CNN IDs

Background
The Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news-based pay television channel headquartered in Atlanta, United States. It is part of AT&T's Warner Bros. Discovery (formerly "Time Warner" and "WarnerMedia"). It was founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel. Upon its launch in 1980, CNN was the first television channel to provide 24-hour news coverage, and was the first all-news television channel in the United States.

1st ID (1980-1984)
ID: Over a live shot, we see a black rectangle with red outlines fading in, followed by "CNN" in its famous lined, stylized font and in ivory sliding in from the left to the center within the rectangle. The CNN logo then flips into "THE NEWS CHANNEL" in a serif font.

FX/SFX: The rectangle fading in, the ID sliding in and flipping.

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2nd ID (1984)


ID: On a grey-blue gradient background with a grid floor below, we see the big silver CNN logo sliding down from above. Below, "CABLE NEWS NETWORK" in white wipes in.

FX/SFX: The logo sliding down

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extinct. Check your tapes from around this era.

3rd ID (1984-1985)
ID: On a metallic background, we see a three-dimensional CNN logo in chrome. Below is the text "CABLE NEWS NETWORK".

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: An announcer says "From Turner Broadcasting System, this is Cable News Network."

Availability: Extinct.

4th ID (1985-1987)
Nicknames: "Experience Life on CNN"

ID: Over a live-action nature scene, the CNN logo in silver appears zooming out and flipping into view. The logo then zooms in slowly and halts to a stop.

FX/SFX: The CNN logo animating, whatever happens in the live-action background.

Music/Sounds: The tail-end of CNN's "Experience Life" campaign song, with the chorus going "Experience life on CNN!". The full version can be heard on CNN promos of the time.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * An instrumental version of the campaign song was sometimes used.
 * A slower instrumental version was also used, with an announcer saying "This is CNN, the world's most important network."

Availability: Extinct.

5th ID (1986)
ID: We see a CGI disc with the world map depicted on it revolving as the upper part of the CNN logo in blue appears swiveling in, casting a shadow on the map. The shadow then morphs into the bottom part of the CNN logo, which zooms in below the upper part, completing the logotype. A sun appears rising behind the map disc as the CNN logotype shines, followed by the byline "A Service of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc." fades in below.

FX/SFX: The map disc revolving, the logotype forming and the byline fading in.

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6th ID (1986-1988)


ID: On a gradient blue background with a grid floor on the bottom, we see the CNN logo in silver.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: An announcer saying "This is CNN, a network of Turner Broadcasting System." Availability: Extinct.

7th ID (1988-1991)
ID::

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8th ID (1990)
ID::

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9th ID (1991-1994)


ID: Just a golden CNN logo shining on a black background.

FX/SFX: The logo shining.

Music/Sounds: The voice of James Earl Jones exclaiming "This is CNN". Sometimes it's a different announcer. Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: This is one of the first idents to include the iconic "This is CNN" voice-over, which would be used on all of these idents onward.

10th ID (1994-1995)


ID: On a black background, various purple streaks form a golden CNN logo. The result is the same as the previous ID, but the logo looks slightly different.

FX/SFX: The streaks forming the logo. Simple yet effective CGI for the 90s.

Music/Sounds: A triumphant fanfare with a different announcer saying "This is CNN". Availability: Extinct.

11th ID (1995-2001)
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12th ID (2000)
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13th ID (2001)
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14th ID (2001-2003)
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15th ID (2003-20??)
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16th ID (20??-2014)


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17th ID (2014-)


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