The Good Ol’ Days at Channel 8

John Criswell may not be on TV anymore, but he’s still lookin’ good.

The other day, BlogMaverick hisself Mark Cuban was bemoaning the lack of actual user-generated content on YouTube. Seems all you’re getting on the site these days are repeated postings of “Dick in a Box” and and movie trailers. Asks Cuban, “Is this social networking at its best?” Probably not.

Still, YouTube is good for things like this: old promos for WFAA-Channel 8. See, as native Dallasites we dig taking that trip down Amnesia Lane every so often, and a couple of days ago, a poster by the name “bdsnook,” who has an apparent closet full of WFAA videotapes and other local archival footage, posted to the site a 1987 promo featuring the Belo All-Star tandem of Tracy Rowlett and John Criswell. Oh, them’s were the days. See for yourself, after the jump.

Now, Rowlett’s at a station that can’t even keep a news director more than a couple of days — the guy quits after a Christmas party, oof — and Criswell’s…uh…he’s…oh, yeah, he’s running a “crisis communications company providing spokesman services, media coaching-training and crisis mitigation and management planning to business, industry, churches, ministries and faith based schools.” Maybe John could help out his old buddy Tracy. Four news directors in eight years — not a good sign. –Robert Wilonsky