Listen to the original WFIL-TV 6 Action News theme from 1970

We spotted this artifact of Philly music and TV news theme history on The 11th Letter tumblr. It’s the original WFIL-TV 6 Action News theme from 1970. Visit YouTube to hear the song, sans the famous vocals of “Move closer to your world, my friend, and you’ll see.”

From the YouTube notes, here’s the back story:

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 (previously uploaded by TechnerVideo). 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.

Viewers noted 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 Charleston, WV; and WFBG-10 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).

You can read the rest of the theme song’s history on YouTube.