ABC World News Now (WNN) is ABC's overnight news program. Generally watched by insomniacs and parents of infants, it has featured serious as well as offbeat news interspersed with odd features such as the "World News Polka" played by Barry Mitchell on the accordion, video footage of dancing camels, and laughter coming from off camera. Weather predictions are made for obscure and exotic places around the world, some of which have ties to the show for various reasons. It also often replays clips from Nightline, ABC World News Tonight, and other ABC News programming. It has been a training ground for several young up and coming news anchors (See List Below) which eventually go on to higher profile network or local affiliate positions. The show is also unique for it's interactive segments, some of which pioneered the email communication that is commonly used on newscasts today. The ABC News WNN Message board has been known offer to viewers questions and comments from the anchors themselves, during the course of the show.

The show is produced in three half-hour segments, Monday Morning-Friday Morning. Local affiliates can carry as many or few hours as they wish, with some smaller market affiliates replaying the entire show several times in an overnight period.

WNN is currently anchored by Ron Corning and Heather Cabot.

In many cities, this show is followed up by World News This Morning.

Regular Segments

• Top Story
• Weather
• Sports

• ABC News Radio Update

-In a rotating fashion, at the halfway point in each half hour, a special segment is be presented. Here are some examples...

• Nightline - The first minutes of the primary topic of each evening's nightline
• This Week - (Only on Monday Mornings) The "Roundtable" segment, a debate of pundits from both sides of politics, is featured.
• World News Then - Somewhat of a "This Day in History" segment, a story from a given date in the past, having some relevance to the present is shown.
• Their News Now - A major national or international story, seen from the persepctive of a local station that covers it.
• Leah At The Movies - Leah Rosen gives her top picks for new releases of the week.
• Interviews - One of the anchors interviews a newsmaker or celebrity
• Gadget Guy - Dick DeBartolo talks about and demonstrates the newest gadgets and technology

- The final segment usually consists of the anchors discussing the news, their lives, or the day in general. Some half hours feature a discussion of headlines and smaller stories appearing in the new day's papers from around the country (Similar to the segment on CNN's Newsnight, though it was done before the show was on) or of course, Friday Morning's Polka, sung by Barry Mitchell.

-When an anchor of numerous broadcasts finally leaves, a ceremony of sorts is held on their last broadcast. As the first few anchors moved on, cardboard cutouts were placed in the rafters of the studio for the the "Anchor Hall of Fame". Today, this is done with a graphics sequence of a head-shot of the anchor moved into a graphic of the original set's rafters and monitors.

WNN Former Anchors

• Thalia Assuras
• Aaron Brown
• Liz Cho
• Anderson Cooper
• Tamala Edwards
• Sheilah Kast
• Boyd Matson
• Derek McGinty
• Kevin Newman
• Alison Stewart

External link

• ABC World News Now (http://abcnews.go.com/WNN/)