WFLD Channel 32 - Keyfax Nite-Owl Service - "Episode Two!" (Opening, 1981)

Hallelujah! A new (though relatively tiny) example of Nite-Owl on WFLD Channel 32 has been found! A truly rare find, indeed.

In fact, this is the first new "proper" footage of Nite-Owl discovered in about 6 years! (Even a couple tiny bleed-through excerpts were only found as recently as 4 years ago.) And what a clip! This one stands to rewrite the history of when Nite-Owl began, since all evidence before this seemed to point to the starting date as being early Monday, September 7th 1981 at 12:00am. However, there's no disputing the date of this clip, since Nite-Owl always had the date and time listed right at the top of the screen. This clip includes:

Station ID with "Nite-Owl" logo (voiceover by ??)

Nite-Owl opening, with animated sequence of rocket blasting off and through the sky to the message "This Is Nite-Owl".

The "theme music" heard is "Burning Bar" by Tangerine Dream. (from the soundtrack to the movie "Thief")

Notice the graphics are a little different from the 8-25-82 opening (no "outer space" transition for the rocket) as well as clunkier, what with the continual page refreshing being done as the rocket ascends, which was not seen in the later version.

Graphic: "This Is Nite-Owl - A KEYFAX production featuring the latest news, sports, business, weather, and leisure information"

The first song begins to play - Kenny Rogers' "She Believes In Me."

Sports highlights with the following headlines summarized on screen: (They started with Sports??? Not like, regular News??)

- Tennis: Andrea Jaeger defeated by 17-year-old Andrea Leand in US Open

- Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays beat White Sox, 6-2, in part thanks to three-run first inning

- Soccer: Chicago Sting coach Willy Roy named Coach of the Year by North American Soccer League

- Football: Ex-Baltimore Colt Johnny Unitas investigated for providing football tips to gambling sheets

The screen then changes briefly to the details of Ms. Jaeger's defeat before the recording cuts out. As it may be hard to read, the last page listed as follows:

"Andrea Leand, a 17-year-old amateur, has shocked Andrea Jaeger 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 and knocked the women's No. 2 seed out of the US Open tournament.

"Jaeger was two points away from cruising into the third round, leading 5-2, 30-love in the second set, when Leand made her remarkable turnaround.

"In night matches, Bjorn Borg of Sweden plays Larry Stafanki and Vitas Gerulaitis meets Alejandro Cortes of Colombia in men's play."

(With strip below reading, "More sports from NITE-OWL follows.")

Adding to the mysteries of this clip - just who is the voiceover person during this? Not Jim Barton for some strange reason. And not any other WFLD announcer I've ever heard.

This aired on local Chicago TV early Saturday, September 5th 1981 during the 12:00 Midnight to 12:02am timeframe.

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