TV Action News Theme

Yes, here it is: the forgotten theme used by Channel 6 before the current legendary "Move Closer To Your World" Action News theme that we all know. WFIL-TV 6 Action News theme 1970 - YouTube

Thanks to my friend Tom Parker for sharing this. This theme ran from April 6, 1970, when Action News debuted, until mid-1972 when Mel Kampmann brought the Move Closer theme with him from WNAC-TV in Boston. YouTube viewers note that It ran on many stations owned by Triangle Publications and Gateway Communications, including WSTM-3 Syracuse, NY; KTSP-5 Minneapolis-St. Paul; WNBF-12 Binghamton, NY; WLYH-15 Lebanon, PA; WWL-4 New Orleans; KTLA-5 Los Angeles; WTNH-8 New Haven, CT; WOWK-13 Huntington - Charleston, WV; WNAC-7 Providence and WFBG-10 (WTAJ) Altoona, PA.

This theme was written by Temple University student Tom Sellers. Triangle Communications paid Sellers $75 for the work. Triangle sold the station to Capital Cities and the call letters became WPVI on April 27, 1971. Sellers was a member of the Gulliver band from the Philadelphia area. This band included Hall & Oates. The band was formed by Hall, Tim Moore and Jim Helmer. They formed at Temple University and released one self-titled LP in 1969 for Elektra Records, before being joined by Oates, although they broke up before Oakes could cut any songs with them. (The Great Rock Discography, by Martin Charles Strong, pg. 920).

Tragically, Sellers died March 9, 1988 in a fire in Wayne, Pa. Sellers was living in New York City at the time. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that he and his three-year old son Matthew were visiting his parents at their two-story brick home at 633 Eagle Road. They had an old TV set in the second-floor guest room that caught on fire at 10:47 p.m. while they were sleeping. Resuscitation efforts of responding fire personnel saved his son's life. However, Tom died at Bryn Mawr Hospital only 45 minutes later. The fire marshal stated that the fire was caused by an "electrical malfunction" and Tom died of smoke inhalation. "Died in a fire in March 1988 when a TV blew up (it was OFF) in his parents guest bedroom where he was staying the night."

Tom produced 2 Arista albums for Eric Andersen. He also arranged the Tavares "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel" for Freddie Perrin (this information about Sellers is from musican David Kearney's website). Tom is buried in the churchyard of Chapel of St. David's Church, Valley Forge, Road, Wayne, Pa. In addition to his son, he left behind his wife Janine Commerford Sellers.

Side B of this 45 record has a blank white label and nothing recorded on it. The deadwax has "WFIL ACTION 1" and also the initials "Lw" in cursive. PhilaVideo subscriber William Brown informs us that "Lw" were initials for the Longwear Stamper Co. and the label copy typesetting was by Keystone Printed Specialties Co., Inc., in Scranton, PA. Keystone handled these duties for the Specialty Records Corp. plant in Olyphant, PA through 1971, and for Capitol Records' Scranton, PA plant from the 1940's (before Capitol bought the plant) until 1971.