165 Instruments, One Theme: The New Sound of ABC News Live
The result is a theme that’s urgent, dark, and full of energy, grabbing your attention from the start. It incorporates pumping synths often associated with EDM music, adding to its intensity. The music is rich and colorful, achieved by combining various electronic and acoustic instruments, making it difficult to isolate any one individual sound. It’s a track that couldn’t possibly be performed live, featuring a staggering 165 instruments.
Combining six instruments
Kajcienski explains, “You may have a secondary motif in the background that arcs up, and you kind of wonder, oh, what if there’s some sort of bright, rhythmic sound that I can double with it? If something needs more depth, I’ll combine five or six different instruments to achieve exactly that.”Despite Kajcienski’s previous use of over 25 brass instruments in his Olympics theme for ABC, this new theme avoids trumpets entirely and has just a few horn lines for support. The melody is carried by the viola, an often underappreciated instrument known for its warm, pleasing sound. He explains, “The driving melody was written in a specific range where, if played on violin, it would lack the power and gravity I wanted, and if played on the cello, it would have trouble being heard through the thick orchestration.”
The theme melody and branding mnemonic are derived from a musical cipher, a method that converts the alphabet into musical notes. In this case, each letter of A-B-C-N-E-W-S-L-I-V-E is mapped to a series of musical notes/pitches. The result held an unexpected coincidence: N-E-W-S and L-I-V-E share 3 of their 4 relative pitches in the same order, and when played, a pleasing, almost accidental melody could be heard.
Musical cipher
Condensing the cipher into a succinct melody presented a challenge, as the original 11-note melody was too long to be crafted into a mnemonic. By eliminating overlapping notes, such as the shared last pitch of A-B-C and the first pitch of N-E-W-S, the melody could be shortened. The same was done with the duplicate pitches in N-E-W-S and L-I-V-E. The three consecutive notes of A-B-C became a quick pick-up to the syncopated rhythm of the melody, giving it a feeling of urgency, and then ending with a bold, swift resolution to the downbeat.Musical ciphers, though centuries old, offer a distinct approach to composition. Unlike traditional methods, where composers improvise until something feels right, this technique imbues the melody with hidden meaning.
After completing the primetime version of the theme and branding mnemonic, Kajcienski created a daytime adaptation that is lighter in tone. The key was raised, altering the timbres of the instruments, and the percussion was reworked. Kajcienski explains, “I stripped out a lot of the punchy, lower-end sounds, replacing them with alternate instruments and textures.” The new themes have successfully given ABC News Live its own identity within the broader ABC News brand.
Classic CBS News theme makes a second comeback
When the CBS Evening News debuted an elegant new look this Monday, an old favorite returned. The optimistic and majestic music that introduced the broadcast for a few years starting in 1987, made a comeback. Composed by John Trivers, Elizabeth Myers & Alan Pasqua, this classical piece is instantly recognizable to longtime CBS viewers. But it is actually not the first time it was revived. In 2011 the theme also returned for a few years. Twice it’s been retired, and twice it’s made a comeback, proving its enduring appeal.
The theme sounds familiar because, a few years ago, it had been reimagined in a more contemporary arrangement by the music company Antfood. But now, the original composition has been reinstated.
Missing oboe
It’s rare for a news theme recorded in the 1980s to be in use today. Even John Williams’ iconic theme for NBC Nightly News was updated and rerecorded after two decades on the air. The continued appeal of the CBS composition lies in its timeless, classical style. It does not contain elements, such as teletype-like sounds, which were common in news themes back then but have since fallen out of favor. Its classical roots give it a lasting relevance.
The theme was recorded at 20th Century Fox’s soundstage, with a full orchestra. The recording session lasted six hours, during which each cue was performed multiple times. Interestingly, for the version of the closing they had chosen as the master, the oboe is absent. Just as they were about to play this cue, the oboist’s reed broke. There was no going back at that point and it turned out to be the winning take. It is customary in recording sessions like these for the performers to never ask for another take, so the oboist said nothing. As it turns out, the oboe part as the melody was covered adequately by the other instruments. For this oboist silence truly is golden because all musicians are paid, even if their parts are silent.
Remastered versions
When the theme was brought back for Scott Pelley’s debut in 2011, the old recordings were remastered. They were made to sound crisper and more polished. Additionally, a few arrangements were added to accommodate specific timings in the broadcast. Since Monday’s relaunch, these remastered versions have returned, unchanged. Viewers might hear variations they have not heard before because the package contains over twenty different versions, including opens in different lengths and bumpers in a range of styles—from energetic to somber to regal.
This was the first theme the CBS Evening News ever used. Prior to 1987, the program adhered to a no-music policy, a legacy from the early days of television when news broadcasts relied on inexpensive syndicated footage paired with production music. The lack of music was a way for CBS to signal its high journalistic standards. Over time, however, music became a standard feature of news broadcasts. Reviving a theme from the Dan Rather era now serves as a means of projecting stability during a period of rapid change in the network news landscape–especially for CBS, which has seen three anchor changes in the past decade.
New remix of John Williams’ NBC News theme
The theme that legendary composer John Williams composed for NBC News in the 1980s, has been used by Seven News in Australia for almost the same amount of time. In 1988 Seven Nightly News was launched and Williams’ The Mission made its debut Down Under. There was already a tradition of Australian TV stations taking a cue from American TV. Since 1999 William’s orchestral music has been replaced with contemporary remxixes. The hook that makes the NBC News theme instantly recognizable is still featured prominently but supplemented with electronic beats and rhythms. The latest one, in use since 2016, is now featured on this site. It is produced by Damian De Boos-Smith and Jay Stewart of Sound Planet Australia.
CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings and Today
Last year’s new theme for the CBS Evening News became a fan favorite the minute it debuted. It’s a reworking of the classic Trivers/Myers theme that CBS has used at various points since the late eighties. This version is produced by the NYC-based music production company Antfood. You can now listen to the full version on this website.
Antfood is also responsible for the sound of CBS Mornings. The original Eye Opener at 7 (which was replaced by the previous theme after a month) and the Eye Opener at 8 have been added. Both prominently contain the “This is CBS”-mnemonic.
The current Today Show open used for the 7 a.m. hour, has also been added. The previous version I had on here was slightly longer and different from the mix used on air. I’ve left the other one for you to enjoy as well. Also some older NBC News promo’s have been added that were produced by 615 Music: We’re Everywhere, There’s More Today Everyday, Why I Love Today, Your Day is Today.
Finally, a reader came across this interview with legendary composer John Williams from 1985. It’s one of the few not focused on his movie scores but on his work for NBC News. He talks about why he considers writing music for news daunting (“you can’t make it louder”) and if he considered incorporating the NBC chimes. Well worth five minutes of your time.
New NBC News Now theme added
On Monday, March 13th, NBC News Now launched a new show, Stay Tuned Now with Gadi Schwartz. It’s the rare national primetime news show based in Los Angeles, airing daily on NBC News’ digital channel. It’s an extension of NBC News’ mobile-first, Gen Z news brand, Stay Tuned. The theme is composed by Matthew Sikora and Elizabeth Forde alongside creative direction by the production team, as well as Current Music’s Producer/Composer, Maddie Madsen. This is the third theme that Current Music has produced for NBC News Now.
NBC News Now has really developed its own identity. Their presentation style is a lot more laid back. Anchor Hallie Jackson regularly wears sneakers for example. The writing is very conversational. The graphics are bright and colorful. And the theme music is very high energy, incorporating lots of pop elements that aren’t traditionally associated with news music. For the Stay Tuned Now theme, anchor Gadi Schwartz suggested incorporating breakbeats.