The Newsroom

ITN - The Classic Years

A nostalgic discussion about retro ITN presentation (July 2012)

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:-(
A former member
itsrobert posted:

That lunchtime news theme was based on a track called "Great Days" by Alan Hawkshaw. It's available in the MusicHouse library. Like "News Gathering" (Early Evening News), it seems Hawkshaw must have re-recorded it for the purposes required by ITN.


Thank you for that!
IT
itsrobert Founding member
fox1 posted:

The World This Week on Channel 4 used to leave me in awe as a kid with its mesmerising, dark and brooding theme and style. If only programs today were so bold and creative.


Oh yes, The World This Week was a great tune. Perfect for that sort of serious/heavy news programme. Another one I liked from that period was Channel 4's The Parliament Programme. It was quite a different theme to the BBC's equivalent (On The Record, which in fairness, was equally good) but it sounded so regal:

http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/mivana/m.php?p=itn_parliament_prog88&spl=1
IT
itsrobert Founding member
BBCNicky posted:
Isn't that World News theme from 1992 just brilliant? Short and snappy but completely effective. The one after that was still great but I prefer the completely '80s synth sound of the first.


Isn't it just? It's really great; they started out using a much longer version to begin with, which included the headlines, but eventually they adopted that short title music with the headlines after. I like that second World News theme too (the Dave Hewson one) but it's not as good as the original.


BBCNicky posted:
I'm realising I had a lot more favourite news themes than originally thought... Smile


Same here! The BBC gets a lot of attention for its news themes, past and present, but I think ITN's themes were just as good. Yes, the 80s and 90s One, Six and Nine O'Clock News themes were epic, but so was a lot of ITN's music too.
IT
itsrobert Founding member
623058 posted:
Better Q, did John Suchet present the first News at 12.30 in 1987?


I can now provide you with an accurate answer to this question. John Suchet did indeed present the very first edition of the ITN News at 12:30. Take a look at file 3108 on Private Parts Smile
RO
rob Founding member
itsrobert posted:
The flying text certainly didn't last that long though. Don't think it even lasted until 2000. During 2001, the Morning News didn't even have a proper title sequence. After the old 1995 titles were eventually dropped in 2000, it used to start with the postcom music, over which a few headlines were read. I don't think it got a proper set of the "new" titles until the launch of the ITV News Channel in 2002.


This video would suggest the flying text titles had been axed by July 1999.

You're right about the Morning News titles. They were launched on the day the ITN News Channel was rebranded.

Talking of the morning news, on the day that ITV1 went national (October 28th 2002), there was a cockup with the production endcap at the end of the Morning News.

*

Credit - File 3770 on the Private Parts (click the image for a larger version)
IT
IndigoTucker
itsrobert posted:
623058 posted:
BBCNicky posted:
623058 posted:
Cheers for those, hopeful we might be able to see a few more gems from you collection Wink
I have always love the (Sept) 89 - 95 Lunchtime theme, Someone say this is based on a theme for the usa? anyone have any ideas?

Well, that particular theme was extracted from a longer library piece (much in the same way NAT was pieced together from "The Awakening"). If I'm not mistaken, the composer was Alan Hawkshaw. You're right - fab theme which I also love.


Are you sure? I was always been told it come from the USA. Im going to have to have a wee look for that then again, all I found was that 1992 news theme. when I did a full search for Alan.

Does anyone have any clues to where I could here it?


That lunchtime news theme was based on a track called "Great Days" by Alan Hawkshaw. It's available in the MusicHouse library. Like "News Gathering" (Early Evening News), it seems Hawkshaw must have re-recorded it for the purposes required by ITN.


Do we have any more titles and composers for ITN/local news themes? Razz
:-(
A former member
Alas not.

* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdduYJJaR_c UNKNOWN;

* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JHj41vxCDc UNKNOWN
CI
cityprod
[quote="itsrobert" pid="835887"]
BBCNicky posted:
Isn't that World News theme from 1992 just brilliant? Short and snappy but completely effective. The one after that was still great but I prefer the completely '80s synth sound of the first.


Isn't it just? It's really great; they started out using a much longer version to begin with, which included the headlines, but eventually they adopted that short title music with the headlines after. I like that second World News theme too (the Dave Hewson one) but it's not as good as the original.

Do we actually know what that Dave Hewson track for the ITN World News was called?
MW
Mike W
623058 posted:
itsrobert posted:

That lunchtime news theme was based on a track called "Great Days" by Alan Hawkshaw. It's available in the MusicHouse library. Like "News Gathering" (Early Evening News), it seems Hawkshaw must have re-recorded it for the purposes required by ITN.


Thank you for that!


EMI now, not MusicHouse, they've merged them all!
:-(
A former member
Mike W posted:
623058 posted:
itsrobert posted:

That lunchtime news theme was based on a track called "Great Days" by Alan Hawkshaw. It's available in the MusicHouse library. Like "News Gathering" (Early Evening News), it seems Hawkshaw must have re-recorded it for the purposes required by ITN.


Thank you for that!


EMI now, not MusicHouse, they've merged them all!


But it still comes under "Music house" or Juice etc on the EMI website.
MW
Mike W
623058 posted:
Mike W posted:
623058 posted:
itsrobert posted:

That lunchtime news theme was based on a track called "Great Days" by Alan Hawkshaw. It's available in the MusicHouse library. Like "News Gathering" (Early Evening News), it seems Hawkshaw must have re-recorded it for the purposes required by ITN.


Thank you for that!


EMI now, not MusicHouse, they've merged them all!


But it still comes under "Music house" or Juice etc on the EMI website.


Been a while since I've been on there until now, downloaded the Lunchtime News parent!
NI
Nicky
cityprod posted:
Do we actually know what that Dave Hewson track for the ITN World News was called?


I don't believe it was ever released, but the following World News theme was. It was from either 1998 or 1999 and was released into the unmentionable music library.

I haven't ever seen any examples of presentation from this later incarnation of the World News. It was still around in 2001 (shown on PBS, I believe?) but does anyone know when it actually ended? I assume all the foreign stations broadcast BBC World News America by default these days!

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