World News Update is an American overnight news program that airs Monday through Friday on ABC and its local affiliates. It combines general and offbeat stories, weather forecasts, sports highlights, and repurposed segments and story packages from other ABC News programs; its tone is often lighthearted and irreverent. In the tradition of original rival NBC News Overnight, it is known for its use of offbeat and humorous features. These include a “World News Polka” (usually performed by comedian Barry Mitchell on accordion), video footage of dancing camels on Wednesdays (“Hump Day”), and random e-mails sent in to the studio to be read aloud.
Locally, the anchors would also check in with ABC affiliates from around the country to see what stories were generating in their markets; these were sometimes broadcast (for instance, a blizzard in New York City might lead with an opening clip from that night’s WNBC-TV newscast). Occasionally, the anchors would air the first few minutes of an affiliate’s late local newscast in order to fill in for a breaking story if necessary (for example, when the World Trade Center was attacked in September 2001, ABC’s network O&Os in Philadelphia, Washington DC, and New York City did this).
In addition, the program has featured several different feature segments. In one, the show’s staff reviews a movie release; this is based on a rating system with each review scored from 1 to 5 stars, and it is usually accompanied by a short video montage of scenes from the film. In another segment, the anchors visit a New York City restaurant and try a dish. On some nights, the anchors also feature a musical performance on-air, usually jazz music, with musicians invited into the studio to perform live.