News music

The Tar Sequence, a music cue specially written for the late-1960's Hollywood prison drama film Cool Hand Luke (CHL), has a second life as a news music theme eclipsing its original purpose.

What makes CHL a fitting music cue for broadcast journalism/television news is the teletype.

Just before CHL, television news music had a ceremonial sound, specifically fanfares and marches.

Plus, the teletype and Morse code were simple news sounders with no music to play in.

CHL juxtaposes cinematic orchestral elements, including Aaron Copland's influence, with the teletype sound and the modern jazz/pop influences by Lalo Schifrin.

In order to make its sound fitting for newscasts, Al Primo selected and edited Cool Hand Luke: The Tar Sequence as the theme tune for Eyewitness News, removing its non-news elements.

Plus, CHL is more famous as a news theme than the film.

By the 1990's, CHL had started to fade from US prominence.

Even so, the DNA of the Cool Hand Luke: The Tar Sequence cue for news themes remains across the United States and around the world.

Modern news music packages incorporate music techniques being used in film scores to enhance the emotional impact/storytelling of the news (since CHL).

Score Productions is a music production house, which specializes in background music and themes for television programs.

Based in New York City, Score Productions has many iconic and world-famous music cues for the Big Three networks (NBC, CBS and ABC), plus Goodson-Todman, CTV and HBO.

The signature music cue for ABC News, written for World News Tonight in 1978 by Robert A. Israel (Score Productions) under Roone Arledge, has a sound à la CHL: The Tar Sequence.

From its July 10, 1978 debut to March 1980, World News Tonight had a teletype theme tune, made for ABC News by Score Productions, innovative for Moog synthesizers on network television.

Later, an orchestral incarnation of the Moog-based teletype theme tune, made for ABC News by Score Productions, was used for World News Tonight until 1990.

A remixed incarnation of this orchestral version of the Moog-based teletype theme tune, made for ABC News by Score Productions, was used from 1990 to 1996.

Edd Kalehoff created his own World News Tonight theme song in 1996, and revived the 1978 theme in January 1998, at the turn of the 21st century, and in 2020, all in three remixes.

The Mission is a music package for NBC News.

John Williams, an iconic and world-famous film score composer, is the composer for The Mission (for NBC News).

Recorded with an 80-piece orchestra, The Mission (for NBC News) changed the news music sound by moving towards fully-orchestral cinematic Hollywood film music.

During the periods in which Douglas Edwards, Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather were the anchors of the CBS Evening News, no music was heard in its intros/outros and bumpers.

In fact, the sound heard on the CBS Evening News in its opening and ending sequences, during the eras when Douglas Edwards, Walter Cronkite and early Dan Rather ruled, was the teletype.

Walter Levinsky (Score Productions) created a teletype-like cue being used for the bumpers of the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather (and its ending sequences) during the 1980's.

CBS News, in response to the success and popularity of The Mission for NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, commissioned a special theme tune for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.

John Trivers, Elizabeth Meyers and Alan Pasqua serve as the three co-composers of the orchestral CBS Evening News theme tune.

This theme tune that John Trivers, Elizabeth Meyers and Alan Pasqua have made for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather had a sound à la Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man.

Recorded with a full orchestra at a 20th Century-Fox soundstage, the modern-sounding theme by John Trivers, Elizabeth Meyers and Alan Pasqua put the music on the CBS Evening News map.

Hawaii Five-O has a fast-paced and quick-cut intro sequence made by Reza Badiyi, set to rock-infused orchestral music by Morton Stevens.

In turn, Action News (in intros and music) applies the same techniques as Hawaii Five-O.

Move Closer to Your World (MCTYW) is an orchestral news music package for Action News.

Al Ham, whose company is Mayhom Music, made the iconic Move Closer to Your World piece being synonymous with Philadelphia.

Staying in Philadelpha, Tom Sellers, who was a student at Temple University, wrote The Action News Theme, which has similarities to MCTYW.

Likewise, Philadelphia also houses the Rocky sports media franchise, which focuses on the life of an eponymous boxing champion.

The Rocky franchise has its brass-heavy and soul-infused theme tune called Gonna Fly Now.

Bill Conti is the composer of the Gonna Fly Now theme tune for the Rocky media franchise, with Ayn Robbins and Carol Connors doing the lyrics.

For the Gonna Fly Now tune, it is as synonymous with Philadelphia as the MCTYW tune, both of them infused with soul.

Maynard Ferguson, a Canadian trumpeter, created his own version of the Gonna Fly Now tune from the Rocky media franchise, used for his 1977 album Conquistador.

Besides, Maynard Ferguson's Conquistador (1977) has the Theme from Star Trek cue.

Jay Chattaway, who arranged and conducted many of the tunes being included in Maynard Ferguson's Conquistador (1977), later became synonymous with the Star Trek franchise.

CityTV, for instance, utilized Maynard Ferguson's Gonna Fly Now (Rocky) tune for CityPulse, not to mention that it aired Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Gari Communications, as well as a Nashville jingle company (with its area code) and Stephen Arnold Music, famously used a synth timpani sound in the 1990's.

Plus, Gari (along with a Nashville jingle company with its area code and Stephen Arnold Music) used samplers/synths, like those from E-mu, Roland and Kurzweil, to make orchestral news themes.

Samplers/synths give composers like Frank Gari, Randy Wachtler and Stephen Arnold a chance to mix traditional orchestral elements with modern electronic precision to create sonic news brands.

WRET-TV, a rare and unique major Big Three television station owned by Ted Turner, used Maynard Ferguson's version of the Gonna Fly Now (Rocky) tune (by Bill Conti) for Action News 36.

Under Ted Turner, WRET-TV's Action News 36 blended Action News (via WPVI-TV) with Maynard Ferguson's Gonna Fly Now (Rocky) tune, notably used by CityTV's CityPulse.

This Action News format for WRET-TV, under Ted Turner, juxtaposed Action News (WPVI-TV) with Gonna Fly Now (Rocky), both trappings synonymous with Philadelphia.

By financing CNN's June 1, 1980 launch, Ted Turner sold WRET-TV, which was uniquely a local Big Three television station in his portfolio (NBC), to Group W/Westinghouse.

Under Group W, WRET-TV became WPCQ-TV on September 29, 1980.

Starting in 1984, WPCQ-TV, which Ted Turner ran as WRET-TV, was sold to different owners.

Group W sold WPCQ-TV to New York-based Odyssey Partners in 1984; 4 years later, the Providence Journal Company (ProJo) acquired WPCQ-TV.

Under ProJo, WPCQ-TV became WCNC-TV on September 3, 1989.

For 5 years, from the early-1990's period to 1997, ProJo owned King Broadcasting Company, a media empire mostly serving the US portion of the Pacific Northwest, which was based in Seattle.

KING-TV is the first television station in the Pacific Northwest region (US/Canada).

The A.H. Belo Corporation, a media empire located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, purchased the Providence Journal Company's media assets, including King Broadcasting, in 1997.

Belo had already ran KING-TV's competitor KIRO-TV; however, King Broadcasting Company's 1997 acquisition by Belo led to its trade to Paramount/Viacom in exchange for KMOV.

Shortly after the 1997 swap, Paramount/Viacom traded KIRO-TV to Cox in exchange for KSTW.

By coincidence, Belo's flagship television station WFAA-TV had its rival in KTVT, whose first symbol under CBS (by Novocom/GRFX) mirorred KSTW, both run by Gaylord Entertainment.

KSTW's first logo under CBS (by Novocom/GRFX) was introduced in March before KTVT in July.

Initially, no music was heard on CNN (in intros/outros, IDs and bumpers) overall.

However, Ronald Reagan's March 1981 attempted assassination caused CNN to make its permanent transition from a plain teletype sounder to dramatic music.

Stock music defined CNN's music in intros/outros and bumpers until the 1990's, when it started to use music that is specially commissioned for this network.

De Wolfe (with sub-labels like Rouge), KPM, Bruton, Sonoton, FirstCom, Killer Tracks, Atmosphere, Chappell, MusicHouse, Carlin and others are labels doing CNN's music until the 1990's.

Through stock music labels, like De Wolfe Music, CNN's dynamic and urgent sound is punctuated by brass and strings, plus rock-style drums, for a cinematic orchestral news music sound.

In 1990, in celebration of its first decade since its June 1, 1980 launch, CNN had commissioned Score Productions to create an iconic 4-note motif (C-D-A-G), similar to ABC News.

CNN worked with Score Productions to make a cinematic orchestral news music sound that was being maintained during its stock music era during the 1990's.

Many music cues being commissioned for CNN by Score Productions are also in stock music through Sound Ideas with the Turner Broadcast Music Library.

The stock cues made for CNN are used via Sound Ideas, omitting its iconic 4-note motif (C-D-A-G).

Meyer De Wolfe, who was born and rooted in the Netherlands, arrived in the United Kingdom after the turn of the 20th century.

In the UK, Meyer De Wolfe founded his own company in 1909.

James De Wolfe is Meyer De Wolfe's younger son, who assumed his father's music label after WWII.

Over the years since he took the label from his father after WWII, James De Wolfe expanded his label's beyond British borders.

Alfonso Corelli and Fred Jacobs, both filmmakers, forged a partnership with James De Wolfe, who was Meyer De Wolfe's younger son, to bring his music label to the United States.

During the mid-1950's era, Associated-Rediffusion acquired Keith Prowse Music Publishing and Peter Maurice Music, forming Keith-Prowse-Maurice (KPM).

With commercial television having arrived through both ITV and Associated-Rediffusion, stock music became an integral and a crucial component of television music.

In 1966, in response to pop music changes (being catalyzed by the British Invasion, Motown and Stax movements), KPM pioneered a modern sound in stock music with its 1000 Series.

Robin Phillips is the mastermind of the KPM 1000 Series.

Adrian Kerridge, a veteran engineer in the pop and rock music scenes, is also an engineer of the KPM 1000 Series, under whom it has a crisp sound.

For the KPM 1000 Series, co-created by Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge, it juxtaposes classic and traditional orchestration with modern and upbeat pop instrumentation.

KPM also shifted from 10-inch 78 rpm shellac discs into 12-inch 33 rpm LPs with its 1000 Series.

78 rpm shellac discs use faster playback speed, whereas 33 rpm LPs have slower speed and finer, more densely packed microgrooves, giving music a more storage space.

Both Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge enlisted musicians and composers from pop, jazz and rock to create a fresh, dynamic sound for film and television for the KPM 1000 Series.

Green is the main colour of the album covers of the KPM 1000 Series, which both Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge have envisioned.

Nicknamed Greensleeves, the KPM 1000 Series forever changed stock music (and music overall).

Since the 1960's, stock music labels have used a modern and contemporary sound, pioneered by both Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge.

KPM/EMI and De Wolfe are noted labels with the modern Robin Phillips/Adrian Kerridge sound.

With apologies to Cinderella, just before the KPM 1000 Series, which both Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge have envisioned, the stock music scene was a banished and isolated servant.

However, the KPM 1000 Series, which both Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge have made, is a Fairy Godmother that turned stock music into a princess in a hi-fi and crisp modern pop sound.

Besides, with apologies to Cinderella, the KPM 1000 Series is a glass slipper being fitted by this stock music princess wearing a ball gown to marry the charming pop/rock/jazz music princes. 

Plus, with apologies to the Cinderella fairy tale, the KPM 1000 Series transformed stock music from a vintage pumpkin into a modern-sounding carriage.

Likewise, with apologies to Cinderella, the stroke of midnight marked the magical demise of this staid stock music sound, with new ones coming in.

Wardour Street had been De Wolfe's longtime headquarters until its relocation to Shropshire House on Capper Street in the late-1990's.

Denmark Street, located near Wardour Street where De Wolfe was located, had also been the longtime headquarters for KPM/EMI until its move to Charing Cross the late-1980's.

Soho bridges both Wardour Street and Denmark Street, where De Wolfe and KPM/EMI were based.

Until its relocation to Queens House at Tottenham Court Road in the late-2010's, De Wolfe's primary location was Shropshire House on Capper Street.

The longtime main headquarters of Corelli-Jacobs Recording, which distributed De Wolfe Music in the United States, was based at West 45th Street in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.

Prior to moving to its iconic West 45th headquaters, Corelli-Jacobs, distributing De Wolfe Music in the United States, was at Madison Avenue, Broadway and 7th Avenue.

Brian Nimens, hailing from Canada, founded his own company called Sound Ideas, which is one of the most successful companies in the world specializing in sound effects, in 1978.

Ever since its inception, Sound Ideas has released many sound effects via 20th Century-Fox, Universal, Disney, the BBC, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros., Turner, WB Animation, Hanna-Barbera, etc.

Westar Music is the other company that Brian Nimens founded.

Unconfined to sound effects, Sound Ideas branches into stock music in the royalty-free model.

In Canada, since the 1980's era, Brian Nimens' stock music/sound effects companies, Sound Ideas and Westar, have distributed De Wolfe Music, the world's oldest stock music label.

For SFX, De Wolfe has its SFX library that Sound Ideas distributes.

Plus, Sound Ideas has branched into stock music since the late-1980's, with its spin-off Westar Music doing the same since its founding at the turn of the 21st century.

The Mix and the Turner Broadcast Music Library are noted labels via Sound Ideas.

American Music Company, founded/led by Mitchel Greenspan, who hailed from De Wolfe Music's US branch, became distributed by Westar (which distributes De Wolfe in Canada) in the late-2010's era.

Plus, Southern California has WB/Hanna-Barbera, Network Music, Killer Tracks and SmartSound.

Kevin Killinger composed cues for Killer Tracks, but also his own SmartSound company.

For Cincinnati, it notably houses US President William Howard Taft, who served in this position from March 4, 1909 to March 4, 1913; he was also US Chief Justice from 1921 to 1930.

Not confined to William Howard Taft and politics, his younger brothers are also in broadcast media.

In addition to the Tafts (including William Howard Taft and Taft Broadcasting), Cincinnati is also the birthplace of Ted Turner, who acquired Hanna-Barbera (a longtime Taft property).

Besides the Tafts and Ted Turner, Cincinnati houses composer Jack Waldenmaier.

Dallas-Fort Worth is Jack Waldenmaier's other base, but also the home base for The Music Bakery, a stock music label in the royalty-free model founded in 1990, 12 years after Sound Ideas in 1978.

Steven Wenger is also a musician in the Southern US region.

Having lived in Nashville, Memphis and Charlotte, Steven Wenger had his own company called River City Sound Productions (RSCP).

Cascom and Digital Juice are defunct companies for royalty-free animation, both of which were being rooted in the Southern United States.

For RSCP, it has created in-house cues, but also stock music in the royalty-free model.

RSCP's stock music cues were resourced by Digital Juice for its BackTraxx section in 2001.

Ever since its inception in 1978, Sound Ideas has juxtaposed De Wolfe Music with Warner Bros., which TimeWarner has run since 1990, likewise the owner of HBO (Home Box Office).

Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies is part of the WB empire.

Sound Ideas also uses the other WB assets, like Turner (in stock music/SFX) and Hanna-Barbera (a Taft property that Ted Turner of CNN later took).

For SmartSound, it juxtaposes its in-house cues with some cues being sourced from Sound Ideas (by which De Wolfe/Rouge is distributed in Canada), The Music Bakery and Killer Tracks.

Incidentally, Taft Broadcasting is located in Cincinnati, which also housed Ted Turner (CNN) and Jack Waldenmaier.

Tennessee also uses Ted Turner (CNN), Pat Robertson (CBN), Cascom and Steven Wenger.