World news is a term used by the media to refer to international or global stories. It is a subfield of journalism and often encompasses reporting from abroad by foreign correspondents, or -more commonly in recent times — information gathered via distance communication technologies such as telephone, satellite TV or the Internet. It includes coverage of wars, and also specialized reporting such as sports, cultural events or the arts.
During the early years of its existence, World News Now featured serious as well as offbeat stories, and often included ad-supported features such as a version of the “World News Polka” (often performed on the accordion by comedian Barry Mitchell), or video footage from obscure locales around the world. The show also featured a series of short humorous pieces such as “Anchors on the Road” (wherein WNN anchors traveled to a location and reported live from there), or a segment which counted the number of double-decker buses that passed by in London during the business news segment (“London Traffic Jam”).
In the early days of its existence, World News Now was seen as an apparent training ground for new television presenters; several of the anchors who started their careers on this program went on to higher-profile positions on either the network or local ABC stations. The program was sometimes referred to as a rebroadcast of Good Morning America First Look, since it usually aired in a loop from 3:30 a.m. until that program began on the station’s local news schedule in some markets.
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