BBC World Service Radio Re-Launch

Two days from now, on Monday 24th September, the BBC World Service launches a new sonic brand identity to its English Language networks. The new work is composed by David Lowe, best known for the BBC news music and for the hit song "Would You?" by Touch and Go. Not sure whether this a co-incidence, since BBC World TV did a bit of on-air rebranding this past week too.

As well as music beds for programming sequences and positioning idents, the new BBC World Service identity supports content delivered via FM partner stations that carry BBC programming and the service's range of podcasts. There is also a download-able ringtone for the most loyal listeners and additional work to support the 75th anniversary of the BBC World Service in December.

In a novel twist to a radio station's normal relationship with imaging companies, David was invited into the BBC by World Service promotions editor Steve Martin to work as a composer-in-residence.

Steve told RadioAudio.co.uk: "Today's news consumers treat the media as being very much on their own level and we wanted to acknowlege this in the new sound. So our new identity is designed to let the pace of our presenters' speech drive the flow of our output, rather than lock it in behind melodic roadblocks and pompous fanfares."

Some 40 million weekly listeners will hear the new image. Wonder what its all going to sound like! Will the themes for Newshour and other programmes be wiped clean? I hope they fix the promo problem - short, and often annoying promos that fill the 29 and 59 minute slots but often seem very out of place with the style of the rest of the network. "It's as easy as One, Two, MP3" is one of favourite promos I love to hate.