World news, international news or foreign coverage is the news media jargon for the reporting of events occurring outside the borders of a particular country. In the United States, this news is often broadcast by national and regional television networks, but it may also be seen on local cable channels.
The most common form of global news is provided by the network of major news agencies (also known as wire services or newswires), which prepare hard news stories and other material that can be easily published, and then sold to newspapers, radio and television stations. These agencies existed from the 17th century, when the first daily courants began appearing in Western Europe; their main objective was to reprint articles from abroad (often with little or no editing), and they were largely dominated by foreign news reports until the 19th century when new telecommunication technologies allowed local reporters to keep up with the news at home as it happened.
In addition to news reports and other materials, World News Now usually includes feature segments such as Insomniac Theater – in which an anchor reads the reviews of recent movies, and GizWiz – in which anchor Dick DeBartolo discusses and demonstrates the latest technology gadgets. The program typically concludes with some version of the World News Now Polka – often performed by the show’s original composer, comedian Barry Mitchell – while the credits roll.
As with all news programs, the format and content of WNN can change regularly; for example, when a full-time anchor leaves, the program often ends with a ceremony of some kind. For example, when Kathryn Nair left the show to take over mornings on ABC’s flagship network America This Morning in 2011, a tribute was presented in which she is shown in a side view of the old World News Now set.