Press Release
Company News - "WNET/THIRTEEN/WLIW New Identity Music"
PUBLIC TELEVISION CHANNELS THIRTEEN AND WLIW21 TO DEBUT NEW IDENTIFICATION SPOTS
Theme Music Composed by Juilliard Student Niccolo Athens Accompanies Iconic Images of New York City
New Spots Debut Monday, May 4 at Midnight
May 5, 2009—WNET.ORG, the premier public media institution in New York, will debut new on-air, online identification materials for its two public television channels – THIRTEEN and WLIW21. The new I.D.’s feature timeless images of New York City rendered in stunning 3D animation and theme music composed by Juilliard third-year undergraduate student Niccolo Athens – one of three Juilliard students selected to collaborate with WNET.ORG on this project.
The music for the THIRTEEN I.D.’s has been scored for orchestra by Athens, whose work was chosen for broadcast. For the WLIW21 I.D.’s, composer Chuck Lovejoy arranged a jazz-rock version of the theme. Both versions of the theme were performed by Juilliard students in a single live recording session held on Saturday, April 25 at Juilliard.
The new I.D.’s will debut on both THIRTEEN and WLIW21 at midnight, Monday, May 4, 2009 and will be seen in program breaks throughout the broadcast day on both stations.
“THIRTEEN and WLIW21 are quintessentially New York institutions, and these new station I.D.’s express that deep connection to the community,” said Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET.ORG. “We are thrilled to have worked with Juilliard to create the aural ‘earprint’ that will represent our stations and our productions in the minds of the public. And as we look forward to opening our new studios at Lincoln Center later this year, we anticipate many more collaborations with the talented students and faculty at Juilliard.”
“Over the years, THIRTEEN and WLIW21 have featured many Juilliard students and alumni and we’re delighted to be able to add a new dimension to that partnership by working with WNET.ORG to create these beautiful and resonant station IDs,” said Juilliard President Joseph W. Polisi. “We’re extremely proud of Niccolo Athens and his fellow Juilliard student composers, who have done such outstanding work in creating the theme music that will signify New York public television every time it is heard.”
With the establishment of the new umbrella company, WNET.ORG, New York public television is building a vibrant new image for the 21st century. To express this image, WNET.ORG partnered with the leading design studio Pentagram to develop a brand architecture for its entire range of media companies and outlets. Part of this process has involved creating a series of on-air, online I.D.’s for THIRTEEN and WLIW21. The I.D.'s are comprised of stylish 3D animations of New York City icons – from the skyline at night to a fountain in Central Park and a “fly-by” of the Statue of Liberty.
The three composition students at The Juilliard School selected to collaborate with WNET.ORG learned about the new WNET.ORG brand architecture and worked with video editors over several months. The students were asked to write a three-second musical “sting” that would accompany the new visuals. The “sting” was required to be uniquely evocative of WNET.ORG’s media properties, modular, and able to expand from three seconds up to 60 seconds to accompany future I.D.’s of various lengths.
The theme written by Athens was chosen by a panel of executives from WNET.ORG and its companies. For having his work chosen to be used in the spots, Athens was awarded an honorarium.
“I was glad to have this opportunity because public television is such a good cause,” said Athens. “I learned a lot about how to communicate about music with people who are not musicians. Sometimes the words we use are the same but the meanings are completely different. It was a lot of fun.”
Theme Music Composed by Juilliard Student Niccolo Athens Accompanies Iconic Images of New York City
New Spots Debut Monday, May 4 at Midnight
May 5, 2009—WNET.ORG, the premier public media institution in New York, will debut new on-air, online identification materials for its two public television channels – THIRTEEN and WLIW21. The new I.D.’s feature timeless images of New York City rendered in stunning 3D animation and theme music composed by Juilliard third-year undergraduate student Niccolo Athens – one of three Juilliard students selected to collaborate with WNET.ORG on this project.
The music for the THIRTEEN I.D.’s has been scored for orchestra by Athens, whose work was chosen for broadcast. For the WLIW21 I.D.’s, composer Chuck Lovejoy arranged a jazz-rock version of the theme. Both versions of the theme were performed by Juilliard students in a single live recording session held on Saturday, April 25 at Juilliard.
The new I.D.’s will debut on both THIRTEEN and WLIW21 at midnight, Monday, May 4, 2009 and will be seen in program breaks throughout the broadcast day on both stations.
“THIRTEEN and WLIW21 are quintessentially New York institutions, and these new station I.D.’s express that deep connection to the community,” said Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of WNET.ORG. “We are thrilled to have worked with Juilliard to create the aural ‘earprint’ that will represent our stations and our productions in the minds of the public. And as we look forward to opening our new studios at Lincoln Center later this year, we anticipate many more collaborations with the talented students and faculty at Juilliard.”
“Over the years, THIRTEEN and WLIW21 have featured many Juilliard students and alumni and we’re delighted to be able to add a new dimension to that partnership by working with WNET.ORG to create these beautiful and resonant station IDs,” said Juilliard President Joseph W. Polisi. “We’re extremely proud of Niccolo Athens and his fellow Juilliard student composers, who have done such outstanding work in creating the theme music that will signify New York public television every time it is heard.”
With the establishment of the new umbrella company, WNET.ORG, New York public television is building a vibrant new image for the 21st century. To express this image, WNET.ORG partnered with the leading design studio Pentagram to develop a brand architecture for its entire range of media companies and outlets. Part of this process has involved creating a series of on-air, online I.D.’s for THIRTEEN and WLIW21. The I.D.'s are comprised of stylish 3D animations of New York City icons – from the skyline at night to a fountain in Central Park and a “fly-by” of the Statue of Liberty.
The three composition students at The Juilliard School selected to collaborate with WNET.ORG learned about the new WNET.ORG brand architecture and worked with video editors over several months. The students were asked to write a three-second musical “sting” that would accompany the new visuals. The “sting” was required to be uniquely evocative of WNET.ORG’s media properties, modular, and able to expand from three seconds up to 60 seconds to accompany future I.D.’s of various lengths.
The theme written by Athens was chosen by a panel of executives from WNET.ORG and its companies. For having his work chosen to be used in the spots, Athens was awarded an honorarium.
“I was glad to have this opportunity because public television is such a good cause,” said Athens. “I learned a lot about how to communicate about music with people who are not musicians. Sometimes the words we use are the same but the meanings are completely different. It was a lot of fun.”
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New York public media company WNET.ORG is a pioneering provider of television and web content. The parent of Thirteen, WLIW21, and Creative News Group, WNET.ORG brings such acclaimed broadcast series and websites as Worldfocus, Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Visions, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack,Wild Chronicles, Miffy and Friends, and Cyberchase to national and international audiences. Through its wide range of channels and platforms, WNET.ORG serves the entire New York City metro area with unique local productions, broadcasts and innovative educational and cultural projects. In all that it does, WNET.ORG pursues a single, overarching goal -- to create media experiences of lasting significance for New York, America, and the world. For more information, visit www.wnet.org.WNET/THIRTEEN/WLIW new identity music from Thirteen.org on Vimeo.