Move Closer to Your World
Encyclopedia
Move Closer to Your World is a television news music package composed by jingle
writer Al Ham
under his Mayoham Music label. In the 1970s it was considered an anthem for local television news, and is considered the anthem
of WPVI-TV
in Philadelphia for its Action News
programs to the current day. An original long version was sung by The Hillside Singers
, and a short clip of that vocal version is used by WPVI as part of their closing theme song when extra fill-in time is required. Once a common theme across the United States (especially among other stations using the Action News format), as of 2011 only three U.S. stations (WPVI, WKBW-TV
in Buffalo, New York
, and WNEP in Scranton, Pennsylvania
) currently use the theme.
; performed in the key
of A. This version was the only one to include the full lyrics. Four "verses" were included in the package, an instrumental version, a choral version, a version that featured a jazz piano descant, and a version that was sung solo as if it were a ballad with a Liberace
-style piano embellishment. This was the most commonly used in the United States from the 1970s through the 1980s. WKBW and WPVI use portions of the original theme to this day.
MCTYW "Cut One": This version was one of at least 17 "cuts," or variations, of the original theme, as originally arranged by Ham. It is believed to have debuted on ATV10 in Melbourne
, where it was used from 1977 to 1980. By the late 1980s, it was revived in the United States, and became the most popular version. It is the version currently used as the main theme for WPVI and WKBW. This is basically the tail end of the original package, re-cut and sped up 6%, so that it is in the key of B-flat.
MCTYW '80: Also debuting on ATV10, where it was used from 1981 to early 1988, this version is brassier in instrumentation with a slightly more disco feel, and is performed in B minor. It has, to date, never been used in the United States.
MCTYW '89: Debuted on WKBW-TV
, where it was used from 1989 to 1995 during the "NewsChannel 7" era. This version was a New Age
arrangement featuring a dominant synthesizer instead of the brass band. This version, returning to the original key of A, was replaced in 1995 with a remixed version of "Cut One."
MCTYW '94: This updated version of the song, composed by Cliff Schwarz
, is currently heard on WNEP-TV
in Scranton (as well as its various sister stations) and was used during the 1990s at WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh. It has sometimes been referred to as a "dance version."
MCTYW '96: Debuted on WPVI-TV
and performed by the London Philharmonic. This is the most infamous of versions. In an effort to make the song more thunderous and authoritative, WPVI commissioned this cover version of the song in 1996. Fan reaction was resoundingly negative, and "Cut One" was reinstated after only five days.
This Just In by 615 Music
: This version is designated as "production music" by the company, and is not intended as a main news piece. Its best known use is as the theme for the fictional "NewsChannel 7" on the Disney Channel
TV series Lizzie McGuire
. Nevertheless, noncommercial station WEIU-TV
in Springfield, IL and a handful of stations in Puerto Rico
have used it as a main theme.
WPVI-TV Action News Arrangements by 615 Music: This is used only for news promos for WPVI-TV's upcoming newscast and for breaking news & developing stories opens during the newscast.
WPXI "Channel 11 News Nightbeat" theme, c. 1994: This loosely-based remix was used to open WPXI's 11pm newscast for a time in the 1990s and used elements from Move Closer to Your World and the Cliff Schwarz "dance" version. This was used in bits and pieces until WPXI installed the Total Coverage package.
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
writer Al Ham
Al Ham
Albert W. Ham was an American composer and jingle writer. He was notable as the composer of the Move Closer to Your World music package used since the 1970s on WPVI-TV's Action News broadcasts in Philadelphia, as well as many on many other newscasts in the United States throughout the 1970s and...
under his Mayoham Music label. In the 1970s it was considered an anthem for local television news, and is considered the anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
of WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the...
in Philadelphia for its Action News
Action News
Action News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
programs to the current day. An original long version was sung by The Hillside Singers
The Hillside Singers
The Hillside Singers were an American folk group. The ensemble was assembled by advertising agency McCann Erickson for the purposes of singing in a television commercial...
, and a short clip of that vocal version is used by WPVI as part of their closing theme song when extra fill-in time is required. Once a common theme across the United States (especially among other stations using the Action News format), as of 2011 only three U.S. stations (WPVI, WKBW-TV
WKBW-TV
WKBW-TV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliate for the Buffalo, New York television market, and is one of many local Buffalo TV stations seen over-the-air and on cable in Canada. Its transmitter is located at 8909 Center Street in Colden. The station is owned by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation, who...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, and WNEP in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
) currently use the theme.
Versions
MCTYW '70: The original version composed by Al HamAl Ham
Albert W. Ham was an American composer and jingle writer. He was notable as the composer of the Move Closer to Your World music package used since the 1970s on WPVI-TV's Action News broadcasts in Philadelphia, as well as many on many other newscasts in the United States throughout the 1970s and...
; performed in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of A. This version was the only one to include the full lyrics. Four "verses" were included in the package, an instrumental version, a choral version, a version that featured a jazz piano descant, and a version that was sung solo as if it were a ballad with a Liberace
Liberace
Wladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned...
-style piano embellishment. This was the most commonly used in the United States from the 1970s through the 1980s. WKBW and WPVI use portions of the original theme to this day.
MCTYW "Cut One": This version was one of at least 17 "cuts," or variations, of the original theme, as originally arranged by Ham. It is believed to have debuted on ATV10 in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, where it was used from 1977 to 1980. By the late 1980s, it was revived in the United States, and became the most popular version. It is the version currently used as the main theme for WPVI and WKBW. This is basically the tail end of the original package, re-cut and sped up 6%, so that it is in the key of B-flat.
MCTYW '80: Also debuting on ATV10, where it was used from 1981 to early 1988, this version is brassier in instrumentation with a slightly more disco feel, and is performed in B minor. It has, to date, never been used in the United States.
MCTYW '89: Debuted on WKBW-TV
WKBW-TV
WKBW-TV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliate for the Buffalo, New York television market, and is one of many local Buffalo TV stations seen over-the-air and on cable in Canada. Its transmitter is located at 8909 Center Street in Colden. The station is owned by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation, who...
, where it was used from 1989 to 1995 during the "NewsChannel 7" era. This version was a New Age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
arrangement featuring a dominant synthesizer instead of the brass band. This version, returning to the original key of A, was replaced in 1995 with a remixed version of "Cut One."
MCTYW '94: This updated version of the song, composed by Cliff Schwarz
Cliff Schwarz
Cliff Schwarz is an American composer. His work includes a news theme used by Pennsylvania television station WNEP-TV since 1994, based on Al Ham's Move Closer to Your World....
, is currently heard on WNEP-TV
WNEP-TV
WNEP-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for northeastern Pennsylvania licensed to Scranton. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 50 from a transmitter on Penobscot Knob in Mountain Top...
in Scranton (as well as its various sister stations) and was used during the 1990s at WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh. It has sometimes been referred to as a "dance version."
MCTYW '96: Debuted on WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV
WPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the...
and performed by the London Philharmonic. This is the most infamous of versions. In an effort to make the song more thunderous and authoritative, WPVI commissioned this cover version of the song in 1996. Fan reaction was resoundingly negative, and "Cut One" was reinstated after only five days.
This Just In by 615 Music
615 Music
615 Music is a broadcast production music company based in Nashville, Tennessee. 615 Music composes television news music packages and custom image campaigns for many television networks around the world. 615 Music also operates out of Los Angeles...
: This version is designated as "production music" by the company, and is not intended as a main news piece. Its best known use is as the theme for the fictional "NewsChannel 7" on the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
TV series Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie McGuire is an American teen sitcom which premiered on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001 and ended February 14, 2004. A total of 65 episodes were produced and aired. Its target demographic was preteens and adolescents...
. Nevertheless, noncommercial station WEIU-TV
WEIU-TV
WEIU-TV channel 51 is a Public Broadcasting Service member public television station in Charleston, Illinois. Its headquarters are at Eastern Illinois University, which is the origin of the call sign's letters. WEIU also airs EIU sporting events, such as football and basketball.-Technical...
in Springfield, IL and a handful of stations in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
have used it as a main theme.
WPVI-TV Action News Arrangements by 615 Music: This is used only for news promos for WPVI-TV's upcoming newscast and for breaking news & developing stories opens during the newscast.
WPXI "Channel 11 News Nightbeat" theme, c. 1994: This loosely-based remix was used to open WPXI's 11pm newscast for a time in the 1990s and used elements from Move Closer to Your World and the Cliff Schwarz "dance" version. This was used in bits and pieces until WPXI installed the Total Coverage package.
External links
- WNEP Tribute Page (featuring audio versions of Move Closer to Your World)
- Southern Media - has full credits of every U.S. television station to use MCTYW from 1970–present and audio clips of many of those intros.
- Comprehensive list of audio clips of Philadelphia TV news themes, including short-lived London Orchestra version of MCTYW
- Get the free MCTYW ringtone here
- "Move Closer To Your World" music cues on Television Production Music Museum