“Making a Difference” is being used in promos and other marketing media supporting the annual fundraiser, which provides shoes and more to local children from families experiencing financial hardship. The campaign runs year round, culminating with a back to school phone bank.

In its ninth year, KRQE Cares was developed by the station’s Media Group Community Relations Director Carolyn Rush to address one of the biggest needs of children in a state where one out of four students live in poverty.

“Unfortunately, New Mexico ranks 50th in the nation for child well-being. We work directly with Title 1 schools to put new shoes on every child in the school,” said Rush. “Each year, KRQE, our viewers, and the New Mexico community work together to supply thousands of pairs of new shoes to kids. We’re a local station with a tradition of community service and this is our way of making a difference.”

The song embodies the campaign’s positive spirit, according to Stephen Arnold Music President Chad Cook.

“We were impressed by how well it’s been embraced by the local community,” he said. “The campaign is optimistic and upbeat, and the song reflects that. It tugs at the heartstrings and conveys hope. We want to get people engaged and inspired.”

“Making a Difference” was crafted to work with both broadcast and online media, adapt to different time formats and complement a range of visuals.

“It also needed to function effectively with full lyrics and as an instrumental while projecting emotional force from start to finish,” Cook notes. “We even produced a version that features kids’ voices. There’s just a touch here and there —enough to give you an authentic human connection without becoming syrupy.” The song’s lyrics begin with the promise, “great things happen when New Mexico pulls together,” and end with the promise “It’s New Mexico’s spirit we share Kir-Kee Cares.”

Stephen Arnold Music has collaborated frequently with KRQE Media Group, providing sonic branding and original music for each of the four television stations it operates in New Mexico.

“They created a sonic identity for a station that previously lacked one, and reaffirmed the identity of another,” said Creative Services Director Bill Case. “They customized an existing theme for the morning newscast on a third station that helped propel it from a distant third in its market to competing for number one. They’re just so good.”

Cook says that Stephen Arnold Music is especially proud to contribute to KRQE Cares. “It’s rare to find a station with such a strong commitment to philanthropy,” he states. “The station works very hard to make this campaign a success and ensure that it serves kids. Their staff not only deliver the shoes, they get down on their knees to make sure they fit. They give each student a book and snacks and make them feel special. It’s personalized and genuine.”

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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.”

The post Stephen Arnold Music delivers custom themes for NewsNation’s latest additions appeared first on NewscastStudio.

Designed by FX Design Group, the set features gently curving walls mixed with flat ones in a light gray with reveal lines.

Various parts of the set, including the header, are framed out in blue columns and horizontal elements, while light faux wood finish covers most of the knee walls and textural panels add another visual element in select locations.

Home base is a small anchor desk fronted with a large video panel and framed out with backlit side and center elements. Anchors sit on high drafting-style stools behind it and in front of a 2×4 video wall array capped with an internally lit header.

Meanwhile, camera right of the anchor desk is a 3×3 video wall set inside a bold three-sided blue frame and another internally lit ribbon along the top. This can be used for weather as well as as an alternate anchor venue and standup location. 

The weather center, however, appears to take up a larger footprint than the main anchor area.

It features a large, curved combination presentation position-workstation that’s capped off camera left by another large video panel.

Much of the base here is solid with dark reveal lines and light gray vertical elements. Just below the surface of the workstation are two backlit panel.

That camera left position is in front of a large OTS-style video screen mounted over a wall segment that’s half wavy textural panels and half backlit glass. The design, however, suggests that weather staffers could broadcast from any point along the desk, including tag-teaming during severe weather.

The wavy panels continue toward camera right as the background behind a trio of video panels used to display live camera feeds and weather graphics. These panels are framed out with additional backlit ribbons both above and below them.

Digital Video Group provided technology for the set including monitors from NEC, Sharp and Philips with video wall processing from TV One. Lighting design was also handled by FX Design Group with fixtures from Ikan. 

In addition to the new set, the station also debuted new graphics that draw inspiration from the station’s slanted “31” logo.

Those angular elements are most prominent in the opens and stingers.

Opens typically start with a light gray background and animation that reveals an oversized beveled version of the number “31” as well as a blue angled segment entering from the left. 

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The sequence includes additional references to both “WAAY 31 News” (pronounced as the word “way”)  and the “Coverage you can count on” tagline before glassy angled elements move by in front of a city view that varies based on daypart. Light bursts also make an occasional appearance. 

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Finally, an outline, single color version of the “31” logo with a thick white border instead of red polygon appears in the middle of the screen before shrinking down and moving to the left, with the newscast title appearing next to it.

This final screen is about 75% blue, with a light gray and dark blue angled edge off to the far right.

The angles continue in the insert graphics, with the bug using a full version of the logo, including ABC globe, and an angled time and temp box to the right.

Lower thirds can be up to three tiers, with the top one using a blue gradient, while white and black are used for the next two, respectively.

L3 text is displayed centered, but appears to be positioned as if the bars extends the entire width of the screen, excluding the bug and slight empty space to the right of it, resulting in somewhat od spacing. 

The new look features a bit of a jumble of typographic elements.

First, there’s the clean sans serif Avenir and its condensed cousin used in the lower thirds.

Opens have three typefaces — all sans serifs — with one used to spell out “WAAY 31 News” that appears more similar, but not identical, to the one used in the main station logo lockup. The station tagline appears in a slightly bolder and sharper sans serif and the newscast title itself is in yet another font.

Much of the look relies on beveled edges and faint drop shadow effects that feel a bit dated.

The new opens and stingers appear to have slight similarities to the new CBS Television Stations package that’s been rolling out across the country.

From the initial white and light gray screen in the open to use of a clear, wide sans serif and similar shades of blue and white, select graphics manage channel CBS’s design despite using entirely different shapes.

The key difference is that CBS uses circular rings and shapes, whereas WAAY is straight edges and angles. The CBS look also uses bevel effects, though typically not on typography, but it has a bit more of a refined look. It also largely avoids using light bursts and glassy 3D elements in favor of flatter looks with more subtle dimensional elements. 

WAAY’s graphics appear to have been done in-house or using a team from the station’s owner, Entertainment Studios (also known as Allen Media Group).

In addition to the visual changes, WAAY switched to “True News” from 11 One/Music. It had been using “This is Home” from Gari.

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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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Williams, 91, made history in early 2023, becoming the oldest person to be nominated for an Oscar. 

The latest nomination is the latest in a lengthy list of nods his composing work has been recognized for; he’s been nominated for 53 Academy Awards, winning five over the years. He’s also been nominated for six Emmys (winning three), 27 Golden Globes (winning 4) and 73 Grammys (winning 25).

Williams’ portfolio leans more heavily toward film work, but he’s also done work for TV, including the theme for “Great Performances,” the Olympics and, of course, NBC News.

Officially known as “The Mission,” the piece used on “Nightly” is actually one of four movements in a larger orchestral suite of the same name, portions of which are used on other NBC programs, including “The Pulse of Events” for both “Meet the Press” and special reports.

“Nightly” currently uses an updated version of “The Mission” recorded in 2004, though it uses the signature and other key elements from Williams’ original 1985 work. There are multiple other versions and variations that use the signature fanfare, including ones not composed directly by Williams.

“The (original) piece is about four minutes long … and they said if we have a slow news day, we’ll play the whole piece,” Williams joked in his interview with Holt.

NBC viewers are also likely to recognize Williams’ work for the Olympics. He’s written three separate pieces for the games that have been used in various capacities since 1984, including on other networks. 

In addition to the version that aired on “Nightly” March 1, 2023, NBC also posted a two-part extended version of the interview.

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The station has brought back its “fan-favorite jingle” titled “Wake Up with Fox 9.”

Originally performed by Twin Cities quartet The Blenders, the song was re-recorded by Megatrax with modified lyrics.

The jingle last aired back in 2007. 

Tom Butler, Alix Kendall and Keith Marler, who appeared in the previous version, still appear on the station’s morning show and are featured in the new spot along with some new names.

Butler, Kendall and Marler were mentioned by name in the previous version of the song and are in the new one as well.

On the video side, the 2023 promo includes clips from the 2007 version and was also shot aboard the market’s Metro light rail line, as was the previous iteration. 

The promo begins with a shot of the original version playing on a mobile phone, before panning up to reveal the present-day scene unfolding in the background.

The biggest change is that neither The Blenders or the new vocalists appear on-screen singing along with the song, as they did in the previous version. That version was centered around the concept of the group singing on the train while the talent and other commuters danced along.

Instead, this version appears to be meant to depict a stylistic version of the team’s morning commute to work — some are seen entering the train at certain points — and near the end a sleeping Marler is woken up so he doesn’t miss his stop.

The team is also shown taking a selfie using a modern mobile phone, but they don’t directly interact with any other travelers, such as helpfully giving up a seat to a pregnant woman as was shown in the previous version. In that iteration, Marler’s iteration was also reversed — he woke up a sleepy commuter. 

Of course, technology has evolved quite a bit in the eight years since the last version aired. 

Back in the 2007 version, a portable media player that appears to be a “classic” iPod is shown briefly playing a video clip of the “Fox 9 Morning News” team. Apple stopped making that line in 2014. 

Instead, the promo shows more modern mobile devices, including ones that have the ability to stream video, something that was not widely available back in 2007.

The updated promo clearly isn’t meant to replicate the original one shot-for-shot, but still incorporates some of the same themes, such as showcasing talent on a billboard. 

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The theme will formally debut as TCU faces Georgia for the title on Monday, January 9, 2023.

ESPN’s Martin Khodabakhshian notes the music conveys a feeling of “fear and anticipation, triumph and failure.”

Variety, which broke the news, notes the theme is a joyful overture that moves from a fanfare to an urgent theme with rich orchestrations.

Williams, of course, is well connected to theme music with his signature sound on NBC News and NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”

“Intercollegiate football has been at the heart and soul of our nation’s life for so long that the opportunity to musically salute this great tradition has been a particularly meaningful joy for me,” said Williams to Variety.

“The games themselves always raise the collective spirit and, in the end, the competition brings us all closer to a place where the concept of winners and losers dissolves into mutual respect and admiration. The invitation to write this music constitutes a great honor for me, and I feel especially privileged to make a small contribution to one of our country’s most treasured traditions.”

The theme, which will be used for the broadcast opening segment, was conducted by Williams with a 96-piece orchestra prior to Christmas with ESPN on hand to capture the moment. ESPN similarly did this with the relaunch of NHL broadcasts on the network.

ESPN has not decided if the theme will be used for other college football coverage beyond the National Championship game.

Williams is set to retire from film scoring after the next installment of “Indiana Jones” hits theatres.

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I learned this firsthand working in trailers, watching veteran editors spend hours perusing music for spots and adding sound effects to projects that appeared finished at first glance. But even in much less stylized media, a piece usually feels more professionally crafted after even a light sound design pass. From my perspective, audio serves to unify the footage used in your cut, and a bit of sound design emulates what we expect sonically from projects with massive audio budgets.

The good news is that augmenting your own projects with purposeful sound design or music doesn’t require a lot of money or mastery of complex techniques. All it takes is remembering a few basic concepts and learning a bit of audio terminology to dramatically increase the quality of your project:

The Basics of Sound Design

Let music drive the cut. I find it far easier to make picture fit to music instead of adding a cue after everything is laid in. Unless you’re using an ambient cue that can drift in and out whenever you need it to, the musical structure of a song won’t automatically match the visuals. Re-editing a song to make sense musically and fit your cut is a painstaking and often avoidable process.

“Sweeten” the sounds you already have. There are often subtle ways to augment recorded or foley sound with additional effects. For example, adding a deep thud effect beneath a punching sound makes the impact look and feel more intense.

Use soundscapes if music distracts from content. Professionally produced music greatly adds to a project’s feeling of polish and quality. But there are often moments where sound effects like drones, atmospheres, and pulses can lend themselves to the tone of your piece without distracting from the content the way melodic music does. These more minimal tracks are also sometimes less expensive to license than music, as they are often considered sound effects by music libraries.

Add sound to motion, especially for graphics. Animated media has far more impact with a bit of sound design. Visual elements appearing on screen, moving, disappearing, or changing are often good places to add subtle sound effects.

Use sound effects as auditory punctuation. Visual edits often feel fuller and more purposeful with a little added sound. A boom punctuating a cut to black, a transitional whoosh between two vastly different visuals to suggest a scene change, or a rise to build tension at the end of a music track are all examples. It’s not an exact science.

Pay attention to your mix. Sound effects are generally subtle and should not overwhelm either music or speaking in your piece. It often helps to listen to your audio mix on multiple outputs (i.e., headphones, built-in phone speakers, earbuds, desktop speakers) to make sure it sounds right no matter where the video will ultimately be seen.

Sound Design Terminology and Uses

Much like genres of music, there are different categories of sound effects. Knowing what to ask or search for makes the process of sound designing a project much easier.

Whooshes: Exactly what they sound like. Good to add for elements flying in or out of frame, or transitioning to a new scene.

Booms: Another onomatopoeia. These low-pitched sounds add emphasis to landing graphics, abrupt cuts, title cards and smashing to black.

Hits and Impacts: Less low-pitched than booms, these are other sound effects that serve to punctuate action or graphics. Often, they correspond with title cards or full-screen text graphics appearing in frame.

Glitches: Think the sound of electronic devices malfunctioning. Glitches often serve to augment the appearance of any futuristic graphics or graphic design.

Rises: Imagine that scary orchestral or violin sound getting louder and louder as something bad is about to happen. That’s an extreme example of this kind of effect, but there is a wide range of rises in varying intensities to suit every project where you need a sonic build for a dramatic moment.

Drones: A sustained tone or sound without melody that can underscore a scene. Depending on the style, a drone can add a sense of dread, tension, or a more positive ethereal atmosphere.

Pulses: Another ambient piece of sound design with more dynamic musical elements than drones.

Once you begin thinking about sound design, even at a basic level, you’ll notice it in the media that surrounds us every day: A logo sweeping into frame at the end of a commercial, title cards slamming into movie trailers, a synth drone adding tension to conversation on reality TV. These elements often go unrecognized, but they make an immense impact on the finished product. Fine-tuning the audio of your own projects with music and sound design is an easy, cost-effective way to increase the quality of the work regardless of budget.

The post Why sound design is sound thinking for clip-based projects appeared first on NewscastStudio.

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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The new design will be the first package shared across NBA, WNBA and the G-League, marking the first time the three brands will feature a cohesive on-air strategy.

ESPN Creative Studio, the network’s in-house creative group, developed the new package alongside agencies FutureDeluxe and Two Fresh Creative.

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The new design mixes future-forward animation, iridescent chrome brush strokes and even a bit of swagger that give the package personality while paying homage to the NBA, ESPN notes.

The NBA and WNBA logos come to life in the new design, dribbling and passing basketballs with dynamic animations that ESPN notes reflect the thrill of being courtside.

Meanwhile, a spherical theme, evoking a basketball, is seen throughout the new identity.

Musically, the new theme music from Made Music Studio evolves the “NBA on ESPN” theme with a hip-hop-focused beat mixed with horn stabs and piano hits. 

The new branding will appear across all of ESPN’s NBA properties including wrap-around programming like “NBA Countdown” and “NBA Today.”

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