Al Primo
Encyclopedia
Albert T. Primo is a television news executive who was credited with creating the Eyewitness News
format.
. He attended the University of Pittsburgh
and graduated in 1958.
He began in the business in 1953 as a copy boy at WDTV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, moving up the ranks over 12 years as the station switched dial positions (from channel 3 to channel 2), owners (from the DuMont Television Network
to Westinghouse Broadcasting
) and call letters (to KDKA-TV
), working as news writer, cameraman
, reporter, anchorman
and news director.
In 1965 he went to Philadelphia's KYW-TV
where he launched the Eyewitness News
format (the name itself had been used for some years before that by Westinghouse's TV stations for its local newscasts, and in fact was first used by KYW
itself in 1959 when it was based in Cleveland, Ohio
), and in 1968 he took the format with him to his new job at WABC-TV
, the ABC
outlet in New York City
. He refined the Eyewitness News format at WABC (including the addition of "happy talk
"), and the Eyewitness News name and format radiated across the United States
from here.
He also chose the musical score from the Tar Sequence in the movie Cool Hand Luke
(composed by Lalo Schifrin
) as the news theme to WABC's Eyewitness News, a move which also exposed many other TV stations in the United States (and by extension, their viewers) to Schifrin's work.
At WABC-TV, Primo assembled the anchor duo of Roger Grimsby
and Bill Beutel, which garnered high ratings for 16 years until 1986, when Grimsby was let go from the station.
In 2002, Primo helped launch Teen Kids News
as a project to give young people an opportunity to develop an interest in the news industry through delivering news and information to their peers.
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
format.
Biography
He was born in 1937 and raised in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He attended the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
and graduated in 1958.
He began in the business in 1953 as a copy boy at WDTV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, moving up the ranks over 12 years as the station switched dial positions (from channel 3 to channel 2), owners (from the DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
to Westinghouse Broadcasting
Westinghouse Broadcasting
The Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndication....
) and call letters (to KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
), working as news writer, cameraman
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
, reporter, anchorman
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
and news director.
In 1965 he went to Philadelphia's KYW-TV
KYW-TV
KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
where he launched the Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
format (the name itself had been used for some years before that by Westinghouse's TV stations for its local newscasts, and in fact was first used by KYW
WKYC-TV
WKYC, virtual channel 3 , is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Cleveland, Ohio, owned by the Gannett Company. Its studio is located on the shores of Lake Erie, while its transmitter is located in Parma, Ohio....
itself in 1959 when it was based in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
), and in 1968 he took the format with him to his new job at WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
, the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
outlet in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He refined the Eyewitness News format at WABC (including the addition of "happy talk
Happy talk
Happy talk, also called banter, is the additional and often meaningless commentary interspersed into news programs by news anchors and others on set. It may consist of simple jokes or simply a modified wording in asking a question of another reporter...
"), and the Eyewitness News name and format radiated across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from here.
He also chose the musical score from the Tar Sequence in the movie Cool Hand Luke
Cool Hand Luke
Cool Hand Luke is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Paul Newman. The screenplay was adapted by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson from Pearce's 1965 novel of the same name. The film features George Kennedy, Strother Martin, J.D...
(composed by Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
) as the news theme to WABC's Eyewitness News, a move which also exposed many other TV stations in the United States (and by extension, their viewers) to Schifrin's work.
At WABC-TV, Primo assembled the anchor duo of Roger Grimsby
Roger Grimsby
Roger Grimsby was an American journalist, television news anchor and actor. Grimsby is known as one of the pioneers of local television broadcast news.-Early life:...
and Bill Beutel, which garnered high ratings for 16 years until 1986, when Grimsby was let go from the station.
In 2002, Primo helped launch Teen Kids News
Teen Kids News
Teen Kids News, initially titled EKN Worldwide Kids News, is an educational newsmagazine series aimed at children and teenagers that debuted in first-run syndication the weekend of September 27, 2003. Teen Kids News discusses important issues in a format intended to educate and inform both children...
as a project to give young people an opportunity to develop an interest in the news industry through delivering news and information to their peers.
Further reading
- Powers, RonRon PowersRon Powers is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, novelist, and non-fiction writer. His face include White Town Drowsing: Journeys to Hannibal, Dangerous Water: A Biography of the Boy Who Became Mark Twain, and Mark Twain: A Life...
. The Newscasters: The News Business As Show Business (revised edition). New York, Leisure Books, 1980 (pp. 193-203).
External links
- CBS3 Eyewitness News Team (Archived 2009-10-24) - unofficial site documenting the development of Eyewitness News at KYW-TV
- Teen Kids News - Primo's teen newscast project