World news, also international news or foreign coverage, is the term used in the news media for news stories that involve events from abroad or about a global subject. These can include wars, political unrest, economic issues, natural disasters and summits of multilateral organizations such as the United Nations. In the United States, there is often a blurring of the lines between world and domestic news.
For example, NBC News Overnight often included stories from around the globe as well as a feature called NBC Nightly World that showcased a short video segment about some exotic locale, such as Cicely, Alaska or Twin Peaks, Washington. It was a nod to the tradition of the network’s predecessor, original rival NBC News Overnight.
Similarly, ABC’s World News Now has had some lighthearted and offbeat features as well. The program featured the World News Polka (played by comedian Barry Mitchell on accordion), a weather prediction for a place of an obscure or exotic name and, on Wednesdays, a short video clip from the streets of London as double-decker buses drove by. World News Now also featured a segment called InsomniACTS, where a jazz band would perform live on-air. It was a nod to the show’s title, which is pronounced as “insomniac.”
World News Now has been preempted for local news programming on some affiliates, particularly in areas where its airtime overlaps with other ABC news programs. For instance, KTWO-TV in Casper, Wyoming and WVII-TV in Bangor, Maine previously preempted the program for a simulcast of the home shopping channel Jewelry Television. However, both stations reinstated the program in September 2021 after adding a morning newscast and rebranding their late night programming as Good Morning America First Look.