Alphabet News Network

One of the most common go to names for a fictional TV news program is to call it something NN as a reference to CNN ("Cable News Network"). Popular choices for the first word in the acronym are a reference to the area the network covers (such as Galaxy or Global) or a reference to the work.

A general fictional terrestrial broadcast network will often be the X "Broadcast Company", X "Broadcasting Corporation", X "Broadcasting Service" or X "Broadcast System" – yielding xBC or xBS as the initialism. For instance, the ABC, BBC, CBC and other [Nation-name] Broadcasting Corporations – some of which do run a separate channel for the continuous news cycle – fit the pattern.

Station Ident is a related concept – although ownership of an affiliate station is separate in some cases from ownership of the main network.

Examples of Alphabet News Network include:

Advertising

• Former Macintosh clone manufacturer (back in the short days when Macs had clones) Power Computing had a multi-media promotional CD with fake television shows on it, and the Tagline "You're watching PNN, a Power Computing network."

Anime

• The Mega Man Battle Network series had DNN.
• Mobile Suit Gundam 00 had JNN. The odd thing is that JNN is a real world network; it is a subsidiary of TBS, the broadcaster for the series.
• Sonic X had an instance of SXN, "Sonic X Network".

Film

• Batman Forever and The Dark Knight uses GNN, "The Gotham News Network" to provide exposition.
• Buck Williams in the Left Behind films works for Global News Network, also GNN.
• Helen Hannah in the Apocalypse film series works for World News Network, WNN.
• The film version of Atlas Shrugged inverts this with NNT.
• Countdown to Looking Glass has CVN.
• Cars has RSN, the Racing Sport Network.

Literature

• The Left Behind book series has GCCNN, which is basically the Global Community owning the original CNN.

Live-Action TV

• ZNN on JAG, NCIS and everything else Bellesario-produced.
  • In NCIS is seems to inexplicably stand for "Satellite News Network".
• Lois and Clark had LNN, Luthor News Network.
• The relaunched Doctor Who has AMNN for American news during any given News Monopoly.
• The Chaser called their fake news network CNNNN (Chaser's NoN-stop News Network).
• Brass Eye would air broadcasts from affiliate station 10NN in all news stories from the United States.
  • As did the preceding series from the same writers, The Day Today
• On Babylon 5 they have ISN, the "InterStellar Network News". While at first an independent—if blatantly sensationalist and ratings-driven—network, it becomes the dictatorial Clark Administration's Propaganda Machine starting in Season 3.
• Dinosaurs has DNN, the Dinosaur News Network.
• The Onion is the owner of the Onion News Network, or [Onion logo]NN.
• Casseta & Planeta, a Brazilian group of comedians, had NNN, aimed for the nasal-voiced viewer. It was never stated what the first "N" stands for.

Professional Wrestling

• When Randy Orton was sidelined with an injury in 2002, WWE kept him on television in humorous weekly vignettes in which he updated fans on his medical condition; these were done under the heading of "Randy News Network" or "RNN".
• In 1991, Paul Neu debuted in WCW as a wrestling rapper named P. N. News. He sometimes shaved a "PNN" logo into his hair, in imitation of the CNN logo; back then, of course, WCW and CNN had the same parent company: Turner Broadcasting.

Tabletop Games

• In Shadowrun, CNN itself became NN (NewsNet) when it was re-organized in accordance with Ted Turner's will.

Video Games

• Alpha Protocol shows a TV displaying INN.
• Black Market has the Tricorp News Network, TNN, provide commentary (and exposition) at key moments.
• The StarCraft universe has UNN as the primary news source for Terran civilization, and the propaganda outlet for whatever government currently controls it.
• The Master of Orion games have the GNN (Galactic News Network) reporting some random events and statistics. The anchor is, naturally, a robot.^[1]
• Metal Wolf Chaos has DNN.
• Touhou fandom knows CNN as "Cirno News Network", thanks to some pretty bad Media Research Failure.
• Pokémon Diamond and Pearl has Sinnoh News Net, which, while not abbreviated in the game, does make SNN if you do abbreviate it.
• Desert Strike and its sequel, Jungle Strike both feature EANN, Electronic Arts News Network.
• Crisis in the Kremlin has GNN representing News from American sources. It is never stated in-game what it stands for.
• Vega Strike has procedurally generated News from GNN readable on base computers, mostly concerning space fights between factions, with occasional mentions of Privateers' help, that is completed Player Character missions.

Web Comics

• Gone to Ground has DNN (Da Nooz Network).
• The webcomic (later the graphic novel) "Shooting War" had GNN: Global News Network.
• Schlock Mercenary has the HyperNet News Network, or HN³.

Web Original

• The Escapist has ENN.
• Anime News Network
• This game review gives us ACNN during a parody news cast. We're never told what it stands for, though.

Western Animation

• Osmosis Jones has NNN. Since it takes place inside the human body, the first N stands for Nerve.
• The Veggie Tales episode "Sumo of the Opera" is Japan-themed, and has ESN (Emperor's Sports Network), a cross between CNN and ESPN.
• A Futurama episode had it revealed that Atlanta's bigshots would eventually move the town into the ocean. CNN was then renamed SeaNN.
• In the episode "Terry Unmarried" on The Cleveland Show, there's an inversion. After Cleveland figures out Terry's gay, he freaks out and his babbling becomes scrolling details with a headline. At the bottom left, you see CNN and directly under it, you see Cleveland News Network.
• The All Dogs Go to Heaven Christmas Special has CCN.
• Liberty's Kids has LNN.

Real Life

• Besides CNN there are a lot of small channels that use the news network nomenclature, such as Ohio-based Ohio News Network.

1. ↑ A snarky one, at that.