WABC-TV

WABC-TV "ABC7" is the New York City affiliate of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), as well as the network's flagship. Since the early 1980s, it has been the highest-rated station in the New York market. It signed on in 1948 as WJZ-TV, named after radio station WJZ-AM (now WABC-AM). It became WABC in 1953.

WABC is best known for popularizing the "Eyewitness News" format, in which reporters present their stories directly to the viewers. News director Al Primo brought the format to WABC-TV from KYW-TV in Philadelphia, but added a twist--chatter among the anchors, known as "happy talk." For a theme, Primo used Lalo Schifrin's musical score from the 1967 movie hit Cool Hand Luke. The station used this music and variations on it for all but a few years until 1994.

WABC-TV produces the successful syndicated morning talk show "Live with Regis and Kelly." Regis Philbin has co-hosted the program at WABC-TV since 1983, and the program has been distributed nationally by Buena Vista Television since 1988. Philbin's co-hosts in those two decades have been Cyndy Garvey , Kathie Lee Johnson (later Gifford) and current air partner Kelly Ripa.

On September 11, 2001, the transmitter facilities of WABC-TV as well as eight other local television stations and several radio stations were destroyed when two hijacked airplanes crashed into and destroyed the World Trade Center towers.

External links

• WABC-TV