ABC13's oldest recorded newscast, Aug 23, 1978 

The voiceover for the "Good Guys Wear Black" TV ad is none other than the late Ernie Anderson

I lived in Sugar Land from 1979 until 1994. I watched KTRK Live at 5 and 6:00 news every day because my dad did (and loved watching Peter Jennings in between). One thing that always strikes me about watching old TV commercials was that everyone was just happy and genuine in them. Happiness sold. Everything had a happy jingle! Even the narrators sound genuine and excited describing everything. Nothing was focus-grouped, tested, or pre-determined. In other words, life was just genuine back then. Today, it's just too scripted, too focus-grouped and tested. Self-served and force fed. Fake. Things are sold to you using words that have been tested and determined to be buzz words to attract. You see those things not because you explored, but because it was recommended to you because of algorithms and observation of your habits. People back then went out of their way to do the best they could, be happy, and live a joyous, simple, and genuine life no matter who or what you were. Not everything was perfect, of course, but it was stable and people were by and large, happy. Life was really, really stable overall. Sad that's just no longer the case. PS: Bob Allen. That suit. haha!

I was 7 when this aired, and lived in NW Harris County at the time. Game shows would usually follow the 18:00 newscast. By September 1982 the newscast would increase to an hour. Carson also worked at KPRC - NBC 2 in early 1980s.

The first Eyewitness News started in Philly. And that's where that music started from too.

Jan Carson was so dam fine!

Did they just say a new cure for cancer!!! What!!!! And this was in the 70s they must already have it.

The Late, Great Bob Allen!

you can't swim in the San Jacinto river anymore. Who would want to?

I was 9 when this aired. I miss the old Houston. I hate living here now.

I was all of 5 days old

I miss the Houston Oilers.

Do you keep full day broadcasts with included commercials in archive? If so, have they been digitized and accessible anywhere?

This is awesome! The Chuck Norris ad was a nice touch, too

Nobody recognized Charlene Tilton from “Dallas” in the hair dryer commercial at 21:07? 😊😊

I didn't know that Target existed in 1978. It didn't come to California until 1987-ish.

Weather segment sure came a long way!

Check out the 59 bridge in use before they set it out to pasture; I probably knew those boys swinging on the rope into the river, lived in Kingwood in the 70s;Good ole fashioned 70s summer fun

What a treasure

2:07 crazy

The day Kobe Bryant was born

Pray for the pelicans in 1979!

The same intro as WABC 7 Eyewitness News in New York City

Man I've watched all these people, but Jan Carson on the news in my lifetime and I wasn't born til 1989. I wonder if Jan and Ilona are related, they have the same last name.

I was 17 on this date

RIP Ed Brandon!

I remember that theme music. It's been in my head since I was a kid. Bring it back for the current news.

Holy crap! It's the action news theme! You can still hear that every day on WPVI-TV. And this recording is freaking awesome with the original ads and everything! Way to go KTRK!

I lived in Houston 2010-2012, but grew up in the SF Bay Area in the 70s and 80s; I remember Jan Carson from when she worked at KGO ABC 7 San Francisco around 1979-1980.

I know they have to have older newscasts than this. They're probably in 2" quad tape form and find a working quadruplex Video Tape Recorder is nearly impossible to find. This is when C type came out and they are easier to use and find.

When gas stations were full service “car” places...now you can get gas, lunch, lottery tickets, smokes, beer...the list goes on and on

Regarding the archive-some years back, the ABC13 website posted the entire first Live at Five, from March 1977 IIRC. It was interesting to say the least. Dave Ward and Jan Carson read the headlines and mostly talked to reporters about stories they were working on. The rest was features. Bob Allen talked to a collector of Olympics memorabilia and Ed Brandon talked about the environment. Is that still in the archive?

Would love to see more 1977 footage!

How I miss the days when you hear about Astros & Oilers games played at "The Dome".

25:57 The world's greatest game show announcer for Meineke

I miss this period of time for so many reasons. Houston has gone the way of most large cities...

What a trip! Would love to see more.

Interesting to see an aircheck of a then ABC affiliate before it became an O&O; and how they mixed CapCities format, and brand that was well known to the O&Os. Wonder which creative heads managed to pull that off

🎵Move closer to your world, my friend... Take a little bit of time...🎵

Dang I never seen Lake Houston that low! I used to fish there when I was a kid in 1985-1988

Those old cues........ The current and old ones for the commercial break are stuck in my head.

one of Earl Campbell's first TV commercials

25:57 Hey, that's Rod Roddy (RIP), the VO for the ABC hit sitcom "Soap" (who would be the announcer for the majority of many CBS hit game shows like "Whew!" (1979-80), the uber-competive "Press Your Luck" (1983-86) and, of course, Johnny Olson's replacement for the network's already long-running, colossal-hit series called "The Price is Right" for his final 17 years (1986-2003)) in this Meineke commercial as a funny horse jockey.

Anyone remember JB Jim Priest, a videographer who I believe worked at this station. I use to work with him somewhere else. Wonders where he is now.

The '78 AMC Concord???

captured the yutes in the stolen car

Jan Glenn from GMH!

Jan Carson.......

And now can't keep the water from going into people homes

I was 4 years old in 1978.. and I was living in Colombia Bogota South America..🌎

I was 4 years old then.....sign....i miss my childhood...

If anyone has an earlier broadcast of KTRK, please find a way to share it! Those of us who grew up around that time in Houston would love to see it. thank you.

Chuck Norris lives in Houston.

With the Bonanza promo at the end, I take it the station didn't carry ABC Late Night (then mostly prime time reruns) or ran it on a one-hour delay.

AMC cars.. my uncle had one. I thought they were ugly cars then lol I really miss the 3pm Million Dollar movie as well.

WOW! I grew up in the 90s. I'm blown away at how many names go back this far! Melanie, Alma, Bob, Ed. Wow.

Check It Out ABC13 Live At Five Anchor Melanie Lawson Appeared For The First Time In This Newscast In 1978.

WPXI 11 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Use the same intro theme to. And they were using it in the 1990s

August 23, 1978 was my 15th birthday.

I remember these wonderful news folk. Loved them. I grew up waching them so they were like family.I was 15 when this one was on. I wish you had footage from way back when Sid Lasher the weatherman was on there. I loved Ed Brandon too. I was little when Sid was on. Loved Dave Ward and Marvin Zindler . And thought we had the cutest sports reporter . Native Houstonian here. I miss the old Houston of the 70s. I would move back if it were the same again. I stuck it out until 2000.

Looks like this news set seemed derived from at WABC-TV in New York.

15:22 OMG!!!

Y’all need to bring back that intro music!

love the commercials lol

I was 5 years old.

I love looking at the old videos...

Jan does not look happy. You see Bob and Ed laughing during the opening sequence and Jan looks like she's not having any of it. If you also notice when she finishes the lead in to the first report, you see Bob to the right of her, it looks like he gets up, when she ends the lead in she looks off camera in his direction, there's a look on her face. Somethings not right.

Didn't know they used the Action News theme