ABC 2000 Today

ABC 2000 Today
Also known as	ABC 2000
Presented by	Peter Jennings
Starring	Barbara Walters Diane Sawyer Charles Gibson Elizabeth Vargas Jack Ford Sam Donaldson Connie Chung Cokie Roberts Deborah Roberts Carole Simpson Morton Dean Dick Clark
Theme music composer	Gavin Greenaway
Opening theme	IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
Country of origin	United States
Production
Production locations	Times Square Studios, Manhattan, New York (Primary)
Running time	23 hours 10 minutes
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	December 31, 1999 (1999-12-31) – January 1, 2000 (2000-01-01)

ABC 2000 Today was ABC News' special programming covering the Millennium celebrations around the world from December 31, 1999, into January 1, 2000, as part of the worldwide consortium 2000 Today programming in the United States. ABC World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings hosted the program from the Times Square Studios in Manhattan, New York City, New York. It ran 23 hours and 10 minutes, signing on at 4:50 am ET on December 31, 1999 and concluding at 4:00 am ET on January 1, 2000 (two hours earlier from its international counterparts).

ABC temporarily converted the Good Morning America Times Square Studios into a type of "millennium command center" that included an anchor desk, where a standing Jennings spent most of his time and two lounge chairs, where Jennings would interview guests. A large video screen included a time-zone map of the world, a wall of clocks, and a makeshift newsroom where ABC News staffers would follow the latest developments. The windows of the studio directly overlooked Times Square, the traditional center of New Year's Eve celebrations in New York.

Correspondents and guests

Jack Ford was stationed at street level in Times Square throughout the broadcast. He was joined in the 11 p.m. (eastern) hour by entertainer Dick Clark (the creator and host of his namesake New Year's Rockin' Eve, which did not air due to ABC 2000 Today being shown instead) as a correspondent to conduct his traditional countdown of the Times Square Ball drop. Featured correspondents included: Barbara Walters in Paris, Diane Sawyer in New York, Charles Gibson in London, Cokie Roberts in Rome, Elizabeth Vargas in Sydney, Connie Chung in Las Vegas, Deborah Roberts in Orlando, Carole Simpson in Chicago, and Sam Donaldson at the Y2K Coordination Center in Washington, D.C. More than thirty additional ABC News correspondents were stationed around the world to cover the new year in nearly every time zone. The broadcast was directed by Roger Goodman and included more than 1,000 technicians and members of the new division.

Guests included famed Australian comedian Barry Humphries in character as Dame Edna, David Blane, Al Franken, and longtime ABC anchor Howard K. Smith. Musical performances included: Billy Joel, Elton John, Enrique Iglesias, Faith Hill, 'N Sync, Phish, the Bee Gees, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, Harry Connick Jr., Kenny G, Ray Charles, Barry Manilow, and Barbra Streisand. The performances by the Bee Gees, Phish, Charlotte Church, and Kenny G were selected to appear in the international 2000 Today program.

Broadcast highlights

ABC News's stage in Times Square.

Originally, the name of the broadcast was ABC 2000, but it was officially retitled as ABC 2000 Today because ABC joined 60 other nations, all celebrating the dawn of the new millennium. The network was part of the 2000 Today consortium that included:

• PBS
• WGBH
• BBC in the United Kingdom
• ATV in Hong Kong
• CCTV in China
• RCTI in Indonesia
• RTM in Malaysia
• TCS, STV12 and CNA in Singapore
• ABC in Australia
• TV Asahi in Japan
• MBC in South Korea
• SABC in South Africa
• TVE in Spain
• Rede Record in Brazil
• GMA Network in the Philippines
• RTL in Germany
• RTP in Portugal
• TV3 in New Zealand
• Televisa and Once TV in Mexico
• TVN in Chile
• CBC and Radio-Canada in Canada
• TF1 and France 2 in France
• RAI in Italy
• RTÉ in Ireland
• ORF in Austria
• NRK and TV3 in Norway
• SF in Switzerland
• SVT and TV3 (Swedish TV channel) in Sweden
• ČT in the Czech Republic
• RCN in Colombia, DR
• TV3 in Denmark
• ERTV in Egypt
• ERT in Greece
• IBA and ICP in Israel
• TVP in Poland
• Antena 1 in Romania
• YLE in Finland
• TV3 in Estonia
• TV3 in Latvia
• TV3 in Lithuania
• MTV in Hungary
• VGTRK in Russia
• Televise Samoa in Samoa
• Canal 13 in Argentina
• TRT in Turkey
• Doordarshan in India
• RCTV in Venezuela
• Channel 3 in Thailand
• PTS in Taiwan
• VTV in Vietnam

The program was nonetheless consistently promoted under the ABC 2000 name, possibly to avoid confusion with the U.S. morning show Today, which airs on rival network NBC. The theme music for ABC 2000 Today (which was also used for ABC News' election coverage that year) was from Epcot's IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth live show. The music was composed by Gavin Greenaway, who won an Emmy award for the work. Footage of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth were shown in the opening and closing sequences.

This was by far the most comprehensive coverage of any of the broadcast networks in the United States. By contrast, CBS had hourly updates throughout the day with Dan Rather, a special 8 p.m. edition of the Late Show with David Letterman and from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, Rather and Will Smith hosted America's Millennium live from Times Square and Washington D.C. respectively. It was the only time CBS offered live New Year coverage between the finale of Happy New Year, America (leading into 1996) and the debut of New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash (leading into 2022). NBC had an extended edition of The Today Show, Dateline NBC at 8 p.m. and from 9 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. ET, Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric anchored NBC's millennium coverage, which included a special edition of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, from Los Angeles.

Peter Jennings anchored the coverage for the entire duration, using commercial breaks, affiliate breaks, correspondent pieces, and pre-taped segments to rest, eat, or change outfits. He changed his wardrobe four times, including wearing a tuxedo at midnight in Times Square, and a more casual sweater for the final two hours of the broadcast. Coverage signed on Friday, December 31, 1999 at 4:50 a.m. eastern standard time (UTC 9:50), ten minutes prior to the first midnight on the globe at Millennium Island in Kiribati (UTC+14:00).

Midnight was specifically shown in 17 time zones, including three 30 minute offset time zones, and one 45 minute offset time zone. ABC correspondents covered 14 of the midnight milestones in-person, while the rest were simulcast from one of the other 2000 Today networks. The final midnight celebration shown was that of the Pacific Time Zone (UTC−08:00), which included California. The broadcast signed off Saturday January 1, 2000 at 4:00 a.m. eastern. No coverage of midnight was shown of the remaining three time zones, which included Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, and parts of Polynesia. While ABC ended their coverage in the United States, other 2000 Today networks continued for an additional two hours.

A digital on-screen clock was used in the bottom-right corner of the screen through much of the broadcast, showing local time and/or a countdown to midnight during each correspondents' report. Live chats were organized on ABCNews.com. Breaks were taken near the top and bottom of each hour to allow the local ABC affiliates time for local coverage, which varied from local news and weather to full-scale coverage of local countdowns and possible Y2K bug effects (which were minimal).

At least 175 million viewers tuned into some portions of ABC 2000 Today. The broadcast won a Peabody Award.

Follow-ups

ABC News also used the Times Square Studios for ABC News's 2000 election coverage ABC 2000: The Vote, with the studio set up very similar to that of ABC 2000 Today. The large video screen was used to show the Electoral College map of the United States with the red and blue states indicated.

On December 31, 2001 (leading into 2002), ABC preceded the primetime hour of New Year's Rockin' Eve with a follow-up special titled ABC 2002. The three-and-a-half-hour special featured a "meaningful and reflective" view on New Year's celebrations from around the world (especially in the wake of the September 11 attacks), and performances by Arlo Guthrie, Sting, and U2. It was hosted by Jennings from the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City.

ABC 2000 Hour-by-hour overview

Hour (ET)	Time (UTC)	Correspondent Reports, Features, and Performances
4:50 a.m.	09:50	Opening and introduction by Peter Jennings at the ABC News Times Square Studios in New York City Breaking news report by Morton Dean in Moscow about the early resignation of Boris Yeltsin
5:00 a.m.	10:00	Midnight at Kiribati and Millennium Island Midnight at Tonga Elizabeth Vargas in Sydney, Australia reporting on 9 p.m. fireworks show James Walker at The Beehive in Wellington, New Zealand Cokie Roberts at Vatican City Midnight at Pitt Island, Chatham Islands, New Zealand (Chatham Standard Time Zone) Barbara Walters near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Bill Blakemore at the Manger Square/Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Jack Ford in Times Square, New York City Charles Gibson at County Hall on the South Bank of River Thames in London, England Elizabeth Vargas at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia
6:00 a.m.	11:00	Suzy Aiken at midnight in Auckland, New Zealand James Walker at The Beehive in Wellington, New Zealand Sam Donaldson at the Y2K Coordination Center in Washington, D.C. Elizabeth Vargas at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia Performance by Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart (Eurythmics): "The Miracle of Love"
7:00 a.m.	12:00	Jack Ford in Times Square, New York City, with the raising of the Times Square Ball Overture to the World Charles Gibson at County Hall on the South Bank of River Thames in London, England Barbara Walters near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Sam Donaldson at the Y2K Coordination Center in Washington, D.C. Lynn Sherr in Bombay, India Mark Litke at The Bund in Shanghai, China Peter Jennings with Mayor Rudy Giuliani at the Times Square Studios in New York City Deborah Roberts at the Millennium Celebration at Epcot at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida Performance by Central Florida Performing Arts School children's choir: "Millennium"
8:00 a.m.	13:00	Elizabeth Vargas at midnight at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia Commander Mark Patton aboard the USS Topeka at the International Date Line Peter Jennings & Diane Sawyer (Times Square), Lynn Sherr (Bombay), Cokie Roberts (Vatican) on the topic of women in the 21st century Midnight in Adelaide, Australia Carole Simpson at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois Barbara Walters near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Seoul, South Korea: performance at Injeongjeon General Thomas A. Schwartz, Commander, U.S. forces in South Korea
9:00 a.m.	14:00	Jim Wooten in Ali Adde, Djibouti Peter Jennings & Robert Krulwich at the Times Square Studios in New York City Hong Kong, China Betsy Stark covering Muhammad Ali ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange John Miller with New York City Fire Commissioner Thomas von Essen in East Harlem, New York City Live look-in of Maki Ohguro concert in Nara, Japan Mark Litke at The Bund in Shanghai, China
10:00 a.m.	15:00	Midnight in Nara, Japan Bosingak bell in Seoul, South Korea Jack Ford & Diane Sawyer in Times Square, New York City Charles Gibson at County Hall on the South Bank of River Thames in London, England Barbara Walters near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Bill Blakemore at the Manger Square/Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Behind the scenes look with director Roger Goodman Deborah Roberts at the Millennium Celebration at Epcot at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida Larry Hothem at the South Pole in Antarctica Peter Jennings with Neil deGrasse Tyson at the Times Square Studios in New York City
11:00 a.m.	16:00	Midnight with Mark Litke at The Bund in Shanghai, China Midnight at the Millennium Altar in Beijing, China Remarks from President Bill Clinton on resignation of Boris Yeltsin Update on Indian Airlines Flight 814 hostage crisis Sam Donaldson at the Y2K Coordination Center in Washington, D.C. James Walker at The Beehive in Wellington, New Zealand Barbara Walters near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Cokie Roberts at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City with her mother Lindy Boggs (U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See) Dawn at Mount Hikurangi in Gisborne, New Zealand with the Māori people Performance by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in Gisborne, New Zealand
12:00 p.m.	17:00	Midnight at Borobudur Temple in Java, Indonesia Mark Litke at The Bund in Shanghai, China Transfer of control of the Panama Canal Peter Jennings & Diane Sawyer at the Times Square Studios in New York City Bill Blakemore at the Manger Square/Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Peter Jennings with Todd Brewster at the Times Square Studios in New York City
1:00 p.m.	18:00	Betsy Stark covering the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange Juju Chang with Brian Cury (EarthCam) in Times Square, New York City Barbara Walters near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, Germany Jim McKay in Washington, D.C. Midnight (IST) with Lynn Sherr in Bombay, India Ken Dychtwald at Union Square, San Francisco Charles Gibson at County Hall on the South Bank of River Thames in London, England Derry, Northern Ireland: "Danny Boy" Sunrise in Sydney, Australia Aaron Brown reporting on minor events: First wedding, first baby born, Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Robin Roberts in Los Angeles, California on the topic of women in sports
2:00 p.m.	19:00	Cynthia McFadden at Central Park in Havana, Cuba Cuban National Assembly president Ricardo Alarcón Castle Square, Warsaw, Poland Live look-in of Robyn concert at Royal Palace, Stockholm, Sweden Cokie Roberts at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City Barbara Walters near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Charles Gibson at County Hall on the South Bank of River Thames in London, England Bill Redeker at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Kevin Newman at Cape Spear in Newfoundland, Canada Peter Jennings with "Dame Edna Everage" (Barry Humphries) at the Times Square Studios in New York City
3:00 p.m.	20:00	Taped performance by Charlotte Church at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich: "She Moved Through the Fair" Charlotte Church in Cardiff, Wales Prague, Czech Republic Telephone interview with Stephen Jay Gould Jack Smith at the America Online Network Operations Center in Fairfax County, Virginia Telephone interview with Howard K. Smith (father of Jack Smith) Live look-in of Jean-Michel Jarre concert at the The Pyramids in Giza, Egypt Barbara Walters near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Performance by barbershop quartet The Acoustics
4:00 p.m.	21:00	Midnight with Morton Dean at Red Square in Moscow Midnight with Jim Wooten in Ali Adde, Djibouti Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Phillip departing for Tower Hill to light the National Beacon (Charles Gibson reporting) Charles Gibson at County Hall on the South Bank of River Thames in London, England Carole Simpson at Humboldt Park Field House in Chicago, Illinois Major General Harry D. Raduege Jr. at Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center near Colorado Springs, Colorado John McWethy at The Pentagon Queen Elizabeth II at Tower Bridge in London, England lighting the National Beacon (Charles Gibson reporting) Peter Jennings & Robert Krulwich at the Times Square Studios in New York City Peter Jennings with Al Franken at the Times Square Studios in New York City Lisa Stark at the FAA Flight Operations Center in Herndon, Virginia The Acropolis in Athens, Greece, with George Stephanopoulos in-studio
5:00 p.m.	22:00	Midnight with Bill Blakemore at the Manger Square/Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Midnight at the The Pyramids in Giza, Egypt Midnight at The Acropolis in Athens, Greece (George Stephanopoulos in-studio) Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden in New York City Telephone interview with Theodore K. Rabb Overture to the World Peter Jennings with Cornel West at the Times Square Studios in New York City Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York City
6:00 p.m.	23:00	Midnight with Barbara Walters near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Midnight with Cokie Roberts at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City Midnight in Berlin, Germany Midnight in Madrid, Spain Jack Ford in Times Square, New York City James Walker at The Beehive in Wellington, New Zealand Sam Donaldson at the Y2K Coordination Center in Washington, D.C. John McWethy at The Pentagon Highlights of the day narrated by Bob Brown; death of Elliot Richardson Millennium Dome at Greenwich Peninsula, London, England (Charles Gibson reporting)
7:00 p.m.	0:00	Midnight with Charles Gibson at County Hall on the South Bank of River Thames in London, England Midnight in Reykjavík, Iceland Lisa Stark at the FAA Flight Operations Center in Herndon, Virginia NSYNC performing at Epcot at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida Jack Ford in Times Square, New York City Charles Gibson at County Hall on the South Bank of River Thames in London, England Millennium Dome at Greenwich Peninsula, London, England Barbara Walters near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
8:00 p.m.	1:00	Connie Chung at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada Look-in of Elton John concert at Thomas & Mack Center, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Connie Chung with Wayne Newton Jack Ford with Mary Ann Hopkins in Times Square, New York City Telephone interview with former president Gerald Ford John Quiñones at South Beach in Miami, Florida Performance by Enrique Iglesias at Madison Square Garden in New York City: "Bailamos" Telephone interview with oil rig roustabout Vernon Lucas off the coast of Louisiana Performance by Jared Choclatt Crawford, Larry Wright, and the cast of Keep Bangin': "Clap Your Hands" Peter Jennings with David Blaine at the Times Square Studios in New York City
9:00 p.m.	2:00	Midnight with Bill Redeker at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tahai, Easter Island, Chile National Mall, Washington, D.C. Steve Osunsami at Bourbon Street-French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana Connie Chung with Harry Connick Jr. at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada Performance by Harry Connick Jr.: "Cry Me A River" Telephone interview with Steve Case, CEO of America Online Barry Serafin with Floyd Westerman at the Native American New Millennium First People's World’s Fair and Pow Wow in Tucson, Arizona Cynthia McFadden at The Tropicana Nightclub in Havana, Cuba Live look-in of performance by the Goo Goo Dolls at the MTV studios inside One Astor Plaza in Times Square, New York City Highlights of the day narrated by Bob Brown Taped performance by Christina Aguilera at the MTV studios inside One Astor Plaza in Times Square, New York City: "Genie in a Bottle" Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.: "Ode to Joy" Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City Live look-in of Faith Hill concert in Nashville, Tennessee
10:00 p.m.	3:00	Performance by Kenny G in Times Square, New York City: "Auld Lang Syne" Kevin Newman at St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Live look-in of Bee Gees concert in Sunrise, Florida: "You Should Be Dancing" Cynthia McFadden at The Tropicana Nightclub in Havana, Cuba Terry Moran at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Performance at The Tropicana Nightclub in Havana, Cuba Midnight (NST) with Kevin Newman at St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Jack Ford with Mary Ann Hopkins in Times Square, New York City Peter Jennings with David Blaine at the Times Square Studios in New York City Live look-in of Barry Manilow concert at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut Peter Jennings & Robert Krulwich at the Times Square Studios in New York City Peter Jennings with Mayor Rudy Giuliani at the Times Square Studios in New York City Sam Donaldson at the Y2K Coordination Center in Washington, D.C.
11:00 p.m.	4:00	Connie Chung at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada Telephone interview with Aprile Millo Judy Muller with Cecil Williams at Union Square, San Francisco Overture to the World Deborah Roberts at the Millennium Celebration at Epcot at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida Dick Clark in Times Square in New York City John Quiñones at South Beach in Miami, Florida Terry Moran at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. John Miller at the Midnight Run in Central Park, New York City Dick Clark in Times Square in New York City Live look-in of Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City Terry Moran at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
12:00 a.m.	5:00	Midnight with Dick Clark in Times Square in New York City Midnight at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Live look-in of Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City Sam Donaldson at the Y2K Coordination Center in Washington, D.C. Lisa Stark at the FAA Flight Operations Center in Herndon, Virginia Look-in of Aerosmith concert at Osaka Dome in Osaka, Japan: "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" Telephone interview with Alan Alda Midnight at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida
1:00 a.m.	6:00	Midnight with Carole Simpson at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois Midnight in Mexico City, Mexico Midnight with Steve Osunsami in New Orleans, Louisiana Look-in of Barbra Streisand concert in Las Vegas, Nevada: "The Way We Were (song)" Look-in of Elton John concert at Thomas & Mack Center, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Jack Ford in Times Square, New York City Performance by quartet Spank Connie Chung with Paul Anka at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada Look-in of Faith Hill concert in Nashville, Tennessee Judy Muller at Union Square, San Francisco Barry Serafin with Floyd Westerman at the Native American New Millennium First People's World’s Fair and Pow Wow in Tucson, Arizona
2:00 a.m.	7:00	Midnight with Neil Diamond at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado Performance: "Global Heartbeat Project" Interview with centenarians Jack Smith at the America Online Network Operations Center in Fairfax County, Virginia The Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada Look-in of Natalie Merchant concert at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California Judy Muller at Union Square, San Francisco Live look-in of Bonnie Raitt concert in San Rafael, California Telephone interview with Willie Brown Combined performance featuring The Acoustics and Spank: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
3:00 a.m.	8:00	Midnight with Connie Chung and mayor Oscar Goodman at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada Midnight with Judy Muller at Union Square, San Francisco Midnight at the Hollywood Sign in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California Midnight in Seattle, Washington Highlights of the day narrated by Bob Brown Jack Ford in Times Square, New York City Look-in of Phish concert at the Big Cypress Reservation near Clewiston, Florida Look-in of Ray Charles concert in Clearwater, Florida Look-in of James Taylor concert in Raleigh, North Carolina Highlights with Aaron Brown Millennium Dome at Greenwich Peninsula, London, England Kenny G's "Auld Lang Syne" Closing by Peter Jennings at the ABC News Times Square Studios in New York City Sign-off at 3:59 a.m. EST with "Amazing Grace"

External links

• ABC News Store: 2000 Today (archived)
• ABC 2000 Today Opening on YouTube
• ABC 2000 Today Closing on YouTube
• ABC 2000 Today at IMDb