You are listening to the full World News This Morning theme. This program has had a variety of anchors since its debut in 1982, including Steve Bell, Anderson Cooper and Paula Zahn. This theme was used on the first broadcast and on the last broadcast of World News This Morning. However, for about a year they used the World News Now theme. In 1992, after World News Now debuted, production of the two newscasts was merged. World News This Morning was anchored by the same people in the same laid back style. However, the network wanted to differentiate the two. So World News This Morning started using their old theme again and anchors adressed their audience in a more formal way. Without a doubt the theme is a wonderful variation on the classic ABC News theme. In 2006 it was replaced with America This Morning which uses a different theme.

This program was, as are most other ABC News programs, created by Roone Arledge. It utilized the town hall format with a panel of experts being asked questions by an audience consisting of regular people. It’s the job of the moderator to keep order and the discussion lively. Many ABC News personalities, including Peter Jennings, Geraldo Rivera and Ted Koppel, have been moderators at one time or another. The program always aired in the form of a special and never had a regular timeslot.

AM America was the direct predecessor to Good Morning America. Bill Beutel and Stephanie Edwards hosted the show from New York. The news was read by Peter Jennings in Washington. AM America lasted for only a short time (nine months) and was plagued by failure from the very beginning. Original host Bob Kennedy died in the months preceding the debut. And both Beutel and Edwards left the show just months after its debut. In any case, it had a colorful set and colorful graphics with a distinct 70′s disco feel to them. The theme, anything but disco, was commissioned by ABC in 1974 and composed by William Goldstein.

William Goldstein - AM America theme

William Goldstein - AM America bumper