and from 1978 to April 2004; Currently identifies as "10 News" |
| 62. | Mobile, Alabama/Pensacola, Florida | WALA-TV | FOX, formerly NBC | No | Used from 1990 to 199;. Currently identifies as "FOX 10 News" |
| 63. | Lexington, Kentucky | WLEX-TV | NBC | No | Used in the 1970s and 1980s; currently identifies as "LEX 18 News" |
| WTVQ-TV | ABC | Yes | Unrelated to WLEX | ||
| 64. | Charleston, West Virginia | WOWK-TV | CBS, fomerly ABC | No | Used from its ABC days; Currently identifies as "13 News" |
| 69. | Green Bay, Wisconsin | WBAY-TV | ABC, formerly CBS | Yes | Currently identifies as "Action 2 News" |
| 70. | Toledo, Ohio | WTVG | ABC | Yes | |
| 75. | Omaha, Nebraska | WOWT-TV | NBC, formerly CBS | No | Used from the CBS years; Currently identifies as "Channel 6 News" |
| KMTV | CBS | Yes | |||
| 76. | Syracuse, New York | WSTM-TV | NBC | Yes | |
| 77. | Springfield, Missouri | KYTV | NBC | No | Used from 1974 to 1993, under the suffix "KY3 Action News"; Currently identifies as "KY3 News" |
| 81. | Shreveport, Louisiana | KTBS-TV | ABC | No | Used during the 1980's; Currently identifies as "KTBS 3 News" |
| 84. | Huntsville, Alabama | WHNT-TV | CBS | No | Used in the 1970s and 1980s, currently identifies as "NewsChannel 19" |
| 85. | Madison, Wisconsin | WISC-TV | CBS | No | Used in the 1970s; currently identifies as "News 3" |
| 86. | Chattanooga, Tennessee | WTVC | ABC | No | Used throughout the 70's 80's and early 90's; Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 9" |
| 88. | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | KGAN | CBS | No | Used as WMT-TV; Currently identifies as "CBS 2 News" |
| 89. | Jackson, Mississippi | WAPT | ABC | No | Used during the 1970's; Currently identifies as "16 WAPT News" |
| 95. | Rock Island, Illinois/Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities) | WHBF-TV | CBS | No | Used during the 1980's; Currently identifies as "Channel 4 Eyewitness News" |
| 97. | Savannah, Georgia | WJCL | ABC | No | Used from 1972 to 1996; Currently identifies as "ABC 22 News" |
| 98. | Altoona/Johnstown, Pennsylvania | WTAJ-TV | CBS | No | Used during the 1980's; Currently identifies as "News 10" |
| 99. | El Paso, Texas | KDBC-TV | CBS | No | Used in the 1990s; currently identifies as "KDBC 4 News" |
| 101. | Charleston, South Carolina | WCBD-TV | NBC formerly ABC | No | Used as an ABC affiliate; Currently identifies as "News 2" |
| 102. | Youngstown, Ohio | WFMJ-TV | NBC | No | Used from 1970's until 2005; currently indentifies as "21 News" |
| 107. | Florence/Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | WPDE-TV | ABC | No | Used from 1980 to 1999; Currently identifies as "WPDE NewsChannel 15" |
| 109. | Tallahassee, Florida | WTXL-TV | ABC | No | Used in the 1990s; currently identifies as "ABC NewsChannel 27" |
| 110. | Lansing, Michigan | WILX-TV | NBC | No | Used during the 70's and 80's. Currently identifies as "News 10" |
| 115. | Augusta, Georgia | WRDW-TV | CBS | No | Used from the late 1960's to the late 1970's; Currently identifies as "News12" |
| WAGT | NBC | No | Used from the 1990s until 2003; currently identifies as "WAGT News" | ||
| 116. | Montgomery/Selma, Alabama | WAKA | CBS | No | Used in the 1980s, currently identifies as "CBS 8 News" |
| 122. | San Luis Obispo, California | KSBY | NBC | Yes | Currently Identifies itself as "6 Action News" and was a sister station of KSBW, which also uses the "Action News" format from 1957-1996. |
| 123. | La Crosse/Eau Claire, Wisconsin | WKBT | CBS | No | Used during the 70's and 80's. Currently identifies as "NewsChannel 8" |
| 124. | Lafayette, Louisiana | KATC | ABC | No | Used in the 1980s and 1990s; currently identifies as "TV-3 News" |
| 125. | Salinas/Monterey, California | KSBW | NBC | Yes | |
| 127. | Columbus, Georgia | WTVM | ABC | No | Used from the late 1960s to the late 1990's; Currently identifies as "WTVM Newsleader 9" |
| 129. | Corpus Christi, Texas | KZTV | CBS | Yes | Currently identifies as "Action 10 News" |
| 130. | Chico/Redding, California | KNVN | NBC | No | News operations merged with KHSL; currently identifies as "The News on KNVN" |
| 131. | Amarillo, Texas | KAMR-TV | NBC | No | Used in the 1980s; currently identifies as "NBC 4 News" |
| 133. | Rockford, Illinois | WIFR | CBS | No | Used from the 1980's. Currently identifies as "23 News" |
| 142. | Erie, Pennsylvania | WJET-TV | ABC | Yes | |
| 144. | Lawton, Oklahoma/Wichita Falls, Texas | KSWO-TV | ABC | No | Used from the late 1960's to 1998; Currently identifies as "7 News" |
| 150. | Terre Haute, Indiana | WTHI-TV | CBS | Yes | Started as "Action 10 News" in 1985 and later became "Action 10 News WTHI" |
| 156. | Binghamton, NY | WBNG-TV | CBS | Yes | The newscast has been called Action News since the stations inception in the 1950s." |
| 164. | Abilene/Sweetwater, Texas | KTXS-TV | ABC | No | Used during the early 1980s; Currently identifies as "KTXS News 12" |
| 176. | Alexandria, Louisiana | KLAX-TV | ABC | No | Used until its newscast operations were shut down: Newscast no longer exists |
| 177. | Rapid City, South Dakota | KEVN-TV | FOX, formerly NBC | No | Used from 1976 to 1995; Currently identifies as "KEVN FOX-7 News" |
| 181. | Harrisonburg, Virginia | WHSV-TV | ABC | No | Used from 1977-1984; currently identifies as "WHSV TV-3 News" |
| 208. | Alpena, Michigan | WBKB-TV | CBS | No | Used from 1980 to 2004: Currently identifies as "UGN News" |