CBS’s In the News Theme

From 1971 to 1986, CBS ran a short news segment on Saturday mornings, In The News.

In The News had a memorable electronic ‘signature theme’, built around a (then) futuristic sequence. 

In The News was sandwiched between cartoons like Scooby Doo and Josie & The Pussycats, but it offered 90 secs of news programming. Journalists Christopher Glenn and Gary Shepard covered current events, tailoring the coverage to the Saturday morning audience.

If you know any details about who wrote the music for In The News, leave a comment!

23 thoughts on “CBS’s In the News Theme

  1. Could be anyone but given the time frame I would guess Walter Sear or Dick Hyman. Listen to Hyman’s cover of “Alfie” for similar sequencer sounds.

  2. I can recall this as well. That music always captivated me and immediately grabbed my attention – and yes, that ending flourish was killer. There’s something just so enthralling about that arpeggio and the incredibly dry voice-over. Fantastic stuff – thanks for posting.

  3. According to a commenter on YouTube:
    “The background sounds were made using a rare Buchla synthesizer recorded by a computer science professor at the University of New Hampshire back in the 60’s.”

  4. Gosh, I feel spoilt with TV program themes like the ones my generation grew up with in Hungary.
    Like these:

    Delta
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BWJhso3XWY
    (news of science and technology, aired between 1964 and 1996
    Theme: Kid Baltan – Song of The Second Moon)

    Panoráma
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI_KZNAOPn4
    (politics and stuff, been running since 1981
    Theme: Tangerine Dream – Choronzon

    Ablak
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHvWNGrRYPs
    (news and stuff, more like a ‘magazine program’ that ppl could phone in with their comments
    Theme: Space – Final Signal)

    Budapest Regional News
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0-2iGolNZE
    (Theme: La Baletta by Hungarian musician Gabor Presser)

  5. This sounds a lot like Raymond Scott’s early synth work (Prestolite, Sprite “melonball bounce,” etc.), though it may be a little late for his peak years of TV work. The pattern and resolution is very Scott-like.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *