That familiar – and very ancient – teletype sound behind news stories is gone from the KYW Philadelphia airwaves. It’s something listeners have been hearing for many decades. KYW Brand Manager Alex Silverman went on Twitter and explained why he pulled it.
“They stopped making the ribbons for the trusty teletype in 1986, and our supply finally ran out – so alas, old reliable is out of commission until further notice,” Silverman said. “As technology has evolved over the years, so has KYW Newsradio, and the sound of the station should reflect the modern, nimble, multi-platform news organization we’ve become.”
PhillyVoice writer Michael Tannenbaum picked up on what happened at KYW and wrote a story about it. He also dug up a YouTube Video with KYW archives from 1983 which includes the sounds of the teletype during a big blizzard that year.
Yes, Teletype machines (capitalized, “Teletype” is a brand name) are a thing of the past. But the Teletype sounder under KYW was a Philadelphia institution and tradition dating to 1965, when that station went all-news. It’s as much a tradition as soft pretzels, scrapple, and the Liberty Bell. Bring it back!
Some things are not meant to be “modernized”. Retire Silverman instead!