The 1978 theme music package is the first to contain the now famous ABC News signature. In May of 1977 Roone Arledge took over control of ABC News, at the time the perennial and distant third in the ratings, and created such programs as World News Tonight, 20/20, Nightline and later This Week with David Brinkley and PrimeTime Live. World News Tonight was the first evening news program to use real theme music. This was Arledge’s doing. The first five years of WNT featured an anchor trio. Frank Reynolds (father of former ABC correspondent, Dean) was the lead anchor and based in Washington, DC Max Robinson, the first black network anchor, in Chicago anchored other national news. Finally, Peter Jennings in London anchored international news. With a year of its debut, the program made a remarkable leap in ratings and fortune when it passed NBC Nightly News with John Chancellor in the Nielsens. When Frank Reynolds died in 1983 of cancer, the program was relaunched with one anchor. After Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Roger Mudd and Ted Koppel passed on the job, it was given to Peter Jennings. This theme, by Bob Israel of Score Productions, is the orchestral version on which the current is based.