diff -Naur mythnews.orig/mythnews/mythnews.cpp mythnews/mythnews/mythnews.cpp
--- mythnews.orig/mythnews/mythnews.cpp	2007-05-04 14:55:03.000000000 -0500
+++ mythnews/mythnews/mythnews.cpp	2007-05-04 15:03:04.000000000 -0500
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@
     setNoErase();
     loadTheme();
 
+    updateBackground();
+
     // Now do the actual work
     m_RetrieveTimer = new QTimer(this);
     connect(m_RetrieveTimer, SIGNAL(timeout()),
@@ -251,6 +253,24 @@
         updateStatusView();
 }
 
+void MythNews::updateBackground(void)
+{
+    QPixmap bground(size());
+    bground.fill(this, 0, 0);
+
+    QPainter tmp(&bground);
+
+    LayerSet *container = m_Theme->GetSet("background");
+    if (container)
+    {
+        container->Draw(&tmp, 0, 0);
+    }
+
+    tmp.end();
+    m_background = bground;
+
+    setPaletteBackgroundPixmap(m_background);
+}
 
 void MythNews::updateSitesView()
 {
diff -Naur mythnews.orig/mythnews/mythnews.h mythnews/mythnews/mythnews.h
--- mythnews.orig/mythnews/mythnews.h	2007-05-04 14:55:03.000000000 -0500
+++ mythnews/mythnews/mythnews.h	2007-05-04 15:06:54.000000000 -0500
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@
     void loadWindow(QDomElement &element);
     void paintEvent(QPaintEvent *e);
 
+    void updateBackground();
     void updateSitesView();
     void updateArticlesView();
     void updateInfoView();
@@ -90,6 +91,8 @@
 
     XMLParse      *m_Theme;
 
+    QPixmap        m_background;
+
     UIListBtnType *m_UISites;
     UIListBtnType *m_UIArticles;
     QRect          m_SitesRect;
diff -Naur mythnews.orig/mythnews/mythnewsconfig.cpp mythnews/mythnews/mythnewsconfig.cpp
--- mythnews.orig/mythnews/mythnewsconfig.cpp	2007-05-04 14:55:03.000000000 -0500
+++ mythnews/mythnews/mythnewsconfig.cpp	2007-05-04 16:13:03.000000000 -0500
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@
 
     setNoErase();
     loadTheme();
+    updateBackground();
 }
 
 MythNewsConfig::~MythNewsConfig()
@@ -342,6 +343,24 @@
     }
 }
 
+void MythNewsConfig::updateBackground(void)
+{
+    QPixmap bground(size());
+    bground.fill(this, 0, 0);
+
+    QPainter tmp(&bground);
+
+    LayerSet *container = m_Theme->GetSet("background");
+    if (container)
+    {
+        container->Draw(&tmp, 0, 0);
+    }
+
+    tmp.end();
+    m_background = bground;
+
+    setPaletteBackgroundPixmap(m_background);
+}
 
 void MythNewsConfig::updateSites()
 {
diff -Naur mythnews.orig/mythnews/mythnewsconfig.h mythnews/mythnews/mythnewsconfig.h
--- mythnews.orig/mythnews/mythnewsconfig.h	2007-05-04 14:55:03.000000000 -0500
+++ mythnews/mythnews/mythnewsconfig.h	2007-05-04 16:11:29.000000000 -0500
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@
     void populateSites();
     void loadTheme();
 
-
+    void updateBackground();
     void updateSites();
     void updateFreq();
     void updateBot();
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@
     MythNewsConfigPriv *m_priv;
 
     XMLParse           *m_Theme;
+
+    QPixmap             m_background;
+
     uint                m_Context;
     uint                m_InColumn;