CNN’s New Audio Brand: Go beyond borders

 Gone are the days of James Earl Jones lending his extraordinary voice to the global communications network, CNN: ‘This is CNN’. Nowadays CNN prides itself in a more global representative sound with a number of different language versions of the ‘This is CNN’ audio logo ranging from German to Hindi, spoken by both men and women.

 Besides the ‘voice’ change of CNN, it’s traditionally mainstream and pop-rock sound has made way for a more inclusive, varied sound pallet ranging from alternative rock (Quest) to modern classical (new CNN music logo played by very fast ascending voilins, lasting about 1.5 seconds), as well as a more middle eastern music flavour when it comes to weather ‘credits’. Once again a sonic brand component that is consisting of elements from within the US as well as beyond its borders. 

It also turns out that a number of CNN anchors are non-American, i.e. beyond borders: Rosemary Church and Micheal Holmes are from Australia, Richard Quest, Max Foster and Fionuella Sweeney are from Brittain, with Larry King, Jonathan Mann and Errol Barnett being American. This also results in a more international ‘voice’ when it comes to the overall CNN reporter/spoken audio brand.