In 2004 after the general election, veteran anchor Tom Brokaw retired from NBC News. The transition had been announced long in advance and so successor Brian Williams was carefully introduced to the viewers. As part of the transition Nightly News updated its classic theme, The Mission, along with the graphics and set. No big changes–all debuting in the days before Brokaw left. The updated version of The Mission was recorded in October of 2004 in Culver City, CA and featured a 100-piece orchestra conducted by composer John Williams. NBC News commissioned an update to the classic theme because they wanted a slightly crisper and cleaner sound. Furthermore, to better preserve the music, the new theme was recorded digitally. The new Mission package also includes three unused themes for future use. The theme you are listening to is the full length main theme of The Mission, used as a close on Nightly News.

The opening sequence to Nightly News was also revamped in 2004, at first returning to what NBC considered the roots of The Mission with a softer headline bed, but quickly abandoning it in favor of the old percussion-heavy cue. In 2007 the headline bed dropped the first three opening notes.

This promo is called “NBC Nightly News Hard & Fast”. It was used to promote a feature report on the next edition of Nightly News. Aside from main themes, networks commission promo material from a composer that they have under contract as a music producer. While promos usually feature the signature of the main theme, they are produced more cheaply: fewer live instruments and more synthesizers. And while main themes can be used for decades, promo music is refreshed every few years. However, promo music can still be pretty good!

In 1985 NBC News (like ABC News did earlier) commissioned a full orchestral news theme package. It is composed by the famous and popular movie-score composer John Williams, who’s credits include Star Wars, Jaws and Jurrasic Park. The package is called The Mission and consists of four parts (which are the themes to other NBC News programs). The package includes everything from promo besd to bumpers, however these days, most cuts have been retired. This theme was used as the close for NBC Nightly News and it called The Mission, part I.

A more hard hitting cut of The Mission was chosen as the opening for NBC Nightly News. It has been used as the open since 1985.

NBC Nightly News debuted in July of 1970 after Chet Huntley left the Huntley-Brinkley Report. David Brinkley anchored with John Chancellor and Frank McGee as part of an anchor trio that was not as successful as the Huntley-Brinkley pairing. A year later McGee left for Today and Brinkley was relegated to doing commentary. This left John Chancellor as solo anchor of Nightly News. However, he was never able to break Walter Cronkite’s grip on the American public. So Chancellor anchored Nightly News solo until April of 1982 when co-anchors Roger Mudd and Tom Brokaw took over. Brokaw went solo a little more than a year later. This open is a true classic I think you will enjoy!

John Williams is not the first famous movie composer to do a news theme for NBC. This funky theme, used during the latter period of the John Chancellor era of Nightly News, is composed by Henry Mancini. He has done incredibly recognizable themes such as The Pink Panther. Aside from his work for Nightly News, Mancini also composed an election theme for NBC.