BBC World News America new set and titles

Putting the theme, titles, and studio to one side, let's please take a moment to recognise Katty Kay's rock solid newsreading and hosting. She presents bulletins like WNA with real coolness and authority, and she co-hosts with others, especially with Christian Fraser, effortlessly and humorously. Whenever Katty is a contributor on Morning Joe or Meet the Press her interventions are well informed and very cogently conveyed. I'm a fan to say the least!

Good to see her presenting WNA again and to have a new set to play with.

The studio is great but I have to agree with chris about the theme music. I'm of the opinion now that BBC News needs a page one rewrite on its news themes. Ten to twenty years ago I remember there would be massive excitement here on the prospect of a new David Lowe creation. His music had the 'wow factor' each time. Now it's just the same old, same old. As chris says, whether that's down to David Lowe running out of ideas for it, or the brief he is being given by the BBC, we can't be sure. But, for me at least, it's lacking these days. After 21 years I think I'm just fed up of hearing the same basic elements all the time.

Interestingly, though, I don't feel the same way about ITV News. I think that Dave Hewson has done a better job of keeping the core elements (the familiar News at Ten notes and bongs) intact but radically reimagining the music each time. You can listen to all his ITV News creations and they are significantly different to each other, whilst retaining familiarity.

Maybe the BBC News music has been, by and large, a bit too formulaic? Most of the titles have always been about the same length; they invariably start with a crash (and maybe a build before it), there's a beat for a few seconds, then a crash, key change, building strings and a final crash. Stings are cut-down versions of that and the beds have mostly been the same, with just variations on speed and strings.

Of course, there have been notable exceptions over the years but I'd say the vast majority of David Lowe's BBC News themes follow that same broad pattern. Interestingly, his first themes in 1999/2000 didn't really follow a pattern and were mostly unique. And, for me, they remain the best ones. Whereas there hasn't really been a pattern to Dave Hewson's ITV News themes, except for the recognisable notes and bongs always being included somewhere. Maybe that's why his music has remained fresher for longer?

She really is one of the BBC's finest and very underrated IMO.


It'll probably be very unlikely to happen, but imagine how cool it would be for Katty to anchor Breakfast from Washington for the US election with Christian in Salford? Especially as it's unlikely they'll be sending any of the usual suspects out there from London/Salford.

It'll be Huw and Katty co-anchoring in November without a doubt. Andrew Neil did the last US Election with Katty and before that it was Dimbleby and Frei.

I totally think Christian will be an option for Breakfast. I would assume the BBC won't want to send over a plane load of talent due to the pandemic.

Depending on how the pandemic progresses I think there is a very real chance that the overnight coverage will be Katty Kay and Jon Sopel, with Laura Trevelyan and Jane O'Brien doing the vast majority of the other US based coverage (possibly with people like Sophie Long doing an hour here and there).

Best not to turn this into a rota thread, haha. Let’s just wait til November..........

Good point. I have removed my post.