The new nightly newscast “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” recently debuted on NewsNation, supported by a distinctive and memorable custom music package from Stephen Arnold Music. The sonic branding studio also created original music for “The Hill,” the network’s new political ensemble program and produced a sonic rebrand for its political analysis show “On Balance with Leland Vittert.”

The debut of “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” coincides with the launch of NewsNation’s new, state-of-the-art studios on 42nd Street in New York City. Hosted by Elizabeth Vargas, the show features a mix of one-on-one interviews with headline makers and on-the-ground reporting.

Stephen Arnold Music’s sonic branding reflects the show’s tone of timeliness and integrity.

“The music is built on a strong network mnemonic to underscore Elizabeth Vargas Report’s position as NewsNation’s news show of record,” said Chad Cook, president, Stephen Arnold Music. “The sound is modern, energetic and urgent…delivered with a touch of elegance.”

“The Hill,” based in Washington and hosted by veteran journalist Leland Vittert, features wide-ranging discussions with top politicians, thought leaders and policymakers. Its sonic branding suggests seriousness and balance via a three-note motif carried by an assertive blend of percussion, strings and guitar.

The updated musical theme for “On Balance with Leland Vittert” features a string and bass driven groove blended with effected electronic and guitar elements. It complements the shows new set and graphics package and evokes its theme as “the fairest show on television.”

Cook says it’s been gratifying to watch NewsNation expand and grow its audience. “We’ve enjoyed a wonderful, collaborative relationship with Jonathan Killian and his creative team,” Cook said.

“We’ve worked together to develop a sonic branding strategy that is consistent across all uses and platforms, with the flexibility to adapt to the network’s diverse programming and on-air talent.”

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PIX11 moves onto new set with hints of NYC, packed with tech

Produced in-house by Nexstar Media Group’s graphics hub, the package is accompanied by new custom theme music from Stephen Arnold Music.

The design motif leans heavily on an angular look that appears to mimic the lines in the “X” in the station’s logo. 

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This is interpreted as both simple angled segments as well as arrow-like elements, with much of the animation following a left-to-right path.

Many of the layouts also conjure connections to street grids and the various levels of buildings, while also keeping the station’s longtime “PIX11” branding in the forefront.

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Opens include a combination of regional video footage with nods to various dayparts, including right off the top.

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An oversized, glassy and transparent interpretation of the station’s logo appears, along with the “New York’s Very Own” tagline.

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An announcer reads, “Live from 42nd Street,” a reference to the station’s newly reconstructed facilities at 220 East 42nd Street. The new opens eliminate the reference to the intersecting 2nd Avenue that were used in some opens in the past.

The open also eliminates mentioning the “Very Own” tagline verbally.

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Meanwhile, on-screen text blends in boroughs and suburbs, including “New Jersey,” appear in the upper left portion of the screen neatly framed by a thin box. The example ones highlighted change from broadcast to broadcast, while a line of microtext subtly references more locales.

After the short series of regional imagery, the screen shifts through left-to-right arrow-inspired animation to a brief fullscreen look with a blue background.

PIX 11 tweaks color palette, circular elements in new graphics

The use of violet as a secondary color has largely been eliminated, and much of the look has slightly more refined glassy and 3D than before.

To the right are a series of subtle 3D and flat angled elements, all of which form the rough shape of an arrow pointing right, while the left side of the screen remains relatively clear.

The lower thirds notably eschew using any of the angled elements found elsewhere in the package in favor of simplicity, though they are hinted at in select animations used during stories. 

Text has been made significantly larger than it was before, almost to the point of overpowering the space it’s in or large to convey urgency, whereas the old look used more generous padding inside of the rectangles. 

WPIX continues to largely used Gotham, though it’s typically not as bold as it was in the previous look.

There’s also an updated bug in the lower left that includes stacked time and temp, space for the station website address and space to showcase a rotating animation of its 75th anniversary logo and the station’s normal “PIX 11” one.

A condensed version includes side-by-side time and temp topped with the PIX11.com address. 

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Angled backgrounds and animations are also available for bumps, rejoins and stingers. 

Some of these looks have a slightly different take on the angular motif, though all typically include the letters “PIX” on-screen in various combinations of geometric mesh and 3D.

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In some, the oversized letters appear slightly off axis, extending into the background toward the left side of the screen, which allows the “X” to be positioned to the far right, mirroring the position of these elements in the opens and other looks.

Others take on slightly different perspectives on the logo, with some also changing up how the angled elements look a bit.

Along with the graphics, the channel debuted new custom music from Stephen Arnold Music that works in a variety of percussion elements with an energetic beat aimed at capturing New York City’s eclectic audience. 

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The theme celebrates Chris Cuomo’s highly anticipated return to cable news, notes Stephen Arnold Music, employing drums, guitars and bass in a distinctive groove blending rock, punk and blues.

“Chris Cuomo exudes style and confidence,” said Chad Cook, creative director at Stephen Arnold Music. “The music has a similar feel. It’s unconventional. It’s got attitude, energy and purpose.”

Cook notes the music is edge, hip and relatable and was inspired by Chris Cuomo’s larger-than-life personality.

“The music for Cuomo brings a new vibe and energy to the whole network,” said Jonathan Killian, NewsNation VP, creative marketing and brand communications. “It’s bold, upbeat and memorable.”

Stephen Arnold Music created two versions of the track, a main signature theme and a more serious rendering. It also created a package of transitions, interstitials and promos tracks based on the theme.

Stephen Arnold Music has worked extensively with NewsNation since its launch, creating the network’s primary themes along with music for most of its programming.

“It’s always a pleasure to work with Jonathan Killian and his creative team, Mark Wright, Renee Cullen, Siena Esposito, John Spiwak and Joseph Turner,” said Cook.

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Founded by veteran music executive Randy Wachtler, formerly of 615 Music and Warner Chappell Production Music, 11 One/Music has a variety of syndicated news music packages available along with custom music capabilities.

WSMV opted for “True News” which includes a distinctive melody with a positive, upbeat style. The package includes 11 themes ranging from bright to aggressive.

“We’re thrilled to be working again with our friend and respected television executive Bob St. Charles at WSMV-TV,” Wachtler said.

WSMV previously used “In-Sink” for its music package after a long run with “The Tower.”

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Liss worked as a promotions manager at the ABC-owned station before moving to fellow network-owned station WABC in New York where he would help develop “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee” and take it national. He also was president of ABC-owned stations for 10 years. 

“Move Closer to Your World” was created along with Al Ham at Mayoham Music for WPVI, also known as 6ABC.

It was intended as an “anthem” to local news and its role in the community — illustrating through its lyrics how TV could, at least figuratively, bring the world closer to viewers.

It’s worth noting that Liss isn’t always credited for his work on “MCTYW,” but WPVI, the station that originated the theme, marked his death on-air on May 17, 2022, and credited him with co-writing the lyrics.

“MCTYW” is notable as perhaps the most prominent local news music package that has lyrics, though WPVI typically only runs that version at the end of newscasts or days when it runs full credits. The original lyrics were recorded by the Hillside Singers.

In addition to its lyrics, the song is known for the dramatic build-up to its “da-da-da-da-dum” signature that, at least in some versions, also includes several other variations of those notes, while the portion with the lyrics has a gentler sound.

There have been numerous updates to the theme over the years, some of which were only heard on other stations. There are also arrangements of it from 615 Music that are used in promos at both WPVI and other stations off and on. 

The song also branched into the fictional world of “Lizzie Maguire” where the production music version, which was never intended as a main theme, can be heard on the fictional NewsChannel 7 broadcasts seen and heard in the series. “The Tonight Show” band The Roots also played a version of it when Danny DeVito, star of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” was a guest in 2016.

WPVI rolled out a new version of the song, with great fanfare, in 1996, even going to the extent of hiring the London Philharmonic Orchestra to perform it. The theme lasted five days after overwhelming negative viewer reactions. 

Although the music has been used by numerous stations over the years it’s no longer in use outside Philadelphia except for one other Pennsylvania station, WNEP in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

WKBW in Buffalo, New York, used a version of the song from 1989 to 1995 when it branded as “NewsChannel 7” (not to be confused with the fictional “Lizzie Maguire” one) but dropped it altogether in 2014.

WNEP uses the so-called “dance version” that has similarities to “MCTYW” song, officially known as the “WPXI News Theme,” that the Pittsburgh station used from 1991 to 1998 after using “MCTYW” for the year prior. However, the two versions are technically considered different packages and “WPXI” was composed by Cliff Schwarz.

This version does not officially have lyrics. There is a vamp available meant to be played under anchor voiceover teases lyrics, but the beat or melody doesn’t match the words of “MCTYW.”

Today, WNEP continues to use the WPXI theme, making it the only other station in the country to actively use a variation of “MCTYW.”

It was one of the few Tegna-owned stations not to drop its normal theme music in favor of more European-style musical beds.

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Queen City News’ musical theme strays from the format on multiple fronts due to its length, originality, and sentimentality. But, as it turns out, the idea to add an original opening song to the Queen City News intro was actually Plan B.

“We’d been in a rebrand mode probably close to a year before actually launching Queen City News,” explained Erik Candiani, director of marketing for Queen City News. “There was a lot of pausing and they wanted to get it right. They had a set in the studio that they built and weren’t going to show it because they wanted to get the branding right before they actually launched it.”

“At the time, we were planning on launching the open with a song that we were trying to license. We couldn’t get it. It fell apart––literally the day before we were launching. And so we launched with a generic song from the library we have, just to get it on the air.”

Impressed by the sleek, heartfelt promos touting the rebrand, Chad Cook noted that Queen City News needed a musical signature that lived up to its arresting visual presence. Cook serves as VP of Creative at the sonic branding company Stephen Arnold Music.

“We saw the rebrand promos and clips and just the whole idea of the identity being Carolina’s own Queen City News––the graphic looks and all the beautiful footage that was obviously shot custom showing the real heartbeat of the market,” Cook said. “It popped and it was different and it was great. And it called out for a sonic identity that was as good as the visual identity. So, I reached out to Erik and we started brainstorming on what we could do musically to do something distinctive and unique.”

According to Cook, everyone at Queen City News was fully on board with the idea of commissioning an original piece of music to accompany their newscast intro, and the team at Stephen Arnold Music began brainstorming how to make the music stand on its own compared to other newscast themes.

“It needed to be modern, but also timeless to where it could live into the future. We all know the famous theme in Philly that’s been there forever,” said Cook. “Of course, that’s an ancient theme, but they still open the newscast with it and show all the lifestyle shots. But our idea was, ‘Well, can we do something that’s more emotional?’”

In search of a human, accessible sound, Cook and his team opted for live instruments over digitized sounds. He describes the theme as modern, cinematic, organic and emotionally driven. The station wanted a theme that would help bond viewers to the evening newscast and endear its brand, so they were open to having a longer theme than what’s typically heard in most evening newscast intros.

“We wanted to go back to the traditional news open that has been lost and consulted out,” said Candiani. “Now, it’s all about ‘how many stories can we get in this first five minutes?’ If we’re going to call ourselves Queen City News, how do we show that we’re Queen City News instead of just saying it over and over and over again? And so we wanted to go the WPVI route. They have a very traditional long open that’s worked very well for them. We were inspired by them, but we wanted to take it and modernize it. Visually, that’s what we went after to capture the city and not just uptown, but all around the outer areas, the smaller markets or smaller towns and areas. It was vital to have the time to present the music, because in film and in TV, theme has gone away. You have sound effects in movies and you have a lot of electronic drum hits and all this other stuff for most news music.”

“Move Closer To Your World, My Friend,” is the theme song for WPVI’s Action News in Philadelphia. The modern iteration of the theme has changed remarkably little from its original cheeky, outdated 70’s aesthetic, which is replete with syncopated horns, lively percussion, and Rocky-esque chord movements.

The Queen City News theme lives in a different musical universe that feels more gripping and honest. In a scant 30 seconds, the music packs a heartfelt, cinematic punch that pairs especially well with the footage of Charlotte’s residents and shots of the city. The viewer is presented with a potent emotional experience through this music rather than a simple theme that can easily be hummed after listening. When Candiani and the rest of the management team at Queen City News, including ND Casey Clark and GM Lloyd Bucher, heard Cook’s first take, they knew they had heard something special.

Sheet music for the Queen City News package theme.

“When Chad came forward with this, I thought it was an awesome opportunity to do something where he had time to actually come up with a theme instead of just throwing it at you a million times. It has a build and it goes somewhere. I think they nailed it beautifully because we had a distinctive or a very specific feeling in mind, and it’s like they connected with us when they came through with this theme. The first take was so dang close. It was amazing.”

Cook points to the fleshed out vision the Queen City News team had for their brand as critical inspiration for the project, which is aimed at not only keeping Charlotte residents informed about their community but also restoring faith in local journalism.

“The interesting thing with Queen City News is that the vision was there, and we already had a canvas to work with and direction from Erik and the management team. Part of this mission was to also reclaim pride in great journalism and what it means to a community. So, the music needed to reflect the pride and the usefulness of this to the people in the city.”

Describing the project as an effort aimed at removing the public’s negative associations with the news media landscape, Cook notes that the music was written to bring calm and confidence to the Charlotte audience, “It’s not bombastic and not trying to outdo itself.”

Currently, a full package based on the Queen City News theme is in development. That package, which will be available for licensing by other local stations will add different mixes such as weather and breaking news, all driven by organic, contemporary orchestration.

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Essential to the rebranding effort was a newfound reliance on music, according to Mohamed Moawad, manager of output at the company.

“Before this relaunch, we haven’t relied heavily on music,” said Moawad. “Now we are really giving attention to the music because it’s part of this concept of making sure the news delivery is compelling. The music is there in every show and it helps build the show’s identity and relates to the show. We considered music a very important element in building this concept.”

Al Jazeera commissioned Stephen Arnold Music to oversee the sound of its brand overhaul, which included new music across all morning, daytime and evening news programs, idents and promos. The project marked the continuation of a creative partnership that has lasted over two decades.

Driven by propulsive strings and suspenseful horns, all recorded live with organic instruments, the gripping new musical direction is fitting for our current tumultuous news era.

For the project, the composition team at Stephen Arnold Music composed a total of 26 pieces of music ranging from programming themes to brand promo themes, most of which were fully orchestrated. The music also serves as an audio toolkit for brand identity and promotions.

“They wanted to do a complete re-invention of how they present news, from the presentation and content standpoint to the visual graphic and set standpoint,” explained Chad Cook, Stephen Arnold Music’s vice president of creative. “The music was an integral part to guide what they call another innovation moment in the MENA region, which is Al Jazeera reinventing itself into the future.”

The MENA region is a grouping of countries located in North Africa and the Middle East that stretches from Morocco to Iran. Founded in 1996, Al Jazeera was the region’s first independent news channel. Compared to the rest of the world, MENA’s relationship with independent journalism is startlingly new.

“The whole organization, the whole concept, the whole mission is taking risks in a region that has no previous experience with news coverage,” explained Moawad.

Al Jazeera provides MENA with news 24 hours a day. Perhaps the most complex and impressive feats that Cook and the rest of the staff at Stephen Arnold were crafting music that would fit the emotional subtlety of each moment in the 24-hour news cycle.

“They structured the rebrand in a way that asked how an audience would engage with a 24-hour news channel,” said Cook. “Well, in the morning, you want to know what’s going on, what happened overnight. ‘What do I need to know today as I’m getting out the door to go work?’ So they wanted to match the way the audience consumes the information and the programming through the daypart.”

“The morning has its own kind of energy. It’s energetic, it’s vibrant. It has a little bit of seriousness to it but it also doesn’t make you want to feel like you’re starting the day with overly serious news and things that are a burden. So there’s a brightness and energy to the morning, even though in morning coverage you’re going to have serious events that you’re covering sometimes. But the DNA of the sound and visuals was meant to be very engaging, energetic, still with a news credibility to it but not overly dramatic or something that might make you feel some sense of foreboding or heaviness.”

The music shifts and evolves throughout the day, from the refreshing vibrancy of the morning programming to the inquisitive, analytical energy of the afternoon to an initial burst of urgency that gradually fades into a more laid back interpretation accompanying the evening segments, which are aimed at helping the audience digest the complete news of the day, according to Cook.

“There was an absolute direct musical tie-in with how they cover the news throughout the day. We defined specific tones, audience behavior, the kinds of stories that they would cover in every single hour and show and how to best match the pacing, mood, and presentation to that audience in that specific show.”

“Of all the projects that I’ve done, it’s probably the most in-depth, where we’ve really looked at audience behavior, why they would be watching that show at that specific hour, and what they’re hoping to get out of it and how the music can really support the presentation of that.”

At the heart of Al Jazeera’s rebranding efforts was a desire to modernize and make its news delivery more compelling and innovative. The initiative was borne out of the findings from a large focus group and research project the news media company launched to learn more about how viewers were interacting with their programming, resulting in new studios, motion graphics and even directing style.

“People want to watch something compelling, something entertaining. They’re not interested anymore in watching a newscast or a broadcaster presenting the news only reading from the teleprompter without engaging the content. The audience wants an interactive experience with the news they consume. They’re interested to know more, not just about what’s going on.”

Cook describes Stephen Arnold Music’s undertaking in creating the music for Al Jazeera’s brand overhaul as logistically ambitious. The music was recorded over a five week period and featured violins, violas, cellos, trombones, trumpets, bass trombones, and French horns.

“The music was composed and produced in rounds – we would get 5-6 themes written and approved. Then, we’d bring out the players and spend a week recording each of the five rounds of themes. After that we would pass them along to our post-production team for final mixing and editing. It was important to allow for several weeks in between each round of recording sessions because this is live orchestration and it’s very complex––these are symphonic scores, with all sorts of harmonies, voicings, articulations, counter-melodies, and instrument overlays. So we really had to be strategic about the form of these pieces, and would work closely with the Al Jazeera creative team to make sure every aspect of the compositions would work in terms of application and functionality.

A major aspect of the musical rebrand was an audio toolkit of 10 brand promo cuts representing core values of Al Jazeera’s brand, including boldness, confidence, inquisitiveness, and introspection. But, like the complexity of a thoroughly reported news story, Cook noted that a key part of his team’s mandate was to reflect subtlety and nuance within the music.

“The mission was to reimagine and innovate their iconic sonic brand – to take telescoped and abbreviated bits of it, to change notes at the last moment unexpectedly, to put it over chord structures and utilize voicings that hadn’t been used before. In a way it was an evolution and a remix of the familiar—like the same person inside but with new clothes and a new look. We wanted to create these little endearing moments that are hinted at but are then followed by a more substantial expression of it.”

“So, you hear all these interesting bits and pieces in the promos. Sometimes it’s the full melody. Sometimes it’s a little bit of the melody. Sometimes it’s the melody starting that then takes an unexpected left turn. Our goal here was to take the core of what the audience knew but re-imagine it and present it in a new and fresh way.”

Al Jazeera finds inspiration in a story timeline for motion redesign

Al Jazeera overhauls studio with focus on dynamic, compelling storytelling

Explore more of our in-depth look at the relaunch of Al Jazeera including the new scenic design, motion design and directing style.

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Owain Wyn Evans, joining from home, showed off his drumming skills on air, playing the network’s famous theme music.

OH MY GOD THEY DID THE BBC NEWS DRUMS TO THE BBC NEWS THEME ON BBC NEWS (bravo: @OwainWynEvans) pic.twitter.com/FnHKhQ6IIU

— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) April 15, 2020

The clip took the internet by storm — especially among news junkies. 

Now, Evans took the idea to the next level by having a 50 person ensemble play the pulsating music along with him. 

The performance of the BBC theme was part of a larger, 24 hour “Drumathon” on live TV that Evans helped organize for the network’s BBC Children in Need fund.

For two minutes, however, Evans lead the team, which was a blend of pros and amateurs, in drumming out of the iconic theme. 

The performance took place about 10 hours, 18 minutes into the event.

Many of the ensemble members were on a traditional drum set, but various other forms of the instrument were also used. Several people joined remotely as well, playing on everything from real drums to plastic containers to toys.

Even Pudsy, the BBC Children in Need mascot, joined in the fun, also making appearances throughout the room, including on decals on the front of Evans’ kit. 

For comparison, here’s what one version of the music sounds like when aired.

“I cannot put into words how much of a special moment this was (heart emoji). The Drumathon has been overwhelming, but I’ll never forget these 2 minutes. What a team of drummers, thanks so much @MarkSkunkAnansi for orchestrating this performance,” Evans tweeted after the event. 

The event raised the equivalent of $3.6 million for charity. 

To donate to the cause, you can use the BBC website or, U.S. donors may find donating via Facebook easier.

BBC also used a clip of the performance in countdown form.

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SAM notes the show theme evokes the concept of hard discussions through its seriousness and driving percussion. 

“The theme has a hard edge, in keeping with the seriousness of the show and Dan Abrams’ commitment to telling all sides of a story,” said Chad Cook, VP and creative director at Stephen Arnold Music.

“The percussion is prominent and supported by driving guitars and strings. It gives the show a strong, primetime sound and signature.”

‘Dan Abrams Live’ blends ‘paper’ textural look with halftone effects

Stephen Arnold Music also worked with the network on the new theme for “Morning in America.”

NewsNation goes circular for ‘Morning in America’

This theme features a melodic tune that is vibrant and engaging, providing a new interpretation of the NewsNation sonic signature.

“We created a multi-faceted sonic package that includes a range of themes, each with different energy and pacing, to keep the sound dynamic and diverse across the full three hours,” said Cook.

The new themes were created in collaboration with Jonathan Killian and the NewsNation creative team.

Stephen Arnold Music also recently scored a series of network promos that employ the theme “News For All America.”

“The music projects authenticity and unity,” said Killian. “It sends a hopeful message that will resonate with people with differing views from different parts of the country.”

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The music builds upon the sonic branding package the firm delivered with the original launch in Sept. 2020, then as just an evening newscast. That music, inspired by Aaron Copland, is crafted to evoke midwestern ideals.

“NewsNation Early Edition” and “NewsNation Prime” build upon the original package while “The Donlon Report” and “Banfield” received all new themes for their launch on March 1, 2021.

“The theme for ‘The Donlon Report’ has depth and weight to fit the common-sense views and insight of veteran anchor Joe Donlon,” said Chad Cook of Stephen Arnold Music.

“It’s a rich, engaging sound that works with a wide range of subjects from politics to pop culture, while complementing the network’s overall brand.”

The theme for Ashleigh Banfield’s self-titled hour, meanwhile, features a vibrant, upbeat theme.

“It’s contemporary, energetic and has a late-night feel,” said Cook. “It draws you in right away with a strong melodic signature and spirited groove.”

The team at Stephen Arnold Music worked closely with Nexstar’s Jonathan Killian on the updates.

“Jonathan wanted the music to be versatile, to have broad, mainstream appeal, and accurately mirror show content,” Cook said.

“We explored various styles, pacing and instrumentation before arriving at musical signatures that work seamlessly with the visuals and communicate the essence of each show.”

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