The voice of James Earl Jones is back on CNN International (DStv 401), months after the venerable actor's iconic voice-over which was retired years ago, has been brought back to CNN in America at the beginning of the year.
The authoritative baritone of James Earl Jones saying "This is CNN" can now once again be heard on CNN International after it was reintroduced on CNN in the United States in January, part of the plans of Jeff Zucker, the chief executive of CNN Worldwide, to revitalise the CNN channel in America which is grappling with a prolonged struggle for viewership in that country.
The symbolic return of the James Earl Jones CNN sound byte is pleasant to hear and harkens back to an era - also in South Africa - when CNN International was almost the only 24-hour TV news channel in the game.
South African TV viewers saw CNN International broadcast in afternoon blocks on TV1 and late at night on TV1 and CCTV in the early and mid-nineties, when it was also added to MultiChoice's DStv platform as one of only a few 24-hour news channels.
Now the sound clip of "This is CNN" has also been relicensed for CNN's international news channel.
