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Wikipedia / 2000 Today

2000 Today is an internationally broadcast television special that was aired to commemorate the beginning of the Year 2000. This programme included New Year's Eve celebrations, musical performances, and other features from participating nations.

Most international broadcasts such as the Olympic Games coverage originate from a limited area for worldwide distribution. 2000 Today was rare in that its live and taped programming originated from member countries and represented all continents.

Development

2000 Today was conceived as part of the Millennium celebrations, given the numerical significance of the change from 1999 to 2000. 2000 Today was commissioned by the BBC as one of the five main millennium projects that were broadcast across TV, radio and online services throughout 1999 and 2000.

Most nations that observe the Islamic calendar were not involved in 2000 Today. However, a few predominantly Muslim nations were represented among the programme's worldwide broadcasters such as Egypt (ERTU) and Indonesia (RCTI). Africa was minimally represented in 2000 Today. The only participating nations from that continent were Egypt and South Africa. Portugal-based RTP África distributed the programme to some African nations.

Antarctica was mentioned on the programme schedule, although it was unclear if 2000 Today coverage was recorded or live.

Production

The programme was produced and televised by an international consortium of 60 broadcasters, headed by the BBC in the United Kingdom and WGBH in Boston, United States. The editorial board also included representatives from ABC (Australia), CBC (Canada), CCTV (China), ETC (Egypt), RTL (Germany), SABC (South Africa), TF1 (France), TV Asahi (Japan), TV Globo (Brazil) and ABC (USA). The BBC provided the production hub for receiving and distributing the 78 international satellite feeds required for this broadcast. The idents for the programme were designed in the UK by Lambie-Nairn and the BBC for use by all the participating broadcasters taking part in the event. The linking theme throughout all the idents and promotions was a distinctively shaped stone engraved with the year 2000. The themes were: desert, fire, ice, lasers and water; plus a special BBC News ident.

Up to 5,000 staff worked on 2000 Today, 1,500 of them in BBC Television Centre in West London, where all eight television studios were used during the 28-hour broadcast. Each participant financed and produced its own contributions and shared the core costs proportionately to its size and wealth. It is estimated to have cost $6 million to produce and broadcast. At the time, technicians at Radio-Canada were on strike. Transmissions were seen as scheduled, but using only the main feed from the BBC, with a French voice-over. Also, as a consequence, 2000 footage from Canada was scarce on SRC's presentation, while footage from Quebec was not available at all worldwide (though the CBC did manage to get the only Quebec coverage on their own network—a video shot of midnight fireworks in Hull, Quebec, shot from Ottawa, Ontario).

2000 Today was nominated for "Best Visual Effects and Graphic Design" at the 2000 British Academy Television Craft Awards.

Programme timeline

2000 Today's core international broadcast was 28 hours long, following the beginning of the New Year 2000 across the world's time zones. The programme was tailored by individual broadcasters to provide local content and hosts. There was no in-vision commentary or studio used for the Estonian broadcast and was aired on TV3 without commentary between midnight and 6:00 UTC.

The broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom started on 31 December 1999 at 09:15 UTC. 2000 Today started its international feed at 09:40 UTC, with the Kiribati Line Islands celebrating the arrival of 2000 at 10:00 UTC.

The Australian celebrations are held all across the country with the most notable one being the midnight fireworks in Sydney (13:00 UTC) and is televised on various Australian channels including ABC.

Most of Europe celebrated midnight at 23:00 UTC. Broadcasting celebrations from many countries under Central European Time posed a particularly complex broadcast challenge. 2000 Today chose to rapidly air each nation's midnight observances in succession, using tape delays in most cases. This hour of the broadcast included a blessing by Pope John Paul II from Vatican City and the pyrotechnic display of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. ABC 2000 Today in the United States and French broadcasters TF1 and France 2 covered the festivities live from the tower. In addition, Italian broadcaster Rai used the pope's blessing for its Millennium – La Notte Del 2000 broadcast while Spanish broadcaster RTVE covers the celebrations from Puerta del Sol in Madrid with Ramón García.

The celebrations in London and the United Kingdom are part of the 00:00 UTC segment including the opening of the Millennium Dome, the chimes of Big Ben, and the fireworks display (known as the “River of Fire”). The BBC was there to cover the festivities from across the country.

The celebrations in Ushuaia, Argentina (03:00 UTC) features a tango performance by Julio Bocca and Eleonora Cassano. Argentine broadcaster Canal 13 covered the festivities from around the country.

For the Eastern Time Zone (05:00 UTC), 2000 Today chose to air each country’s observance with the most notable one being the famous “Ball Drop” in Times Square, New York. ABC 2000 Today in the United States covered the festivities in the square with Peter Jennings & Dick Clark and as the ball drops, it shows a crowd of two million spectators who are counting down to midnight.

2000 Today's international feed finished shortly after midnight celebrations were broadcast from Samoa on 1 January 2000 at 11:00 UTC. BBC One in the United Kingdom continued to broadcast with national features until 13:30. Later the same evening, it aired a two-hour highlights programme, The Best of 2000 Today.

Personalities

National hosts

Argentina (Canal 13 – El Día del Milenio)

Australia (ABC Australia)

Brazil

(Rede Record)

(BAND)

Canada (CBC – CBC 2000 Today)

(CBC)

(Radio-Canada)

  • French voice-over

Chile (TVN)

China (CCTV)

  • Bai Yansong

  • Shui Junyi

  • Zhao Zhongxiang

  • Ni Ping

  • Zhu Jun

Colombia (RCN Televisión)

Estonia (TV3)

Finland (YLE)

France (TF1 – Le Millénium)

Germany (RTL Television)

Iceland

Ireland (RTÉ One – Millennium Eve: Celebrate 2000)

Israel (Keshet 2)

Italy (RAI – Millennium – La notte del 2000)

Japan (NHK – Kōhaku Uta Gassen)

South Korea (MBC)

Lebanon

Mexico

(Televisa)

(Once TV)

Netherlands (NOS – Hallo 2000)

  • Maartje van Weegen

  • Philip Freriks

  • Aldith Hunkar

  • Mart Smeets

Philippines (GMA Network – GMA Ayala Millennium Party)

Poland (TVP2)

  • Halina Filek-Marszalek

Portugal (RTP2)

Singapore

  • Fann Wong

  • Tanya Chua

  • Elsa Lin

Slovakia (Jednotka)

Spain (Televisión Española)

Ukraine

  • Vlad Ryashyn (Inter)

  • Svitlana Leontyeva (Inter)

  • Yuriy Makarov (1+1)

United Kingdom (BBC One)

United States

(ABC – ABC 2000 Today)

(PBS)

  • Various participants

(Univisión - ¡Feliz 2000!)

  • Various hosts

Vietnam

(VTV – Chào năm 2000)

  • Nguyễn Thanh Lâm

  • Thu Uyên

(HTV – Thế giới chào đón năm 2000)

  • Mạnh Linh

  • Nguyệt Sa

  • Lê Hưng

  • Ngô Hồng

  • Bửu Điền

  • Đoan Thục

Music performers

Musical artists were part of the 2000 Today broadcast, including:

  1. Africa

  2. Jean Michel Jarre – Giza pyramid complex, Egypt

  3. Asia

  4. Maki Ohguro – Nara, Japan

  5. Hikaru Utada – Tokyo, Japan

  6. Ketsumeishi – Tokyo, Japan

  7. Seikima-II – Tokyo, Japan

  8. Regine Velasquez – Makati, Philippines

  9. Europe

  10. Europe – Stockholm, Sweden

  11. ABBA – Stockholm, Sweden

  12. Zenenker Team – Hungary

  13. Björk – Reykjavík, Iceland

  14. Frantisek Ringo Cech, Prague, Czech Republic

  15. C&K Vocal – Prague, Czech Republic

  16. Maria Podhradska – Bratislava, Slovakia

  17. Richard Canaky – Bratislava, Slovakia

  18. Charlotte Church – United Kingdom

  19. The Corrs – London, England, United Kingdom

  20. Eurythmics – United Kingdom

  21. Ronan Keating – Dublin, Ireland

  22. Manic Street Preachers – Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

  23. Martine McCutcheon – United Kingdom

  24. Elton John – United Kingdom

  25. Natalie MacMaster – Ireland

  26. Robyn – Sweden

  27. Ruslana – Kyiv, Ukraine

  28. Simply Red – London, England, United Kingdom

  29. Spice Girls – London, England, United Kingdom

  30. North America

  31. Bee Gees – Miami, Florida, United States

  32. Juan Gabriel – Mexico

  33. Great Big Sea – St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

  34. Kenny G – New York City, New York, United States

  35. Neil Diamond – Denver, Colorado, United States

  36. Phish – Big Cypress Indian Reservation, Florida, United States

  37. The Tragically Hip – Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  38. Oceania

  39. The Wiggles – Sydney, Australia

  40. Split Enz – Auckland, New Zealand

  41. Kiri Te Kanawa – Gisborne, New Zealand

  42. South America

  43. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs – Ushuaia, Argentina

  44. Alejandro Lerner and Mercedes Sosa – Iguazú Falls, Argentina

  45. Lito Vitale and Estudio Coral de Buenos Aires – Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

  46. Simón Díaz, Edwin Trocel and Sistema de Orquestas de Guayana – Angel Falls, Venezuela.

Participating broadcasters

The following nations broadcast 2000 Today. Some nations were licensees of the broadcast, rather than formal members of the broadcast consortium.

Ratings

2000 Today had an estimated worldwide audience of 800 million people, with an audience of 12.6 million people on the BBC alone.

Soundtrack

2000 Today: A World Symphony for the Millennium is a television soundtrack album of music commissioned by the BBC for its internationally broadcast television special, 2000 Today and released by Sony Classical Records in December 1999. The music was composed and conducted by multi award-winning composer Tan Dun, and performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, London Voices choir, New London Children's Choir, and a group of world instrument performers from around the world. It was featured on PBS and ABC throughout the promotions leading up to the broadcast and throughout the broadcast itself, providing musical "stepping stones" from country to country, culture to culture, day to night.

The programme's theme song was a cover version of Bob Marley's song "One Love" performed by the Gipsy Kings, Ziggy Marley, Tsidii Le Loka and the Boys Choir of Harlem. This version was released as a single in Europe. "One Love" was performed live by Gipsy Kings as part of the broadcast from Miami, Florida.

Track listing

Personnel

  • Tan Dun – composer, conductor, producer

  • Charles Harbutt – engineer, post production

  • Mary Lou Humphrey – liner notes

  • Photonica – photographer

  • FPG International – photographer

  • Grace Row – producer

See also

References