World news update is an overnight news program on ABC News. It has a lighthearted and irreverent tone, featuring serious as well as offbeat news stories. The program features some repurposed segments and story packages from other ABC News programs, as well as original segments. The anchors often interact with one another, and there is a strong emphasis on humor throughout the broadcast. The show ends with a closing version of the “World News Polka,” typically played on an accordion by comedian Barry Mitchell, and often accompanied by off-camera laughter from the anchors. A segment called InsomniACTS (anchors visiting local jazz bands for performance and interviews) airs regularly, and a World News Now staff member reviews the latest movie releases in a segment called Insomniac Theater on Friday nights.
When full-time anchors leave the program, they are sent off with a small ceremony; in the early days of the broadcast, the anchors would be sent cardboard cutouts to hang from the rafters of the set. The program has also been known for a number of oddball elements, such as video footage of dancing camels on Wednesdays (for “Hump Day”) and a musical montage for weather forecasts in various remote locales around the world.
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