WPVI’s New Promo Tightens Action News’ Connection to Philly

By Paul Greeley
817-578-6324, Paul@NewsBlues.com

WPVI, the ABC-owned affiliate in Philadelphia, has been using the same news open music on Action News since the 1970s. Except for three days in 1996, but that’s another story.

WPVI’s news open music is a sonic brand that is instantly recognized by everybody in the Philly area, whether they watch Action News on WPVI or not.

While the music never changes in the news opens to every newscast, the imagery changes depending on whether it’s day or night, and what season it is.

The images in the news opens, often just a second or two, capture every day Philadelphians doing everyday Philly stuff: Sculling on the Schuylkill, the Philly Phanatic at the ballpark, a bite of a cheesesteak, tubing on the Brandywine, sledding at Valley Forge Park, boogie boarding down the shore, shoveling snow, etc.

It can be a full-time job for someone just to capture all the images it takes to keep WPVI’s news opens fresh from season to season.

If someone wanted to know what it’s like to live in the Philly area, what is there to do, you could tell them to watch the news opens on WPVI.

A new promo from WPVI uses video the station already had in-house “by combing through the hours and hours of video we accrue for our news opens,” says Mike Monsell, WPVI’s VP of Marketing.

“I wanted to do a spot that connects the unique relationship we have with our city, and I wanted it to feel BIG,” Monsell says. “I asked the team to hone in on Philly landmarks and iconic places to create the imagery.”

Monsell says Troy Bauer, a marketing producer at the station, did the editing and chose the music.

“I thought it was a perfect choice,” Monsell says. “The music track is called “Home” from ITG Studios-In The Groove.