KYW-TV Channel 3 Sign-Off
from New Year's Day 1986

Sign-off clip of Westinghouse's Channel 3 in Philly when it was an NBC network affiliate (it is now owned and operated by CBS) that begins with a brief New Year's greeting. The SSB film is one of the United States Navy's, the very same one used by another Westinghouse O&O station, WJZ-TV 13 in Baltimore (which is also now O&O'ed by CBS). KYW-TV "CBS 3" is the third oldest commercial TV station in the United States, dating back to 1941 when it first signed-on as WPTZ-TV.

WPVI-TV Channel 6
Sign-Off recorded in 1986

A wonderful sign-off video of Philly's long-time ABC affiliate (since 1985 owned and operated by ABC), using "America The Beautiful" for its background music. I suspect this sign-off was put together at least a decade earlier than the date given for this recording, judging from the models of the automobiles on the freeway in some of the filmed sequences. It also features the 1965 color version of the NAB's Seal of Good Practice.

WPVI-TV Channel 6
Sign-Off from 1991

An abbreviated later version of WPVI's sign-off. This one uses a portion of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's version of "America The Beautiful" and features various views of Philly, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It also has shots of the WPVI studio building and the transmitter farm at Roxborough, where the transmitters of most all of Philadelphia's TV stations reside.

WPHL-TV Channel 17 Sign-Off
from 20 June 1986

Channel 17, "The Great Entertainer", was one of three indie UHF stations that operated in Philadelphia in the 1960s, 70s and 80s (the other two were WKBS-TV 48 and WTAF-TV 29). This sign-off is merely a station ID graphic with a voice-over announcement. The SSB is one of two versions of the "Homecoming" SSB produced by the United States Navy, which depicts a young Navy man returning home to his family. WPHL is now an affiliate of the MY TV Network.

WPHL-TV Channel 17
Sign-On from 1986

A brief "no-frills" sign-on clip, using only the WPHL-TV 17 graphic. Most unusual is that the graphic doesn't inclue "The Great Entertainer", the station's slogan used during most of its tenure as an independent station. If an SSB film of some kind preceded the sign-on announcement, it apparently was not included in this recording.

WTAF-TV 29 (now WTXF)
Sign-Off from 1986

Sign-off of Philly's current FOX affiliate, recorded during its final year as an independent (it would join FOX as one of its charter affiliates later in 1986). The clips features live video of the Philly skyline at night with voice-over announcement. Then, after a brief station ID sequence, we have the great "Flag Evolution" SSB film, featuring vintage images of U.S. History.