Here's a complete edition of the late Saturday Eyewitness News on WLS Channel 7, anchored by Jack Jones, plus Tom Hale with the weather and Al Lerner on sports.

Includes:

Promo for ABC News Closeup on homosexuals for Tuesday

Jack previews coming newscast

Commercials for:
Chicago Tribune
McDade's sale on Sunbeam kitchen appliances
Canada Dry Ginger Ale

Station ID / promo for "Topaz" (voiceover by Fred Kasper?)

Newscast open (voiceover by Wayne Atkinson), followed by items:

Shah has left U.S. from Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and is headed for Panama as explained by press secretary Jody Powell (looks like they superimposed a shot of Jack Jones over Ted Koppel - look out behind you, Jack!)

Reaction in Iran is mixed; students say trial of 50 hostages inevitable

World Court unanimously rules hostages should be released immediately

Mayor Byrne promises IRS money from Chicago school board on proviso the board pays overdue bills, and accuses IRS of putting political pressure on city

Commercials for:
Amoco gasoline
Toro power shovel (ending voiceover by Wayne Atkinson)
Cinnabar - by Estée Lauder

Chicago firefighters begin vote on whether to strike

Mark Wolin on strike threat against North Aurora Center; interviews with resident Mary Jo Whitten and staff worker Dan Snyder

Amoco raises gas prices once again

Tom Hale weather forecast

Commercials for:
Santa Fe railroad - "Trucks on Trains"
Nikon EM camera
Bell Phone Center Store
"All That Jazz" theatrical trailer

Snowmobiles can run as close as 10 feet to most Illinois roadways after January 1st

Al Lerner sports:

De Paul once again beats UCLA in college basketball action, 99-94; followed by Kentucky beating Indiana, 69-58, and other scores

Bulls lose by 2 points after coach Jerry Sloan is ejected; followed by other NBA scores

Blackhawks win

Video clips of Jets-Miami game (Jets win 27-24), followed by other NFL scores

Stan Hack, member of 1945 Cubs pennant-winning team, dies at age 70

Commercial: Arby's offer of four Norman Rockwell drinking glasses

Two explosions and fires hit oil refinery near Detroit (in Taylor); 8,000 evacuated from their homes

And with that, Jack closes newscast

(C) 1979 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

[note: the ABC News Weekend Report that immediately follows at this point can be viewed separately, here:    • ABC News Weekend Report - WLS Channel...  ]

This aired on local Chicago TV on Saturday, December 15th 1979 (Day 42 of the Iranian hostage crisis) during the 9:57pm to 10:15pm timeframe.

About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:

The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: [email protected] Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail [email protected] Thank you for your help!