News 4 New York
Encyclopedia
News 4 New York is the brand identifier of WNBC-TV
in New York City. It began using this for its news broadcasts in 1971 to 1972, again on October 13, 1980, and again in March 2008. Prior to this, WNBC used the NewsCenter 4 brand for their newscasts. In September 1995, WNBC was rebranded to NewsChannel 4 until March 2008 when News 4 New York branding returned.
News 4 New York also introduced Live at Five
, a local lifestyle-oriented show that was followed by a 6 p.m. half-hour newscast. Live at Five was discontinued in 1991, being replaced by News 4 at 5. The format returned in 1993 and was cancelled on Friday, September 7, 2007.
In 1980 WNBC-TV introduced their famous control room
set, an update of the motif the station used as NewsCenter 4. News 4 New York (concept, graphics, music and marketing) was created by Peter Sang, Director of Advertising and Promoton at WNBC. The editoral and supervision was successfully overseen and refinded by Ron Kershaw
, News Director for WNBC. The set was very large even by today's standards, allowing for more creative shot composition. The set also made creative use of lighting
, discarding the basic bright, flat light approach favored by newscast in favor of a more evocative look using key lighting. This, accentuated by the fact that the set made extensive use of black, gave the set a warm but unique look. Many consider this set to be one of the best sets used by not just WNBC, but any American
newscast.
The set was used for all newscasts but with a unique feature - two desks instead of one. The upstage desk, closer to the backdrop, was used for Live at Five
and eventually Today in New York
; the downstage desk was used for the 6 pm and 11 pm newscasts although the anchors frequently used the desk to toss to reporters and the weather and sports anchors.
The downstage desk was first used during election coverage back in 1979 when the NewsCenter 4 set was located in studio 3B at 30 Rock while WNBC's studio 6B underwent extensive renovations. The two desk format was so liked that it was kept and eventually integrated into the design of the News 4 New York set.
The set was used from 1980 to 1993. The set initially featured a skyline view of New York, but was quickly changed to the more familiar monitor banks. In 1990 an attempt was made to refresh the set for the 1990s. While the basic structure of the set remained, the monitor banks were redone to make them much brighter, the lighting cues were changed to be brighter, and the set was repainted gray and blue. The changes dramatically altered the atmosphere of the program.
In 1993, when the station revived Live at Five
from the Today Show set, the station stopped using the control room set. Two sets were erected, one for Today in New York
and eventually Live at Five, and a main set for the 6 pm News 4 New York. These sets were retained for NewsChannel 4.
WNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
in New York City. It began using this for its news broadcasts in 1971 to 1972, again on October 13, 1980, and again in March 2008. Prior to this, WNBC used the NewsCenter 4 brand for their newscasts. In September 1995, WNBC was rebranded to NewsChannel 4 until March 2008 when News 4 New York branding returned.
News 4 New York also introduced Live at Five
Live at Five
Live at Five is a name used by several television stations in some countries to refer to their 5:00pm newscasts or talk shows.* The name was coined by WNBC-TV in New York City in 1980 for a lifestyle and celebrity news show...
, a local lifestyle-oriented show that was followed by a 6 p.m. half-hour newscast. Live at Five was discontinued in 1991, being replaced by News 4 at 5. The format returned in 1993 and was cancelled on Friday, September 7, 2007.
News music packages
- 1974-1979: Teletype ticker/NBC Nightly News Ticker
- 1980-1990: The original News 4 New York composed by Jim McCallister. A remixed update of the theme was used from 1987–1990
- 1990-1992: WNBC News Music Package composed by John Hegner
- 1992-1995: We're 4 New York composed by Edd KalehoffEdd KalehoffEdward Woodley "Edd" Kalehoff is a music composer who specializes in compositions for television.-Notable pieces:Composer of about 1,000 pieces, mainly for television, his credits include the majority of cues used on The Price is Right as well as the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare, a music...
- 1995-2003: NBC Stations composed by Edd Kalehoff
- 2003-November 16, 2008: WNBC News composed by Rampage Music New York, Inc.
- November 17, 2008–Present: The NBC Collection composed by Gari Communications Inc.
The set
WNBC-TV used two sets during this period.In 1980 WNBC-TV introduced their famous control room
Control room
A control room is a room serving as an operations centre where a facility or service can be monitored and controlled. Examples include:*in television production, the master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations, television networks...
set, an update of the motif the station used as NewsCenter 4. News 4 New York (concept, graphics, music and marketing) was created by Peter Sang, Director of Advertising and Promoton at WNBC. The editoral and supervision was successfully overseen and refinded by Ron Kershaw
Ron Kershaw
Ron Kershaw was an American television news executive responsible for several television news innovations. Considered somewhat a genius, Kershaw was the news director in several large cities across the United States including New York, Chicago and Baltimore.-News director:In 1974, Kershaw was hired...
, News Director for WNBC. The set was very large even by today's standards, allowing for more creative shot composition. The set also made creative use of lighting
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
, discarding the basic bright, flat light approach favored by newscast in favor of a more evocative look using key lighting. This, accentuated by the fact that the set made extensive use of black, gave the set a warm but unique look. Many consider this set to be one of the best sets used by not just WNBC, but any American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
newscast.
The set was used for all newscasts but with a unique feature - two desks instead of one. The upstage desk, closer to the backdrop, was used for Live at Five
Live at Five
Live at Five is a name used by several television stations in some countries to refer to their 5:00pm newscasts or talk shows.* The name was coined by WNBC-TV in New York City in 1980 for a lifestyle and celebrity news show...
and eventually Today in New York
Today in New York
Today in New York is an early-morning local news and entertainment television program on WNBC in New York City, New York.It is broadcast pre-Today from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays. On the weekends, the program is branded as Weekend Today in New York and is broadcast from 6 a.m to 7 a.m. and later...
; the downstage desk was used for the 6 pm and 11 pm newscasts although the anchors frequently used the desk to toss to reporters and the weather and sports anchors.
The downstage desk was first used during election coverage back in 1979 when the NewsCenter 4 set was located in studio 3B at 30 Rock while WNBC's studio 6B underwent extensive renovations. The two desk format was so liked that it was kept and eventually integrated into the design of the News 4 New York set.
The set was used from 1980 to 1993. The set initially featured a skyline view of New York, but was quickly changed to the more familiar monitor banks. In 1990 an attempt was made to refresh the set for the 1990s. While the basic structure of the set remained, the monitor banks were redone to make them much brighter, the lighting cues were changed to be brighter, and the set was repainted gray and blue. The changes dramatically altered the atmosphere of the program.
In 1993, when the station revived Live at Five
Live at Five
Live at Five is a name used by several television stations in some countries to refer to their 5:00pm newscasts or talk shows.* The name was coined by WNBC-TV in New York City in 1980 for a lifestyle and celebrity news show...
from the Today Show set, the station stopped using the control room set. Two sets were erected, one for Today in New York
Today in New York
Today in New York is an early-morning local news and entertainment television program on WNBC in New York City, New York.It is broadcast pre-Today from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays. On the weekends, the program is branded as Weekend Today in New York and is broadcast from 6 a.m to 7 a.m. and later...
and eventually Live at Five, and a main set for the 6 pm News 4 New York. These sets were retained for NewsChannel 4.