'Statement That Is Accessible'

''They sent me cassettes of their news shows,'' he said. ''I watched some of the material but put it away. We wanted something that serves as an attention-getting melody, a statement that is accessible and hopefully not banal.'' He said he wanted to convey ''nobility of purpose,'' and ''consistency'' and ''the dignity that our networks can achieve and deserve.''

The network hired an 80-piece symphonic orchestra to record Mr. Williams's concept.

Mr. Wolzien said Mr. Williams described the components of his composition, which will run through the day on the network: ''There is the main theme, 'The Mission,' 'The Sound of the News,' which features a fanfare. Then there is 'Scherzo for ''Today,'' ' which Mr. Williams wrote after having a meeting with Steve Friedman, the producer of the 'Today' Show.

''Then there is 'the Pulse of Events,' which is more worldly and serious, with a sense of commitment and urgency, and the 'Fugue for the Changing Times,' a more celebratory and flashy piece.'' These might be used on documentaries.

Mr. Williams wrote 11 ''bumpers'' - the short pieces that feed into commercials and that are to be ''used as they fit for the news,'' said Mr. Wolzien. Mr. Williams described them as: ''Serious, contemplative, sprightly, light, breezy, vigorous, military, maestoso and gentle.''

Mr. Williams said he does not watch very much television. ''All the sound,'' he said, ''is flattened into a mezzo-forte.''