Sax and the city -- it used to be Ch. 5's calling card
12/02/10 12:11 AM
By ED BARK
TV news watchers with a little tread on their tires might remember the fairly stylish late 1980s newscast promos for Fort Worth-based KXAS-TV.
The station's "Night Team" campaign, with anchors Brad Wright and Alyce Caron then in the saddle, sought to portray the NBC station as sundown savvy and saxophone cool. Very Miami Vice-ish -- and hardly by coincidence.
"There's a difference at night," viewers were told in a song with ample sax appeal. "As the night moves to a different tune, Channel 5 is there."
Anchors Wright and Caron weren't even pictured until more than halfway through this one-minute 1988 promo. It was all about first creating a mood in times when KXAS still had its own self-standing, free-wheeling promotions department. NBC ownership has put all of that to bed, with "corporate" now calling most of the shots and spots from afar.
The "Night Team" ads also pictured late, legendary meteorologist Harold Taft and former sports anchor Scott Murray, who's still in D-FW as the head of Murray Media. Caron currently toils for the Home Shopping Network, describing herself as a "complete and total gypsy." And Wright has kind of vanished from sight, at least in terms of a gainful web search of his current whereabouts. Maybe some readers can help.
TV news watchers with a little tread on their tires might remember the fairly stylish late 1980s newscast promos for Fort Worth-based KXAS-TV.
The station's "Night Team" campaign, with anchors Brad Wright and Alyce Caron then in the saddle, sought to portray the NBC station as sundown savvy and saxophone cool. Very Miami Vice-ish -- and hardly by coincidence.
"There's a difference at night," viewers were told in a song with ample sax appeal. "As the night moves to a different tune, Channel 5 is there."
Anchors Wright and Caron weren't even pictured until more than halfway through this one-minute 1988 promo. It was all about first creating a mood in times when KXAS still had its own self-standing, free-wheeling promotions department. NBC ownership has put all of that to bed, with "corporate" now calling most of the shots and spots from afar.
The "Night Team" ads also pictured late, legendary meteorologist Harold Taft and former sports anchor Scott Murray, who's still in D-FW as the head of Murray Media. Caron currently toils for the Home Shopping Network, describing herself as a "complete and total gypsy." And Wright has kind of vanished from sight, at least in terms of a gainful web search of his current whereabouts. Maybe some readers can help.