Network News Music is a website by Victor Vlam, who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of news music. 1,876 hours, 2 minutes and 52 seconds. News music is rarely heard without voice-overs or fade outs to commercial, yet it leaves an impact on many people. Founded in 2002, this site is a museum for TV news themes past and present.
After the retirement of Barbara Walters, The View had to reinvent itself. This theme was used during a period in which The View went through a lot of host changes. Even from day to day there was a rotation of co-hosts. New York-based audio production company Flavorlab delivered on the new music. It’s festive and full of energy. It was replaced by a theme sung by Mary J. Blige for the show’s 20th season.
After Barbara Walters had officially retired from The View in 2014 as co-host, changes were made. Control of the show was transferred from ABC Entertainment to ABC News. A new executive producer with roots in cable news was appointed as well as a couple of new co-hosts (including the return of Rosie O’Donnell).
The changes also included a new set, graphics and theme music. The classic theme music by Edd Kalehoff was given a very contemporary arrangement. I don’t know who is responsible for this production. It, however, only lasted two months, at which point The View started using a completely new theme.
This theme was used for a number of years, starting when Whoopi Goldberg joined the show as the new moderator. During its usage a number of co-hosts sat around the table with one arched leaf, a hallmark of the show’s set. Among them: Jenny McCarthy, Sherri Shepherd and Joy Behar.
When Meredith Vieira left The View in 2006, Rosie O’Donnell took her spot as moderator. It became one of the most turbulent seasons in the show’s history. The shouting matches between the former Queen of Nice and the conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck became increasingly personal. O’Donnell only lasted for a season as moderator and the show made some changes in 2007. Hence this theme was dropped for the 2007 season.
The View premiered on ABC in 1997. The show had a unique format for daytime television, so Barbara Walters explained the premise in the open for the first few years:
I’ve always wanted to do a show with women of different generations, backgrounds and views: a working mother; a professional in her 30s; a young woman just starting out; and then somebody who’s done almost everything and will say almost anything. And in a perfect world, I’d get to join the group whenever I wanted…
The show’s original set was a leftover from the cancelled ABC soap opera The City. From the beginning the music was composed by theme music legend Edd Kalehoff. This is the third and perhaps most beloved version of the theme.