Program Title: Music in a Time of War #3 - News Music: the Rhetoric of Sound
Description: In this interview with James Deaville we trace the history of music in news broadcasts starting with the news-reel films of WWII. While these films were clearly meant to be viewed as news and not as propaganda, Deaville argues that music didn't start to become an accepted part of the newscast until much later. In particular he argues that Vietnam became musical not through the coverage of the war but through the music of the protests, and the sounds of the protesters.

The turning point for music in newscasts came in 1985 when quintessential high concept hollywood film composer John Williams (who also composed the music for Spielberg's Jaws) was commissioned by NBC to produce a whole package of news elements which they called "the mission."

By 1991, NBC was competing with the Cable News Network (CNN) which came to define itself during this time with it's own total audio-visual news format. NBC in particular was caught almost without musical material to play for the war in the Gulf, while CNN practically created itself out of their packaging of news content during that war. While musical themes from the Gulf War have formed the basis for many of the themes heard in todays packaging of the war in Iraq, some broadcasters such as CNN commissioned composers specifically to write news music for a potential war in Iraq 6 months before the actual war began.

We take the time on this edition of the Montreal Sessions to listen to the news music we are talking about, and analyze it for it's emotional and ideological content. Tune in for more Music in a Time of War on CKUT 90.3 FM.

Host(s): Seth Porcello
Featured Speakers/Guests: James Deaville

Credits: CKUT Radio Montreal

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