Action News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV) by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV. At this time, WFIL-TV was said to be "#4 in a three-station market."
The main difference between Action News and Eyewitness News was that the former was far more tightly formatted. Time limits were set on packages—for instance, a reporter package could be no longer than 90 seconds. This difference enabled the station to cover more stories than its competitors. Another key difference was the focus on the surrounding Philadelphia suburban areas -— a response to the movement of residents from the city to the suburbs. Finally, WPVI placed more emphasis on young talent—while WCAU-TV and KYW-TV used older, respected news anchors such as Vince Leonard, Tom Snyder, and John Facenda, WPVI used a young Larry Kane as their top anchor. Later, the station would add the very popular Jim O'Brien as its main weathercaster.
The format quickly took off, and after going back and forth with KYW for first place, WPVI took the lead in 1977 and has held it ever since. Capital Cities Communications, WPVI's owner at the time, took the format to most of its other stations.
One of the major development stations for WPVI's Action News was its Capital Cities sister station, WKBW-TV in Buffalo, New York. Under the leadership of news director Irv Weinstein, who had developed his own similar format under the name Eyewitness News (and before that, Pulse Beat News and Rock and Roll Radio News), WKBW developed much of the talent that WPVI would later hire to boost them to #1 in the market; anchor Jim Gardner (replacing Larry Kane when he moved to WABC in New York), weatherman Dave Roberts, and iconic voice-over artist Jeff Kaye are the three highest-profile WPVI personalities to have come from WKBW.
WPIX in New York City, an independent station at the time, picked up the Action News concept (and music) successfully for its 10 p.m. newscast. The newscast won numerous awards, but the station never approached the ratings of longtime leader WNEW-TV (now WNYW).
Sister stations WFTS-TV and KSHB-TV are the first in the country to identify themselves with the Action News branding all day with no station number.
Today, Action News is usually nothing more than a name, since its innovations have been incorporated into newscasts across the country. The name is found on fewer stations than Eyewitness News. Even WPVI, which continues to use the name Action News, has modified its news presentation to one more closely resembling Eyewitness News on KYW-TV.
Outside the United States, the Action News title was used by the following television stations:
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WFIL adopted the Action News format in 1970, along with a brass band theme written by a student at Temple University. Two years later, the station (under its new call sign WPVI) replaced the "Action News Theme" with Al Ham's well-known "Move Closer to Your World".[1][2].
Unlike most stations, WPVI still uses this theme after three decades, and the theme has arguably become as much a part of the Philadelphia consciousness as the Rocky theme. This was proven in 1996 when the station replaced it with a fuller, orchestral rendition of the same theme performed by the London Philharmonic. Viewer outcry was so great that the station dropped the more thunderous and authoritative version within five days. WPVI has made numerous remasters of the theme to keep the sound fresh and to make it sound less dated. The theme has the unique distinction of being probably the only news theme to be offered as a ringtone, which WPVI offers at no charge, and is linked here [1] and below.
Action News was innovative in many ways, including the first 6 & 11 newscast anchored solely by a woman (Diana Robinson and then Jacqui Mullen). Diana Robinson was the first African-American female news anchor in American television. WPVI opens its broadcasts with a rapid montage featuring scenes of Philadelphia-area activities, reinforcing the "Action" brand. The scenes are rotated at the official start of every season to reflect the current season; for example, Phillies, NASCAR, CART AND DIRT and other spring footage starts showing on the open on March 21, and Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Flyers, and 76ers autumn footage starts on September 23, while the Mummers parade and other winter footage is shown from December 21 to March 21.
Although "Move Closer to Your World" is strongly associated with the Action News format by Philadelphians and many others, many stations that have used the "Action News" name actually chose to use other pieces of music for their newscasts. Conversely, stations that use "Move Closer to Your World" do not necessarily use the "Action News" name or format either. WNEP-TV in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania used the original version for many years before switching to a modern variation which only partially resembles the original.
| DMA# | DMA Name | Station | Affiliation | Currently Uses | Other Notes |
| 1. | New York City | WPIX | CW | No | Used as an Independent station from 1974 to 1984; station currently brands its newscast as "PIX News" |
| 2. | Los Angeles | KCBS-TV | CBS | No | Used from 1989–1997, has identified as "CBS 2 News" from 1997–present, and CBS 2 NewsCentral from September–January 2010 |
| 3. | Chicago | WBBM-TV | CBS | No | Used briefly in the early 1970s, now "CBS 2 News" |
| 4. | Philadelphia | WPVI-TV | ABC | Yes | Originator of the "Action News" format on April 6, 1970 |
| 5. | San Jose/S.F./Oakland, California | KICU-TV | Independent | No | Newscast defunct, station formerly referred to itself as "Action 36" |
| KTVU-TV | Fox | No | Used from 1971 to the early 1980s. Now known as Fox 2/KTVU Channel 2. | ||
| 6. | Dallas/Fort Worth | KXAS-TV | NBC | No | Used from 1979–1984, its years of using Move Closer to Your World; has identified as "NBC 5 News" since 1999 |
| 9. | Atlanta | WSB-TV | ABC, formerly NBC | Yes | Identified as Action News from 1972–1988, has identified as "Channel 2 Action News" since 1988 |
| 11. | Detroit | WXYZ-TV | ABC | Yes | Used since 1972. Uses branding elements more commonly associated with "Eyewitness News" and ABC O&Os (since it once was one), such as the circle 7 logo and "Cool Hand Luke"-based themes; currently identifies as "Channel 7 Action News" |
| 12. | Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida | WFTS-TV | ABC | Yes | Has identified as "ABC Action News" since 2002 |
| WTSP | CBS, formerly ABC | No | Used in the 1980s; unrelated to WFTS | ||
| 13. | Phoenix, Arizona | KPNX | NBC | No | Used during the '80s; has identified as "12 News" since 1992, and "12 News in HD" since November 2006. |
| 15. | Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota | WCCO-TV | CBS | No | Used during the early-'70s;[3] now identifies as "WCCO News" |
| 16. | Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | WFOR-TV (formerly WCIX-TV) | CBS | No | Used from 1989–1995; has identified as "South Florida's CBS 4 News" since 1999 |
| 17. | Cleveland, Ohio | WOIO | CBS | Yes | Has identified as "19 Action News" since 2002, produces "19 Action News at 10" for WUAB-TV |
| WKYC-TV | NBC | No | Used from 1974–1984; has identified as "Channel 3 News" since 1984; unrelated to WOIO | ||
| 18. | Denver, Colorado | KWGN-TV | CW | No | Used from 1977–1983; has identified as "Channel 2 News" since June 2010 |
| 19. | Orlando | WRDQ | Independent | No | Newscast produced by WFTV was rebranded to Eyewitness News. |
| 20. | Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, California | KOVR | CBS, formerly ABC | No | Used as an ABC affiliate in the 1970s; has identified as "CBS 13 News" since 2005 |
| KMAX-TV | CW, formerly UPN, WB, independent | No | Used in the 1990s; formerly unrelated to KOVR | ||
| 21. | St. Louis | KTVI | Fox, formerly ABC | No | Used during the early & mid 1970s; has identified as "Fox 2 News" since 1995 |
| 22. | Pittsburgh | WTAE-TV | ABC | Yes | Used in 1970s–1989; Brought back again in 1995 as "Channel 4 Action News". One of the few that used the name to put emphasis on investigative reporting, with the slogan being "Taking Action For You." |
| 24. | Baltimore | WBAL-TV | NBC, formerly CBS | No | Identified as "Action News" from 1973–1985, has identified as "11 News" since 1995 |
| 26. | Charlotte | WAXN-TV | Independent | No | Produced by WSOC-TV; now known as Eyewitness News |
| WCNC-TV (formerly WPCQ-TV) | NBC | No | Has identified as "Carolina's NewsChannel 36" since 2008; unrelated to WAXN/WSOC | ||
| 27. | San Diego | KFMB-TV | CBS | No | Used briefly in the 1970s; followed by the year à la Match Game, i.e. "Action News '75"; has identified as News 8 since 1996 |
| 28. | Hartford/New Haven, Connecticut | WTNH | ABC | No | Used from 1984–1996; has identified as "News 8" since 2010; former sister station of WPVI |
| 29. | Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina | WRAL-TV | CBS, formerly ABC | No | Used during the 1970s and 1980s; Sister station of WRAZ Fox 50. Has identified as WRAL News since 2003. |
| 31. | Kansas City | KSHB-TV | NBC | Yes | Has identified as "NBC Action News" since 2003; station formerly branded as "Your NBC Action News Station" rather than by call letters or channel number. |
| WDAF-TV | Fox, formerly NBC | No | Used from 1974–1990; has identified as "Fox 4 News" since 1997; unrelated to KSHB | ||
| 32. | Columbus, Ohio | WTVN-TV, now WSYX | ABC | No | Used as WTVN; has identified as "ABC 6 News" since 2006 |
| 33. | Cincinnati | WLWT | NBC | No | Used from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s; has identified as "News 5" since 2004 |
| 34. | Milwaukee | WISN-TV | ABC, formerly CBS | No | Used from 1976 (when it was still a CBS affiliate)–1985; has identified as "12 News" since 2003, though the station's consumer news/investigation segments continue to be called "Action 12". |
| 36. | Greenville | WYFF Formerly WFBC-TV | NBC | No | Used from 1975–1981; has identified as "WYFF News4" since 1996 |
| 38. | West Palm Beach, Florida | WPTV-TV | NBC | No | Used in the 1980s and early 1990s; has identified as "NewsChannel 5" since 1993 |
| 40. | Birmingham, Alabama | WVTM-TV | NBC | No | Used in the 1970s; identified as "NBC 13 News" until 2010; currently identified as "Alabama's 13 News" |
| WIAT | CBS | No | Used in the 1980s and 1990s; currently identifies as "CBS 42 News"; unrelated to WVTM | ||
| 41. | Harrisburg/York/Lancaster, Pennsylvania | WLYH-TV | CW, formerly CBS | No | Used as a CBS affiliate; currently identifies as "CBS 21 News at Ten on The CW 15" |
| 43. | Las Vegas | KTNV | ABC | Yes | Has identified as "Channel 13 Action News" since 2003 |
| 44. | Memphis, Tennessee | WMC-TV | NBC | Yes | Has identified as Action News 5 since 1983 |
| 45. | Albuquerque/Santa Fe, New Mexico | KOAT-TV | ABC | Yes | Has identified itself as "Action 7 News" since 1989 |
| 48. | Louisville, Kentucky | WHAS-TV | ABC, formerly CBS | No | Used from the mid 1970s to when it flipped from CBS to ABC; has identified as "WHAS 11 News" since 1991 |
| 50. | Jacksonville, Florida | WTLV | NBC | No | Used during the mid & late 1970s; Currently identifies as "First Coast News" |
| WTEV | CBS | Yes | Re-branded to title in April 2009, with sister station WAWS. | ||
| WAWS | Fox | Yes | Re-branded to title in April 2009, with sister station WTEV. | ||
| 51. | Providence, Rhode Island/New Bedford, Massachusetts | WLNE-TV | ABC, formerly CBS | No | Used during its CBS days; has identified as "ABC 6 News" since 1995 |
| 52. | Austin, Texas | KVUE | ABC | No | Used from 1978–1997; has identified as "KVUE News" since 2001 |
| 53. | Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania | WYOU | CBS | No | Used circa 1999-2001; station ended its newscasts on April 3, 2009 |
| WNEP | ABC | No | Has never been known as "Action News," but has used "Move Closer to Your World" theme for several years | ||
| 55. | Fresno/Visalia/Merced, California | KFSN-TV | ABC, formerly CBS | Yes | Has identified as "ABC 30 Action News" since 1994 but uses the Eyewitness News Format of KABC and KGO; Title began on September 14, 1970 |
| 56. | Albany, New York | WTEN | ABC, formerly CBS | No | Used during its first few years as an ABC affiliate; has identified as "News 10" since 1995 |
| 57. | Little Rock, Arkansas | KTHV | CBS | No | Newscast name used before the purchase by Gannet; Currently identifies as "Today's THV" |
| 59. | Mobile, Alabama/Pensacola, Florida | WALA-TV | Fox, formerly NBC | No | Used from 1990 to 1997; currently identifies as "Fox 10 News" |
| 60. | Knoxville, Tennessee | WBIR-TV | NBC | No | Used from 1970–1974 & 1978–April 2004; has identified as "10 News" since April 2004 |
| 63. | Lexington, Kentucky | WLEX-TV | NBC | No | Used in the 1970s, 1980s, and the mid-late 1990s; has identified as "LEX 18 News" since 2000 |
| WTVQ-TV | ABC | No | Identified as Action News 36 from 2004–2009, identified as "ABC 36 News" since 2009. | ||
| 65. | Huntington/Charleston, West Virginia | WOWK-TV | CBS, formerly ABC | No | Used from its ABC days and with CBS up to 1993; Currently identifies as "13 News" |
| 68. | Roanoke, Virginia/ | WSLS-TV | NBC | No | Used during 1980s. Has identified as "WSLS 10 On Your Side" since 2006 |
| 69. | Green Bay, Wisconsin | WBAY-TV | ABC, formerly CBS | Yes | Has identified as "Action 2 News" since 1992 |
| 70. | Honolulu, Hawaii | KHON-TV | Fox, formerly NBC | No | Used "Action 2 News" from 1979 to 1982; Has identified as "KHON2 News" since 2003 |
| 71. | Toledo, Ohio | WTVG | ABC | Yes | Identified as "13 Action News" until 2006, identified as "13 ABC Action News" since 2006; also known to use the Eyewitness News Format |
| 75. | Omaha, Nebraska | WOWT-TV | NBC, formerly CBS | No | Used through April 1991; has identified as "Channel 6 News" since 2002 |
| KMTV | CBS | Yes | Currently identifies as "Action 3 News" | ||
| 76. | Springfield, Missouri | KYTV | NBC | No | Used from 1974 to 1993, under the suffix "KY3 Action News"; has identified as "KY3 News" since 1997 |
| 77. | Lewiston, Idaho | KLEW-TV | CBS | Yes | Has identified as KLEW Action News since 2008. The station is part of the Spokane, Washington market, but does not serve as the Spokane metro area's CBS affiliate; it is served by KREM-TV. |
| 79. | Syracuse, New York | WSTM-TV | NBC | Yes | Identifies as Action News 3 |
| 81. | Shreveport, Louisiana | KTBS-TV | ABC | No | Used during the 1980s; Currently identifies as "KTBS 3 News" |
| 84. | Huntsville, Alabama | WHNT-TV | CBS | No | Used in the 1970s and 1980s, currently identifies as "NewsChannel 19" |
| 85. | Madison, Wisconsin | WISC-TV | CBS | No | Used in the 1970s; has identified as "News 3" since 2001 |
| 86. | Chattanooga, Tennessee | WTVC | ABC | No | Used throughout the 1970s 1980s and early 1990s; has identified as "NewsChannel 9" since 1995 |
| 87. | Jackson, Mississippi | WAPT-TV | ABC | No | Used during the 1970s; has identified as "16 WAPT News" since 1999 |
| 89. | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | KGAN | CBS | No | Used as WMT-TV; has identified as "CBS 2 News" since 2004 |
| 91. | Rio Grande Valley, Texas | KGBT | CBS | Yes | Previously identified as Team 4 News. |
| 96. | Rock Island, Illinois/Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities) | WHBF-TV | CBS | No | Used during the 1980s; Currently identifies as "CBS 4 News" |
| 97. | Savannah, Georgia | WJCL | ABC | No | Used from 1972–1996; Currently identifies as "WJCL News" |
| 98. | Altoona/Johnstown, Pennsylvania | WTAJ-TV | CBS | No | Used during the 1980s; Currently identifies as "WTAJ News" |
| 99. | El Paso, Texas | KDBC-TV | CBS | No | Used in the 1990s; has identified as "KDBC 4 News" since 2004 |
| 100. | Charleston, South Carolina | WCBD-TV | NBC formerly ABC | No | Used as an ABC affiliate; has identified as "News 2" since 1998 |
| 103. | Youngstown, Ohio | WFMJ-TV | NBC | No | Used from 1970s-2005; has identified as "21 News" since 2005 |
| 105. | Florence/Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | WPDE-TV | ABC | No | Used from 1986–1993; has identified as "WPDE NewsChannel 15" since 1993 |
| 108. | Tallahassee, Florida | WTXL-TV | ABC | No | Used in the 1990s; has identified as "ABC 27 News" since 2006 |
| 112. | Lansing, Michigan | WILX-TV | NBC | No | Used during the 1970s and 1980s. Currently identifies as "News 10" |
| 114. | Augusta, Georgia | WRDW-TV | CBS | No | Used from the late 1960s to the late 1970s; has identified as "News12" since 1998 |
| WAGT | NBC | No | Used from the 1990s-2003; currently identifies as "NBC Augusta" | ||
| 115. | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | KSFY-TV | ABC | Yes | Started using the "Action News" brand in September 2008 |
| 116. | Peoria, Illinois | WMBD-TV | CBS | No | Used from the early to late 1970s; has identified as "WMBD 31 News" since 2007 |
| 117. | Montgomery/Selma, Alabama | WAKA | CBS | No | Used in the 1980s, currently identifies as "CBS 8 News" |
| 122. | San Luis Obispo, California | KSBY | NBC | No | Originally Identified itself as "Action 6 News" (1970s-early 1980s), "6 Action News" (late 1980s-2007) and KSBY 6 Action News (2007–2010) and was a sister station of KSBW, which also uses the "Action News" format. Currently identifies as "KSBY 6 News" as of 2010. |
| 124. | Lafayette, Louisiana | KATC | ABC | No | Used in the 1980s and 1990s; currently identifies as "TV-3 News" |
| 125. | Salinas/Monterey, California | KSBW | NBC | Yes | Identified as Action News 8 since 1987 |
| 126. | Yakima/Pasco-Richland-Kennewick, WA | KIMA-TV / KEPR-TV | CBS | Yes | Formerly NewsWatch. Has identified as Action News since 2007. |
| 127. | La Crosse/Eau Claire, Wisconsin | WKBT | CBS | No | Used during the 1970s and 1980s. Currently identifies as "News 8" |
| 128. | Columbus, Georgia | WTVM | ABC | No | Identified as Action 9 News from the late 1960s to 1992; then identified as THE News Leader; has identified as "WTVM News Leader 9" since 1996 |
| 129. | Corpus Christi, Texas | KZTV | CBS | Yes | Has identified as "Action 10 News" since 2004 |
| 130. | Redding/Red Bluff/Chico, California | KHSL-TV | CBS | Yes | Merged with KNVN to form NCN in 2001 to be later renamed as Action News |
| KNVN | NBC | Yes | Merged with KHSL after having lowest ratings out of all three of the area's news stations and to not waste money on a failing station | ||
| 131. | Amarillo, Texas | KAMR-TV | NBC | No | Used in the 1980s; has identified as "NBC 4 News" since 2002 |
| 133. | Rockford, Illinois | WIFR | CBS | No | Used from the 1980s. Has identified as "23 News" since 2003 |
| 142. | Erie, Pennsylvania | WJET-TV | ABC | Yes | Identified as Action News 24 since 1995 |
| 146. | Lawton, Oklahoma/Wichita Falls, Texas | KSWO-TV | ABC | No | Identified as "Action 7 News" 1979-1996, has identified as "7 News" since 1998 |
| 151. | Terre Haute, Indiana | WTHI-TV | CBS | No | Started as "Action 10 News" in 1985 and later became "Action 10 News WTHI." Became "News 10" in 2006. |
| 157. | Binghamton, NY | WBNG-TV | CBS | Yes | The newscast has been called Action News since the stations inception in the 1950s. |
| 163. | Idaho Falls/Pocatello, Idaho | KID-TV | CBS | No | Used during the mid-1970s |
| 164. | Abilene/Sweetwater, Texas | KTXS-TV | ABC | No | Used during the early 1980s; Currently identifies as "KTXS News 12" |
| 166. | Clarksburg, West Virginia | WDTV | CBS | No | Used in the early 1970s as "Action News Central" |
| 177. | Rapid City, South Dakota | KEVN-TV | Fox, formerly NBC | No | Used from 1976 to 1995; Currently identifies as "Black Hills Fox News" |
| 179. | Alexandria, Louisiana | KLAX-TV | ABC | No | Used until its newscast operations were shut down; newscast no longer exists |
| 181. | Harrisonburg, Virginia | WHSV-TV | ABC | No | Used from 1977–1984; currently identifies as "WHSV News 3" |
| 189. | Eureka | KVIQ-TV | CBS | No | Title of now defunct operation |
| 208. | Alpena, Michigan | WBKB-TV | CBS | No | Used from 1980-2004: Currently identifies as "Channel 11 News" |
| 208. | Buffalo, New York | WKBW-TV | ABC | No | Never used the Action News title but used its news format, station calls itself Channel 7 Eyewitness News |