Al Jazeera English | Refresh 2020

Correction to my previous incorrect post: 2300hrs GMT is the launch time on 1st January 2020.

Peter Dobbie will be the launch presenter of the refreshed look.

Tomorrow’s refresh (1st January 2020):

• 2300GMT is Doha’s first bulletin (after London’s broadcast hours), which is why the relaunch is happening at 23G, I guess.

• New straps and fonts (full width of screen, rather than accommodating for 4:3 TV sets)

• New studio which is quite similar to the old one but much fresher and sharper

• New opening titles and music which draw from the basis of the current ones, however are distinctly different in look and sound.

• Peter Dobbie will host the first hours of the new look.

Exciting!

Do we know whether they'll be drawing from AJB? Or is this a completely new look? I assume we'll have to wait and see

Looking forward to this, though if (as rumoured) the music changes, it will be the end of an era. The current music evokes a lot of travel-related memories for me.

I hope the music remains in some form or another - it's aged beautifully for being 13 years old.

I suppose there will be heavy elements of the current signature theme.

And also quite fitting that the “old look” (since the launch of the network) will bid its Doha farewell at 1800GMT today in the capable hands of the longest-serving AJE anchor, Kamahl Santamaria. He’s been there since Day One.

Kamahl will hand over to London at 1900GMT for a few hours, before returning to Doha and Peter Dobbie for the new look.

Who did the previous music for the channel because it still sounds amazing even after 13 years?

David Lowe, I think.

It wasn't David Lowe, I believe it was Tim Rabjohns from Shriek Music... this is all I can find of their internet "footprint" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY2gWc8CU9Q95I7t7N1k44A

This is what Google says apparently.
Google this: al jazeera theme composer

I'm 99.9% sure it's Shriek. If you open up that David Lowe page and do a find, you'll see no Al Jazeera there. Though if I recall correctly, David did do the music for Al Arabiya.

You can find a reference here under Al Jazeera International (the channel's pre-launch name)
http://www.bdimusic.com/news/41-bdi-weekly-newsletter