While NBC celebrates 60 years of “Today” next week, today ABC is marking 20 years of “World News Now.” ABC News president Ben Sherwood calls the overnight news show, “the unsung hero of our news division.” And to the production team, “You all have the confidence and creativity to take risks and reap the rewards.”

The show, created by David Bohrman, who went on to CNN and is now president of Current TV, debuted January 6, 1992.

“We never imagined that our little overnight effort would last so long, inform and entertain so many people, and launch so many careers,” Bohrman tells TVNewser. Bohrman says he still has the audition tapes from original anchors Aaron Brown and Lisa McRee. Over the years, other anchors have included Anderson Cooper, Alison Stewart, Kevin Newman, Thalia Assuras,  Juju Chang, Jeremy Hubbard, David Muir and more.

Bohrman has one bit of advice for the current producers: “They should bring back the World News Now Temperature Index.” Here’s a best-of video, shown this morning on the show:

And this wasn’t the only TV news morning marker Today.

Sherwood’s note, after the jump…

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ABC’s overnight show “World News Now” turns 19 this week, and is moving into a new studio.

There have been many great anchors on the broadcast throughout the years — including Aaron Brown, Lisa Mcree, Ryan Owens, Anderson Cooper, and Juju Chang.

An ABC spokesperson tells TVNewser that the show debuted a new set, and “World News Now”’s sister program, “America This Morning,” will debut its upgraded new look soon.

A look back at the show over its 19 years is after the jump…
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NBC News Correspondent Dawna Friesen is leaving the network after 11 years and will join Canada’s Global National Newscast as anchor, TVNewser has learned.

Friesen replaces former “Good Morning America” co-anchor Kevin Newman whose last newscast will be August 20.

Friesen, who is Canadian, joined NBC News in the London bureau in 1999 after stints at Canada’s CTV and CBC Networks. For NBC News she has reported throughout Europe and the Middle East — on stories ranging form the British royal family to the war in Iraq.

Newman left ABC News in 2001 after an unremarkable stint as GMA co-anchor with Lisa McRee during 1998-99. He spent 10 years atop the Global National newscast. And there is speculation he may be headed to Canada’s state broadcaster CBC.