Stephen Arnold Music Creates Atlanta Hip-Hop-Influenced Sonic Branding for Gray Media's Hawks Broadcasts

Stephen Arnold Music has developed the original musical theme and sonic branding package for Gray Media and Raycom Sports' new slate of Atlanta Hawks broadcasts on WANF (Atlanta News First) and Peachtree Sports Network. The music uses live orchestration with an Atlanta hip-hop influence.

The package will accompany all non-nationally televised Hawks regular-season games produced by Raycom Sports. Those games are available on Prime Video, on WANF and Peachtree Sports Network's free over-the-air signal, and through WANF's carriage on pay-TV systems including Xfinity, Spectrum, DirecTV and DISH Network. Gray Media stations in Albany (WALB), Augusta (WRDW), Columbus (WTVM), Macon (WPGA) and Savannah (WTOC) will also carry games locally. The music will also be used in Gray Media's pregame and postgame shows.

The package centers on two long-form, modular themes designed for the varied needs of a live sports broadcast. Stephen Arnold Music says it worked with a team of artist partners to shape the hip-hop elements with a regional sensibility. The themes include melodic hooks and flourishes that can be isolated and edited into shorter elements for idents, transitions and promotional content.

The work builds on Stephen Arnold Music's earlier sonic branding for Gray Media's regional sports partnerships with MLB's Atlanta Braves and the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. Each package is customized to its sport and market but shares a melodic foundation, creating continuity across Gray Media's sports programming. For the Hawks, the team explored multiple concepts and melodic hooks before settling on a balance between the established musical identity and the sounds of NBA basketball and Atlanta hip-hop.

Our goal was to give Gray Media a recognizable sonic identity as a sports content provider, with a musical foundation that could support an entire broadcast package, says Chad Cook, President and Creative Director, Stephen Arnold Music. We developed a long-form theme with multiple sections and dynamic variations to work across the different moments of a game broadcast. The arrangement also incorporates distinct melodic hooks and musical flourishes that can be isolated and edited into shorter elements, giving Gray Media a flexible sonic toolkit for everything from idents and transitions to promotional content.

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LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/11/03/stephen-arnold-music-creates-at...
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