James Earl Jones' 'This Is CNN' Soundbite Is Back

The distinctive sound of James Earl Jones saying "This is CNN" is back on-air.

Jones recorded the soundbite for CNN's tenth anniversary in 1990. In the intervening years, the line became what some have called "the cable news channel's calling card."

The New York Times' Brian Stelter reported Tuesday that Jeff Zucker brought the signature soundbite back into regular rotation as a "symbolic first act." Zucker, who was tapped to become CNN's new president in November, started his new role on Monday. He spent his first day in D.C. for President Obama's inauguration, and started in the New York office on Tuesday.

A CNN spokeswoman told the Times that the network renewed its licensing deal for the iconic soundbite after Zucker instructed the marketing department to put the soundbite back on-air earlier this month. The decision, according to the report, was Zucker's nod to the network's thirty-year legacy — a theme he discussed at a staff meeting last week, and that he mentioned again in a memo to staff on Tuesday.