Not sure if this has been done before - I can't remember. If you're up for it, I'll edit the post to include a poll of the ones which are suggested.
Basically, which UK news titles have been the most impressive - ever.
Some which spring to my mind are the fish fingers 9 O'Clock, the SS 9 O'Clock, the fanfare Sky News from the mid 90's (?) and maybe the cut glass BBC ones, though I always thought they were a bit cheesy.
Yes, fascist BBC News (1989-1993) is definitely the most classy (very authoritative and formal).
France2's 1993-1997 "Le Journal" titles were the best they've ever had.
And, CBC's 1982-1987 "The National" titles were the best they've ever had. (By the way, I don't have a copy of these and I don't know anyone that does...if anyone does, please contact me.)
ITN "News at Ten" 1967-1985, the original titles (well, the original theme) was its best.
And CBS, NBC and ABC are all using the best titles they've ever had for their main news programmes right now (the older ones were not so hot).
Well, the lightning bolts and the drum beats pretty much commanded you, "This is the News! YOU WILL WATCH IT!!" So, authoritarian as well as being authoritative.
Well, the lightning bolts and the drum beats pretty much commanded you, "This is the News! YOU WILL WATCH IT!!" So, authoritarian as well as being authoritative.
It's interesting reading the Lambie-Nairn book, that they didn't want dramatic music to balance the full-on title sequence. They didn't have any choice but I think the end result was certainly very impressive. No news station would bother with something so authoritative anymore.
I think there's a relation between the "news that isn't authoritative" fad and the rise of the likes of Fox News and all this BBC News with people in the titles stuff.
Particularly, I think the trend is to AVOID having the newsreaders talking down to people, and alternatively having them attempt to engage in a dialogue of sorts. Although the crass outcome of this is the sort of diatribing you get on Fox News and Rush Limbaugh's radio programme.
Anyway, I think there's a connection here between titles and content.
The mid-to-late 80s Nine O'Clock News titles are affectionately known as "the flying fish fingers". They were the titles that started with a wide shot of the studio, a voice over, then a shot of the world from space appeared with gold 3d computer graphic lozenges (the fish fingers) flying out of London to create a 3d 9 O'Clock News logo, that rotated down to the bottom left of the screen and was superimposed over the headline pix.
The music started with an acoustic guitar I think and then developed into a really OTT synth and drums thing.
I loved it - the SS Nine that replaced it, from the aquarium studio, was really insipid and dead by comparison.