Generalities and Questions

Let this be used as a resource for questions we have or things we want to talk about that don't have a specific thread. Or something.

Anyway, can someone help me find who came up with the "This is CNN" slogan?

 

I feel so dirty having actually looked at a Huffingtongue Post page, but here's what it said:

"The distinctive sound of James Earl Jones saying "This is CNN" is back on-air.

Jones recorded the soundbite for CNN's tenth anniversary in 1990. In the intervening years, the line became what some have called "the cable news channel's calling card.""

 

I found that stuff too but I want to know who wrote the actual words and who hired Jones, with citation.

 

I would have guessed they stole it from NPR.

 

Wait, you're telling me I sullied my soul to find something you already knew?

 

A little Borax will scrub your soul clean again.

No, I knew J.E.J. spoke the words. I want to know who wrote them, who hired Jones, etc. There's got to be a record. I've sent a few emails. Hoping a few folks here in TV know people who know people who ... can expedite the process. One of the good things about SJ.com.

 

May have tracked the answer down but need confirmation. Anyone heard of Randy Tatum who worked at CNN in promotion?

 

Send him a Facebook message

 

I did. Awaiting.

 

Got the answer today: Rick Salcedo wrote the words and got James Earl Jones to voice them, and he was only to happy to because he loved CNN.

Paid him $60,000 -- or 20 grand a word. (Longer story is he spent 6 hours in a studio and said This is CNN! at least 1,000 times.)

 

I fucking hate this song.

 

Agree, never got the allure of it. This Land is Your Land is great and he is a legend, but Alice's Restaurant is just hard to listen to, even if it were only 3 minutes.

Always forget This Land is Woody not Arlo, but anyway that is a great song.