When CNN needs to present a weighty national policy issue to the American public, they also need to pick a sound effect to accentuate the broadcast promos. I talked to a professional CNN sound technician about how he makes his tough choices.

Issue: OSHA workplace safety regulations
Sound effect: Wooshing "jet fighter" swoosh
Rationale: "Our viewers are easily distracted. Workplace safety regulations are about as dull as anything the mind can possibly conceive of, with the exception of 'Matlock' re-runs. Therefore, the sharp echo of an overhead jet can go a long way to revive attention spans."

Issue: Clinton pardon scandals
Sound effect: Basso profundo trumpet blasts
Rationale: "The wake of the Clinton administration has produced a politcal aftermath as subtle and confusing as any scandal since Teapot Dome. The moral nuances and various fiscal and political interests are numerous, overlapping and sometimes directly contradictory. It seems like a bunch of loud trumpets basically communicate that right away."

Issue: National healthcare reform initiatives
Sound effect: Pinging sonar bloops
Rationale: "What we were really going for was one of those machines that monitors your pulse, or whatever. But all we had was an old tape labeled 'Sonar Sample 3' so we said, 'hey, fuck it. This sounds medical, and the American people won't notice.'"

Issue: Assisted suicide
Sound effect: Booming techno soundtrack
Rationale: "Health, aging and slow, agonizing death are not topics the mind deals with lightly. Therefore, a pounding trance anthem by underground favorites 2 Unlimited seemed to be the perfect way to 'jazz the issue up.' It also scares away elderly viewers who might become frightened or confused by the report."