A weather report using a machine that looks like something from the original Star Trek television series? Check. A read out with Pong-like computer graphics? Check. Two news anchors sporting…interesting haircuts? Check. A newsroom that’s straight out of Doctor Who? Check? End credits of the broadcast using music lifted straight from Star Wars?! Check.
You get all of that in this short but trippy video of a NewsCenter 7 (out of Dayton, Ohio) WHIO television newscast from January 29th, 1978. I also have to mention the snazzy post broadcast commercial for the then new Mercury Zephyr. I’m not joking. Someone once wanted people to buy a Mercury Zephyr. But, that’s not as mind twisting as the surprisingly long closing shots of this video featuring the Star Wars…A New Hope music playing in the background. Given the time, (Star Wars…A New Hope exploded in 1977, and dominated in 1978 also), it makes sense that this music would be used. It’s actually really cool. But, it also raises questions. Did WHIO pay Lucasfilm to use this music? Or, did WHIO do the gangsta thang and just use it without permission? The mind boggles.
Oh well. Check out this incredible video below, and reminisce on the days of game show worthy weather reports, and newsroom sets that looked like starship interiors. The ‘70’s were wild, man.
