American Broadcasting Company

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum



Background

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American multinational commercial broadcast television network that is a flagship property of Walt Disney Television. Launched in 1927 as the NBC-operated radio network NBC Blue Network, and after it became an independent radio network in 1945, it extended its operations to television in 1948, following in the footsteps of CBS and NBC. ABC has 8 owned-and-operated and over 232 affiliated television stations throughout the United States and its territories. Some ABC-affiliated stations can also be seen in Canada via pay-television providers.

1st ID (1948-1953)


Logo: On a gradient background, we see a map of the United States. In front of the map, we see:

American
Broadcasting
Company

in the middle of the screen.

Variant: A rare variant exists, where we see a globe in a cloudy background. We zoom in to the USA, and we see the letters "American Broadcasting Company" zoom towards us.

Technique: None or in the globe variant, live action.

Music/Sounds: An announcer is heard saying "This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company."

Music/Sounds Variant: A variant exists where the announcer says: "The preceding program, originally telecast by ABC in New York (or in rare cases, Chicago or Hollywood) has come to you by special video recording. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company."

Availability: Extinct. This logo has been spotted on Tales of Tomorrow and some other programs at the time.

2nd ID (1950s)


Logo: Just the word "ABC" in a camera lens.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: An announcer says "This is ABC Television Network."

Music/Sounds Variant: A different variant exists where the announcer says "The preceding program, originally telecast by ABC in New York, is accompanied by a special video recording. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company."

Availability: Extinct.

3rd (known) ID (1953-1957)

Logo: An eagle with a bolt through its head, and the text "ABC" is at the bottom where the feathers are sticking out.

Variants:

  • An animated variant exists, where the logo is dark at first, but it brightens up the second after it, showing the final product.
  • Another animated variant has the ABC text zoom in surrounded by a star shape, which continues to zoom until it goes beyond the circle and is no longer visible, leaving just the text in the circle.

Technique: None on the regular variant. The other variant has brightened.

Music/Sounds: An announcer says "This is ABC Television Network."

Availability: Ultra rare. Can be found on ABC releases from that time. It has recently been spotted on a Disney+ print of an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club.

4rd ID (1957-1963)


Logo: We see a prototype version of the current ABC logo, which is a giant lowercase A with "abc" situated within it.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: An announcer says "This has been an ABC Television Network Presentation."

Availability: Ultra rare. Also seen on a Digiview DVD of a public domain episode of The Lawrence Welk Show.

5th ID (1963-1969)


Logo: Against a black background, six circles come in from the left, colored red, pink, blue, light blue, green, and yellow. They all disappear off to the right except the red, blue, and green, which transform into an "a", "b", and "c" respectively, and in the corporate font used for the network. The letters then zoom out a bit and the black area shrinks to a circle, forming the ABC logo against a beige background.

Trivia: The ABC logo was designed by Paul Rand (1914-1996), who is better known for designing the logos for IBM and Westinghouse, among others.

Variants: There are two unique variants, both of which are used in Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

  • In the special Intermission Accomplished: A Tribute to Trump, the American flag was shown and the colors of the letters were changed to red, white and blue to match the American colors. Furthermore, the aspect ratio was shifted from 4:3 to 16:9 to show the flag.
  • Starting in late September 2020, upon the show returning to the studio, the logo was recreated in a 16:9 aspect ratio, and the "abc" letters are thinner. It was later changed to a still version of the finished logo with the line "live in front of no studio audience", later changed to "live in front of a vaccinated studio audience" in May 2021, with the studio audience being returned. This is due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
  • There is a B&W variant.

Technique: All 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: A dramatic horn fanfare, coupled with a man saying "This is an ABC color presentation." Sometimes, the announcer is not used.

Music/Sounds Variants:

  • There was an earlier version that used an orchestral string fanfare and no announcer.
  • Another version had a news theme-like orchestra fanfare, with an uplifting finish. This was seen on The Bullwinkle Show.
  • On the Jimmy Kimmel Live! special Intermission Accomplished: A Tribute to Trump, it added "...in dazzling red, white and blue." to the line.
  • Starting in late September 2020, the opening theme of Jimmy Kimmel Live! plays over the still version of the finished logo.

Availability: Near extinction.

  • This appeared before network broadcasts of The Bugs Bunny Show, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Bewitched, and other color programs ABC aired in the 60's.
  • The earlier music variant may have been seen on at least one episode of The Bugs Bunny Show.
  • It also made a surprise appearance on a 2009 rebroadcast of a 1968 episode of The Lawrence Welk Show.
  • This is left intact at the beginning of some episodes of The Baron on DVD, in place of the ITC logo.

6th ID (October 5, 1968-1969)


Logo: Pretty much a still of the ABC logo with some trails.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Extinct.

7th Logo (42nd Academy Awards variant) (April 7, 1970)

Logo: A still Image of an Oscar award which is shining, on a red background. Next to the Oscar award is "Academy Awards" in white, and underneath it is the ABC logo at the time.

Technique: None, unless you count the fade-out.

Music/Sounds: An announcer saying "Marcus Welby MD and The Dick Cavett Show will not be seen tonight so, that we may bring you to live color coverage of the 42nd Annual Awards of the 'Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences"

Availability: Extinct, as this was a special ID for the 42nd Academy Awards. Can be seen on the official Oscars channel on Youtube.

8th ID (Let's Get Together) (1970)


Logo: Some copies of "Let's Get Together" on the left or right of the screen, ending with the ABC logo.

Technique: TBA

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song, "Let's Get Together".

Availability: Extinct.

9th ID (This is the Place to Be!) (1971-1972)


Logo: On a black background, a white outline of the ABC logo flies into the center. It turns red and then splits into many multicolored copies of the logo. They continue flying until the logo freezes.

Variants:

  • There is a promo variant where we see several pictures from ABC shows fly in from the sides. After quite some time, the normal animation plays, but this time, there are silhouettes of various people in different colors (Two men, a doctor and her husband, a judge, and a family). After the animations of them fly out, the text "this is the place to be" in purple slide in from the right and settles in the middle. The logo then fades out.
  • There is another promo variant, which is the same as the previous one, but the silhouettes of the people are deleted in favor of the yellow text "this is the place to be!", which zooms in. This process repeats itself many times before it fades out.

Technique: The ABC logo zooming out and splitting into copies. Pretty standard 1970s scanimation.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song, "This is the Place to Be"

Music/Sounds Variants:

  • The first promo variant features an announcer saying "This September, you'll come home to some familiar faces." after the choir.
  • The second promo variant has the choir sing "Come this September, This is the Place to Be!". This is repeated a few times.

Availability: Rare. Since VHS and Betamax were not popular until the mid-1980s, home recordings may be scarce. If possible, check tapes with ABC programs dating 1971-1972.

10th ID (What You See on ABC..) (1974)


Logo: We see an array of clips from ABC shows of the period, all in a black background. Then, the music starts, and the clips disappear, one by one, in rhythm with the music. Then the words:

What You See
On ABC This Fall
You'll Be Talking About
Tomorrow!

in white zoom in. Then, it fades out, and see a burnt orange ABC circle with "ABC" in the corporate font. The circle has an orange-yellow glow.

Variant: The logo described is the main logo, but this logo is used for promos of shows from the period as well.

Technique: The clips disappearing, the text zooming in and fading out, the logo fading in.

Music/Sounds: One clip has audio, which is heard before the music starts. The music itself includes, in the beginning, a 7-note bass playing with a 7-note trumpet that starts at the third bass note and is at a faster pace. Then, groovy music plays, as a choir sings "What you see on ABC this fall you'll be talking about", then a man finishes the slogan saying "Tomorrow!". The choir then sings that same line and holds it for a bit.

Availability: Extinct. It was only seen on ABC in Fall 1974.

11th ID (Welcome to the Bright New World of ABC) (1975-1976)


Logo: On a black background, the word "WELCOME" zooms in and hits the screen 3 times. Then the slogan, "WELCOME TO THE BRIGHT NEW WORLD OF ABC" scrolls up. Before it ends, it cross-fades into a blue-red lined floor where in the distance, the ABC logo in orange lifts up from behind the floor and goes into place in mid-air.

Variant: There's a version where the logo is still. This was mainly used as a secondary ident.

Technique: The text and ABC logo rising up. The effects were pretty nifty for 1975, but it was starting to become mainstream to see glints and glows everywhere at around this time. Cel animation by Robert Abel and Associates.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song "Welcome to the Bright New World on ABC."

Availability: Extinct, as it was only used as a station ID. However, it made an appearance during the opening montage of the 40th-anniversary special.

12th ID (Let Us Be the One!) (1976-1977)

Regular ID
Local IDs

Logo: On a black background, we see a small group of sparkles moving around in different directions until they form the worlds " LET US BE THE ONE!" (tilted at an angle). A pink glow flashes behind the words as they continuously zoom closer and fill the screen. Then we cut to a chrome ABC logo glowing blue, with the ABC letters shining as it slowly zooms out.

Trivia: The animation was done by Robert Abel and Associates.

Variants:

  • A version was made for Nine in Australia. In this version, the Nine logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • An alternate version was also made for Nine in Australia in which the network's "nine dots" logo replaces the Nine logos.
  • A still version was also used as an alternate ID and for closed-circuit broadcasts. Sometimes the glow around the ABC logo would be smaller and darker.

Custom Local Variants:

  • KOMO-TV 4 (Seattle, Washington): There's a byline with "KOMO TV" on the left, and the station's logo on the right.
  • WCVB-TV 5 (Boston, Massachusetts): There's a byline with "WCVB-tv" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "Boston" on the right.
  • KABC-TV 7 (Los Angeles, California): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo. In addition, program titles like "Hollywood Squares", "Match Game P.M.", "The Gong Show", and "Let's Make A Deal" would be featured in the same sparkling animation as the "LET US BE THE ONE!" text. An alternate version has the standard ABC logo with a byline below with "KABC-TV" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "LOS ANGELES" on the right.
  • WLS-TV 7 (Chicago, Illinois): There's a byline with "WLS-TV CHICAGO" on the left, and the station's logo on the right.
  • KTUL-TV 8 (Tulsa, Oklahoma): The station's logo appears in a glossy silver/white (instead of chrome blue).
  • WOKR-TV 13 (Rochester, New York; now known as WHAM-TV): There's a byline with "WOKR TV13" on top and "Rochester, N.Y." on the bottom.

Technique: The sparkles forming the text, followed by the shining of the ABC logo.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song "Let Us Be The One", which is based on the song "Let Me Be The One" by The Carpenters.

Availability: Extinct, as it was only used as a station ID.

13th ID (Still the One!) (Fall 1977-Summer 1978)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo:

  • Opening: On a black background, sparkles come down from the top-right to the bottom-left of the screen. After they almost disappear, the ABC logo, with the font in gold and the circle styled like a bubble, zooms in while sparkling.
  • Closing: The same animation from the opening plays, minus the sparkles coming down, but after it's done zooming in, the sparkles come down again and the ABC logo glows and shines while the words "STILL THE ONE!" zooms down right beside the ABC logo. The camera then zooms closer to the ABC logo and the entire thing cuts to black.

Variants:

  • A version was made for Nine in Australia. In this version, the Nine logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • An alternate version was also made for Nine in Australia in which the network's "nine dots" logo replaces the Nine logos. After it's done zooming in, the bubble glows and shines and the "nine dots" logo fades into the Nine logo. The ball's glow fades away and the Nine logo fades back into the "nine dots" logo.
  • A still version was also made in which the logo is slightly larger, doesn't shine, and is a little darker. This variant was used for closed-circuit broadcasts.

Custom Local Variants:

  • WTAE-TV 4 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WEWS-TV 5 (Cleveland, Ohio): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WOI-DT 5 (Ames-Des Moines, Iowa): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WOI-TV / Ames" on the bottom.
  • KATV-TV 7 (Little Rock, Arkansas): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WBRC 6 (Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Anniston, Alabama; now a FOX affiliate): A completely different ID is used. On a starry blue/orange background, the station's logo is there with the words "STILL THE ONE" curved above the logo.
  • WABC-TV 7 (New York, New York): There's a byline with the words "WABC-TV" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "New York" on the right.
  • KABC-TV 7 (Los Angeles, California): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WISN-TV 12 (Milwaukee, Wisconsin): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WOKR-TV 13 (Rochester, New York; now known as WHAM-TV): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WAAY-TV 31 (Huntsville-Decatur, Alabama): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • KTRK-TV 13 (Houston, Texas): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.

Technique: The sparkles floating down and the logo zooming in. Cel animation by Harry Marks.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song "Still The One," which is based on a song with the same name by Orleans.

Availability: Extinct, as it was only used as a station ID. However, it made a surprise appearance on WISN-TV's 50th anniversary special.

14th ID (We're the One) (Fall 1978-Summer 1979, 1993, 1999)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: Over a starry night sky, a multitude of streaks pass by as a rainbow-like rectangular box with streaks pass from left to right. In the box is the slogan "We're The One" in a typical 70's font. When it gets up-close, the rectangular box fades out while the words pass by. It then fades into a rainbow-colored background with lines circling it. Then a starry swirl zooms in which leads to a circle where explosions happen to show the familiar ABC logo with a spinning rainbow circling it. During this, more streaks pass by.

Variants:

  • There's a version without the spinning rainbow.
  • A version was made for Nine in Australia. In this version, the familiar multitude of streaks pass by, but this time, it's on a black background. Then a flash appears where the slogan "We're The One" now zooms out in a golden texture and a white circle appears. The starry swirl then appears. After the swirl passes, there's a white flash where it fades into the Nine logo's dots inside a red circle. It then fades into the "9" while streaks pass by.
  • A version was also made for Canal Trece (now El Trece) in Argentina. In this version, streaks pass by again, but this time, it is on a different night sky. Then a flash appears and suddenly, the logo cuts to the starry swirl instead leading to an explosion showing the stylized "13" with no circle whatsoever while streaks pass by. After that, the words "Transmite LS 85 TV Canal 13 Buenos Aires" wipe in below the "13".
  • A version was used on a 1979 closed-circuit feed where the background was black, the spinning rainbow was gone, the logo was still, and the words "CLOSED CIRCUIT" were right below the logo.
  • There is another version of the animated generic ID in which the words "ABC" are nowhere to be seen. This version was mostly used for either promo advertising ABC's programming (for example, "MONDAY", "WEDNESDAY", etc). However, this version was also used for ABC stations to place their logo or channel number when needed.

Custom Local Variants:

  • WEWS-TV 5 (Cleveland, Ohio): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo. Another variant has a byline with the 5 logos on the left and the words "WEWS-CLEVELAND" on the right.
  • WJLA-TV 7 (Washington, D.C.): There's a byline with the words "WJLA-TV" on the left and "Washington, D.C." on the right with the station's logo sandwiched in-between.
  • WABC-TV 7 (New York, New York), KABC-TV 7 (Los Angeles, California), WXYZ-TV 7 (Detroit, Michigan), and KVII-TV 7 (Amarillo, Texas): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo. Also, the spinning rainbow is now a light shade of blue.
  • KBTV-TV 9 (Denver, Colorado; now known as KUSA-TV and now an NBC affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo. Another variant has a byline with "9" on the right and the words "KBTVDenver" in a box on the right.
  • KMSP-TV 9 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota; now a FOX affiliate): There's a byline with the words "keep" stacked above the words "MINNEAPOLIS" and "ST. PAUL" on the left and the station's logo on the right.
  • WFTV-TV 9 (Orlando, Florida): There's a logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen with "WFTV" on the top, the station's logo in the middle, and "Orlando" on the bottom.
  • WISN-TV 12 (Milwaukee, Wisconsin): There's a byline with the station's logo on the left and the words "WISN TV" on top and "MILWAUKEE" on the bottom, on the right.
  • WJRT-TV 12 (Flint-Saginaw-Bay City, Michigan): There's a byline with the words "WJRT-TV Channel 12" on top and "Flint-Saginaw-Bay City" on the bottom.
  • WOKR-TV 13 (Rochester, New York; now known as WHAM-TV): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WHBQ-TV 13 (Memphis, Tennessee; now a FOX affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WJZ-TV 13 (Baltimore, Maryland; now a CBS affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WJZ-TV" on the left and "BALTIMORE" on the right with the Westinghouse Broadcasting logo sandwiched in-between (since the station was owned by the Westinghouse Electric Company at the time).
  • KXIX-TV 19 (Victoria, Texas): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "KXIX-TV" on top and "VICTORIA, TEXAS" on the bottom.
  • KSEE-TV 47 (Fresno, California; now known as KGPE-TV and now a CBS affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.

Technique: The streaks passing by and the rainbow circling the ABC logo. Cel animation by Sullivan & Marks.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song "We're The One," which is based on "You're The One" by Glen Campbell or silent. The Nine variant has an instrumental version of the song. The Canal 13 Argentina variant instead has a sampling of the track "World Champion" by Keith Mansfield with a Spanish announcer saying "LS 85 Television Canal 13, Buenos Aires".

Availability: Extinct, as it was only used as a station ID. However, the generic ABC ID made a guest appearance on the opening montage of ABC's 40th anniversary special in 1993, as well as a TGIF promo from 1999.

15th ID (Still the One!) (Fall 1979-Summer 1980)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: On a black background with grids on the top and bottom, the words "STILL THE ONE!" in golden yellow tilt into place and zoom in into us. Then when the grids disappear, a pair of stars, lined up horizontally, shoot out into the place where they flash and segue into a pair of multicolored lines (blue, green, and orange). The lines then tilt clockwise with streaks shooting left. A black circle then fades in where the letters to the ABC logo flash dimly. The streaks continue to shoot left.

Variants:

  • A version was made for Nine in Australia. In this version, the Nine logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • A version was also made of ABC's coverage of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
  • A still version exists where the letters "ABC" are brighter. This version was used for closed circuit broadcasts and sign-offs.

Custom Local Variants:

  • KATU-TV 2 (Portland-Salem, Oregon-Vancouver, Washington): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WTAE-TV 4 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): There's a byline with the station's logo on the right and the words "was-tv" on top and "PITTSBURGH" on the bottom, on the right.
  • KSTP-TV 5 (Saint Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "KSTP TELEVISION" on top, "SAINT PAUL" in the middle, and "MINNEAPOLIS" on the bottom.
  • WEWS-TV 5 (Cleveland, Ohio): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • KABC-TV 7 (Los Angeles, California): There's a byline with the words "KABC-TV" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "LOS ANGELES" on the right.
  • WABC-TV 7 (New York, New York): There's a byline with the words "WABC-TV" on top and "NEW YORK" on the bottom on the top-left of the screen; the station's logo is the bottom-right of the screen.
  • WLS-TV 7 (Chicago, Illinois): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WLS-TV CHICAGO" on the bottom-right of the screen. An alternate version has the ABC logo left intact. The byline "WLS-TV CHICAGO" is still there, but the station's logo is now seen on the right of the word "CHICAGO".
  • KGTV-TV 10 (San Diego, California): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • KBTV 9 (Denver, Colorado; now known as KUSA-TV and now an NBC affiliate): For the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics version, the station's logo is yellow and seen below.
  • WXIA-TV 11 (Atlanta, Georgia; now an NBC affiliate): The station's logo is on the bottom-left corner and the temperature is on the bottom-right corner.
  • KTHI-TV 11 (Fargo, North Dakota; now both an NBC and CBS affiliate): There's a byline that reads "ethic--tv" on top, "CHANNEL 11" in the middle, and "Fargo/Grand Forks" on the bottom on the bottom-right of the screen.
  • WHBQ-TV 13 (Memphis, Tennessee; now a FOX affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo, which is now set on the bottom-right to fit the picture of Memphis on-screen in a box with the words "WE'RE STILL THE ONE" on top.
  • WJZ-TV 13 (Baltimore, Maryland; now a CBS affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WJZ-TV" on top and "BALTIMORE" on the bottom on the bottom-right of the screen.
  • WOKR-TV 13 (Rochester, New York; now known as WHAM-TV): The station's logo is on the top-left of the screen and there's a byline with the words "WOKR" on top and "Rochester" on the bottom on the bottom-right of the screen.
  • KOVR-TV 13 (Sacramento-Stockon, California): The station's logo with the tagline "13 Belongs" is on the bottom-right corner with a stripe connecting to the logo, and the words "You Are Watching KOVR Stockon-Sacramento" appear on the bottom-left corner.

Technique: The flashes and the streaks shooting through the lines. Cel animation by Harry Marks.

Music/Sounds: A slower-upbeat version of the song from the last logo. Rearranged by JAM Creative Productions.

Availability: Extinct, as it was only used as a station ID.

16th ID (You and Me) (Fall 1980-Summer 1981)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: On a black background, the words "YOU AND ME" in a style of a flashing sign appear in a sliding effect with shimmering red and blue lines all across the screen. Then it zooms in and cross-fades into a line of stars with two lines of text reading "ABC" on the top and bottom respectively. It then zooms out the reveal the ABC logo with red lines going across the logo and blue lines going down it. When the logo gets into place, a blue-red border zooms out into place. The circle of the logo continues to spin when the logo finishes.

Variant: There's a version where the background is black. This, in particular, was only used for closed circuit broadcasts, which, according to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, is "a television transmission system in which live or prerecorded signals are sent over a closed loop to a finite and predetermined group of receivers, either via coaxial cable or as scrambled radio waves that are unscrambled at the point of reception."

Custom Local Variants:

  • WCBD-TV 2 (Charleston, South Carolina): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo. Also, the logo is on the bottom left with the slogan "IT'S A LIVING" and the byline "WCBD-TV Charleston" both situated on the bottom right.
  • WCVB-TV 5 (Boston, Massachusetts): There's a byline with the words "WCVBTV" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "BOSTON" on the right.
  • WEWS-TV 5 (Cleveland, Ohio): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WTVN-TV 6 (Columbus, Ohio; now known as WSYX-TV): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • KABC-TV 7 (Los Angeles, California): There's a byline with the words "KABC-TV" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "LOS ANGELES" on the right.
  • WABC-TV 7 (New York, New York): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo. Another variant has a byline with the words "WABC-TV" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "NEW YORK" on the right.
  • WLS-TV 7 (Chicago, Illinois): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WLS-TV Chicago" at the bottom.
  • KOLO-TV 8 (Reno, Nevada): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WPLG-TV 10 (Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida): There's a byline with the words "WPLG" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "MIAMI" on the right.
  • KNTV-TV 11 (San Francisco Bay Area, California; now owned by NBC): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and the words "KNTV" are on the top-left corner and "San Jose" on the bottom-right corner of the screen.
  • WJZ-TV 13 (Baltimore, Maryland; now owned by CBS): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WJZ-TV BALTIMORE" at the bottom.

Technique: The circle spinning. CGI by Marks & Marks.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song "You and Me."

Availability: Extinct, as it was only used as a station ID.

17th ID (Now is the Time!) (Fall 1981-Summer 1982)

Regular ID
Local IDs
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Logo: On a black background, the words "NOW IS THE TIME" in orange shoots down like a beam onto a blue-dotted grid. After that happens, the camera pans in the center. During that, the dotted grid fades out and the camera zooms in and shifts to the left where the text flashes to reveal the ABC logo with bursts of light shining around the logo.

Variants:

  • There is a sped-up version that was mostly used on promos.
  • Two versions exist where the logo is blank. The first version has the circle and the other has no circle. This was done so local affiliates could add their logo when needed.
  • There were versions specifically made for promos where it usually said "SUNDAY'S THE NIGHT!", "MONDAY'S THE NIGHT!", and so on.
  • There's a still version where it is basically an open-matte version of the logo. This was used on sign-offs at the time.
  • A version exists where the words "CLOSED CIRCUIT" are at the bottom. This variant is still.

Custom Local Variants:

  • KTVI-TV 2 (St. Louis, Missouri; now a FOX affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WNGE-TV 2 (Nashville, Tennessee; now known as WKRN-TV): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WNGE / Nashville" at the bottom.
  • KTVK-TV 3 (Phoenix, Arizona; now an independent station): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WTAE-TV 4 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): There's a byline with the station's logo on the right and the words "was-tv" on top and "PITTSBURGH" on the bottom, on the right.
  • WCVB-TV 5 (Boston, Massachusetts): There's a byline with the words "WCVB TV" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "BOSTON" on the right.
  • WRAL-TV 5 (Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville, North Carolina; now a CBS affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WRAL-TV RALEIGH" at the bottom.
  • WPVI-TV 6 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo, and the words "WPVI TV" appear on top of the logo and "PHILADELPHIA" appears at the bottom.
  • KABC-TV 7 (Los Angeles, California): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "KABC-TV LOS ANGELES" at the bottom. Another variant has the same byline, but with the regular ABC logo.
  • WJLA-TV 7 (Washington, D.C.): There's a byline with the words "WJLA-TV" on top and "WASHINGTON, D.C." in small print at the bottom on the left and the station's logo on the right.
  • WABC-TV 7 (New York, New York): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and is shifted up a bit, and there's a byline with the words "WABC-TV New York" at the bottom. Another variant has it without the byline.
  • WKBW-TV 7 (Buffalo, New York): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WLS-TV 7 (Chicago, Illinois): There's a byline with the words "WLS-TV CHICAGO" on the left and the station's logo on the right.
  • WXYZ-TV (Detroit, Michigan): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo, and is given a more bluish-metallic sheen.
  • WFAA-TV 8 (Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WMTW-TV 8 (Poland Spring-Auburn-Portland-Lewiston, Maine): The logo is different this time around. On the logo is the word "ei8ht's." Below it is the words "THE" on the middle-left, "PLACE" on the middle-right, "WMTW-TV" on the bottom-left, and "Poland Spring, Maine" on the bottom right.
  • KBTV-TV 9 (Denver, Colorado; now known as KUSA-TV and now an NBC affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • KCAU-TV 9 (Sioux City, Iowa): There's a byline with the words "KCAU-TV" on top and "SIOUX CITY" on the bottom on the left and the station's logo on the right.
  • KGUN-TV 9 (Tuscon, Arizona): The temperature appears on the top-left of the screen and the station's logo appears on the bottom right.
  • KTHI-TV 11 (Fargo-Grand Forks, North Dakota; now known as KLVY-TV and now an NBC affiliate): There's a byline with the words "KTHI-TV/11" on top and "FARGO/GRAND FOLKS" on the bottom.
  • WJZ-TV 13 (Baltimore, Maryland; now a CBS O&O affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WAKR-TV 23 (Akron-Cleveland-Canton, Ohio; now known as WVPX-TV and now an Ion Television affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo which is now on a completely black background and there's a byline with the words "AKRON" on top and "CABLE CHANNEL 4" on the bottom.
  • WBAK-TV 38 (Terre Haute, Indiana; now known as WAWV-TV): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and the words "WBAK-TV 38" and "TERRE HAUTE" with the ABC logo at the bottom.

Technique: Impressive animation for the early '80s which still holds up well today. Cel animation by Harry Marks.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song "Now is The Time" composed by Frank Gari and Artie Schroeck or silent.

Music/Sounds Variant: The promo version usually had "Now is the time" being replaced with such examples as "Sunday's the night...", "Monday's the night...", etc. The Saturday version had "Saturday's the time..."

Availability: Extinct, as it was only used as a station ID.

18th ID (Come On Along!) (Fall 1982-Summer 1983)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: On a black background, an orange star comes down from the top of the screen which makes the word "COME" appear. Then another one comes down which makes the word "ON" appear. One more comes down which makes the word "ALONG" appear. During all this, the slogan rotates to the right. Then a red streak comes down which reads out "ABC" and hits the three O's. When the letters hit the O's, a burst of stars form a blue neon background where the circle of the ABC logo in black with red emitting from the bottom of the circle fades in while the ABC text comes down and lands on the circle.

Variants:

  • There's a variant where the emitting red at the bottom of the circle is blue. It's unknown if this variant is real.
  • There's a version where the logo is blank. This was used for closed circuit broadcasts so local stations could their logos in.
  • There is a version where the entire logo is still. This was used for closed circuit broadcasts and station sign-offs.
  • A version was made for Nine Network in Australia. In this version, after the word "ALONG" appears, the entire logo freezes halfway through. The words slide away after a few seconds and the gold Nine Network logo comes in on a space background.

Custom Local Variants:

  • WCBD-TV 2 (Charleston, South Carolina; now an NBC affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • KEYT-TV 3 (Santa Barbara, California): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo, where the circle is now completely blue.
  • KXLY-TV 4 (Spokane, Washington): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo. Another variant has a byline with the words "KXLY-TV" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "SPOKANE" on the right, curved around the logo.
  • WTAE-TV 4 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WCVB-TV 5 (Boston-Worcester, Massachusetts): There's a byline with the words " WCVBTV" on the left, the station's logo in the middle, and "BOSTON" on the right.
  • WEWS-TV 5 (Cleveland, Ohio): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WEWS CLEVELAND" at the bottom.
  • WTVN-TV 6 (Columbus, Ohio; now known as WSYX-TV): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WTVN-TV" on top and "COLUMBUS" at the bottom.
  • WATE-TV 6 (Knoxville, Tennessee): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • KLTV-TV 7 (Tyler-Longview, Texas): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "KLTV-Tyler" at the bottom.
  • WABC-TV 7 (New York, New York): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo and there's a byline with the words "WABC-TV NEW YORK" at the bottom.
  • WKBW-TV 7 (Buffalo, New York): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WLS-TV 7 (Chicago, Illinois): There's a byline with the words "WLS-TV CHICAGO" on the left and the station's logo on the right.
  • WMTW-TV 8 (Poland Spring-Auburn-Portland-Lewiston, Maine): There are two different versions of the station's logo replacing the ABC logo.
  • KUSA-TV 9 (Denver, Colorado; now an NBC affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WFTV-TV 9 (Orlando, Florida): There's a byline with the words "WFTV" in the middle, the ABC logo on the right, the number "9" on the right, and "ORLANDO" at the bottom.
  • WLUK-TV 11 (Green Bay-Fox Cities, Wisconsin; now a FOX affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo, and the words "Green Bay, WI" are at the bottom.
  • WAKR-TV 23 (Akron-Cleveland, Ohio; now known as WPVX-TV and now an Ion Television O&O affiliate): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo. Another version has it in a box with the words "WAKR-TV" on top and "Akron/Canton" on the bottom.
  • WAAY-TV 31 (Huntsville-Decatur-Shoals-Sand Mountain, Alabama): The station's logo replaces the ABC logo.
  • WBAK-TV 38 (Terre Haute, Indiana; now known as WAWV-TV): The main logo is now in a curved box with the number "38" in a circle on the right. The words "WBAK-TV" are on top and "Terre Haute" with the ABC logo beside it is at the bottom.
  • WGXA-TV (Macon, Georgia)ː It's different. We see a blue/green comet make "The Macon Spirit" with the channel number seen. We then see the print ABC logo & "WGXA-TV" below. Then, it "shines".

Technique: The star coming down, the ABC text shooting down onto the circle, etc. Cel animation by Harry Marks.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song "Come On Along." Composed by Frank Gari and Artie Schroeck.

Availability: Ultra rare. Was used as a station ID. This logo also made an appearance on Mysteries of the Universe, a fictional program from ABC that was connected to Lost. This appearance can be found on the fifth season DVD of Lost as a bonus feature.

19th ID (That Special Feeling!) (1983-1984)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: Against a field of blue diagonal bars, we see the text, "That Special Feeling!" in uppercase letters, then the text flies and we see the ABC logo in orange shining with the text in cursive as it ends.

Variants: There is a close-circuited version where everything doesn't move except the announcer saying, "This is ABC."

Custom Local Variants:

  • WABC in New York, New York
  • WOWK in Huntington/Charleston, West Virginia
  • WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut
  • WVPX in Akron/Canton, Ohio
  • WIXT in Syracuse, New York
  • WKBW in Buffalo, New York
  • WSAV in Savannah, Georgia
  • KETV in Omaha, Nebraska
  • WCBD in Charleston, South Carolina
  • WRTV in Indianapolis, Indiana
  • KTVX in Salt Lake City, Utah
  • KGO in San Francisco, California
  • WLS in Chicago, Illinois
  • KSTP in St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • WMTW in Poland Spring, Maine
  • WTLV in Jacksonville, Florida
  • KABC in Los Angeles, California
  • KBAK in Bakersfield, California (now a CBS affiliate)
  • WPVI in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio
  • WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts
  • KVUE in Austin, Texas
  • WSOC in Charlotte, North Carolina
  • KLTV in Tyler/Longview, Texas
  • WBRZ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan
  • KMBC in Kansas City, Missouri

Technique: The ABC logo and the text shining. Cel animation by Harry Marks.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song, "That Special Feeling" composed by Frank Gari, or the announcer (Bill Rice) saying "This is ABC."

Music/Sounds Variants: None unless you count the announcers in the affiliate versions.

Availability: Extinct on TV.

20th ID (We're With You) (1984-1985)

Regular ID
Local IDs

Logo: We see the text, "We're With You" in uppercase letters, then the text flies and we see the ABC logo in orange as it ends.

Variants: There is a close-circuited version where everything doesn't move except the announcer saying, "This is ABC."

Custom Local Variants:

  • WABC in New York, New York
  • WFAA in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
  • WKBW in Buffalo, New York
  • WSAV in Savannah, Georgia
  • KSFY in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • KGO in San Francisco, California
  • WMBB in Panama City, Florida
  • KSTP in St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • KNTV in San Jose, California
  • KOMO in Seattle, Washington
  • KABC in Los Angeles, California
  • KGTV in San Diego, California
  • WPVI in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio
  • WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts
  • KVUE in Austin, Texas
  • WSOC in Charlotte, North Carolina
  • KLTV in Tyler/Longview, Texas
  • WLOX in Biloxi, Mississippi
  • KMBC in Kansas City, Missouri

Technique: The ABC logo with dots that are supposed to be spotlighted. CGI by Bo Gehring and Associates.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song, "We're With You" composed by Frank Gari, or the announcer (Bill Rice) saying "This is ABC."

Music/Sounds Variants: None unless you count the announcers in the affiliate versions.

Availability: Extinct on TV.



21st ID (You'll Love It!) (1985-1986)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: We see the ABC logo on a purple, magenta, and orange background, with streaks going up on and off the screen.

Variants:

  • There is a close-circuited version where everything doesn't move except the announcer saying, "This is ABC."
  • There is a variant for Nine in Australia.

Custom Local Variants:

  • WABC in New York, New York
  • WLS in Chicago, Illinois
  • WPVI in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • WFAA in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
  • KGO in San Francisco, California
  • KNTV in San Jose, California
  • WJLA in Washington, D.C.
  • WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts
  • WSB in Atlanta, Georgia
  • KTVK in Phoenix, Arizona
  • KOMO in Seattle, Washington
  • WFTV in Orlando, Florida
  • WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio
  • KOVR-TV in Sacramento/Stockton, California
  • WTAE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • WJZ in Baltimore, Maryland
  • KTVX in Salt Lake City, Utah
  • KMBC in Kansas City, Missouri
  • WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut
  • WKRC in Cincinnati, Ohio
  • KTNV in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • WKBW in Buffalo, New York
  • WPRI in Providence, Rhode Island/New Bedford, Massachusetts
  • WFRV in Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • WMTW in Poland Spring, Maine
  • WHO in Toledo, Ohio
  • WJCL in Savannah, Georgia
  • WBRZ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • WAPT in Jackson, Mississippi
  • WKPT in Kingsport, Tennessee (part of the Tri-Cities)
  • KOLO in Reno, Nevada
  • KLTV in Tyler, Texas
  • KBAK (now a CBS affiliate) in Bakersfield, California
  • WTVM in Columbus, Georgia
  • WBAK in Terre Haute, Indian
  • KOTA in Rapid City, South Dakota
  • WUTR in Utica, New York
  • KLDO (now a Univision affiliate) in Laredo, Texas
  • GTV-9, TCN-9, and NWS-9 in Australia (not affiliated with the American Broadcasting Company, but continuing a long tradition of adapting American network campaigns)

Technique: The streaks going up on and off the screen and the ABC logo shining. CGI by Cranston Csuri Productions.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song, "You'll Love It!" (based on Randy Newman's "I Love L.A.") composed by Frank Gari, or the announcer (Bill Rice) saying "This is ABC."

Music/Sounds Variants: None unless you count the announcers in the affiliate versions.

Availability: Extinct on TV.

22nd ID (Together) (1986-1987)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: TBA.

Custom Local Variants:

  • WBRZ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • KIII in Corpus Christi, Texas
  • KOTA in Rapid City, South Dakota
  • KOMO in Seattle, Washington
  • WTAE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts
  • WFRV-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • WPVI in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • KABC in Los Angeles, California
  • WABC in New York, New York
  • WJLA in Washington, D.C.
  • WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan
  • KOLO in Reno, Nevada
  • WFTV in Orlando, Florida
  • KGTV in San Diego, California
  • WPLG in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • KNTV in San Jose, California
  • KSAT in San Antonio, Texas
  • WISN in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • KSFY in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (as well as its rebroadcast stations also in South Dakota- KABY in Aberdeen and KPRY in Pierre)
  • WMBB in Panama City, Florida
  • WOKR in Rochester, New York
  • KRDO in Colorado Springs & Pueblo, Colorado
  • WAPT in Jackson, Mississippi
  • WKPT in Kingsport, Tennessee (part of the Tri-Cities)
  • WAKC in Akron, Ohio
  • KVUE in Austin, Texas
  • WPTA in Fort Wayne, Indiana
  • WAAY in Huntsville, Alabama

Technique: CGI by Omnibus Computer Graphics.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's song, "We Belong Together", sung by Aretha Franklin and Leon Russell.

Availabilty: Extinct.

23rd ID (Something's Happening) (1987-1988)

Regular ID
Local IDs

Logo: TBA.

Variants: TBA.

Custom Local Variants:

  • KTVI in St. Louis, Missouri
  • WBRZ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • WTAE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • WPVI in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • WKBW in Buffalo, New York
  • WFAA in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
  • WPRI in Providence, Rhode Island/New Bedford, Massachusetts
  • WKPT in Kingsport, Tennessee
  • WUTR in Utica/Rome, New York
  • KLAX in Alexandria, Louisiana
  • WMGC in Binghamton, New York
  • KVIA in El Paso, Texas

Technique: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availabilty: Extinct.

24th ID (Something's Happening) (1988-1989)

Regular ID
Local IDs

Logo: It consists of "Something's Happening" being written out, then the station's logo sliding up at the beginning of the promo, then "Something's Happening" and the station logo zooming out to a brown circle background, in a 20th Century Fox-Reunion angle.

Custom Local Variants:

  • KTVI in St. Louis, Missouri
  • KOCO in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts
  • KABC in Los Angeles, California
  • WJLA in Washington, D.C.
  • WFAA in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
  • KUSA in Denver, Colorado (well, it's not really an ID, but they did have custom lyrics of this one's theme)
  • WJRT in Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, Michigan
  • WLOX in Biloxi, Mississippi
  • WSB in Atlanta, Georgia
  • KARD in West Monroe, Louisiana
  • WUTR in Utica/Rome, New York
  • WVNY in Burlington, Vermont
  • KVUE in Austin, Texas
  • WJET in Erie, Pennsylvania

Variant: A still variant exists.

Technique: The logos zooming out, the text writing. CGI by Pacific Data Images. None for the still variant.

Music/Sounds: An upbeat funk tune, arranged from "Dancing in the Street" composed by Non-Stop Music. The still variant just has an announcer saying "This is ABC".

Availability: Extinct, but can be found on old recorded tapes.

25th ID (Something's Happening) (1989-1990)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: We see the text "SOMETHING'S HAPPENING!" in a vertical row. We go down that row to see the circle rotate to see the letters "' ABC" on the circle as the logo ends.

Custom Local Variants:

  • WZZM in Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • WJCL in Savannah, Georgia
  • WFAA in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
  • KTRK in Houston, Texas
  • KARD in West Monroe, Louisiana
  • WVNY in Burlington, Vermont
  • WMGC-TV (WIVT) in Binghampton, New York
  • WPLG in Miami, Florida
  • WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts

Technique: CGI by Marks Communications and Pacific Data Images.

Music/Sounds: The campaign's third song, which is a mix of the songs "Shout" by the Isley Brothers and "Mockingbird" by Carly Simon and James Taylor.

Availability: Extinct, but can be found on old recorded tapes.

26th ID (America's Watching) (1990-1991)

Regular ID
Local IDs

Logo: TBA

Custom Local Vairants:

  • WPVI in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania*
  • KVIA in El Paso, Texas*
  • KTUL in Tulsa, Oklahoma*
  • WFAA in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas*
  • KUSA (now an NBC affiliate) in Denver, Colorado*
  • WPLG in Miami, Florida*
  • WOKR in Rochester, New York*
  • WVEC in Hampton, Virginia*
  • KARD (now a Fox affiliate) in West Monroe, Louisiana*
  • WUTR in Utica/Rome, New York*
  • WVNY in Burlington, Vermont/Plattsburgh, New York*

Technique: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Extinct. Check your videotapes.

27th ID (America's Watching) (1991-1992)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: TBA.

Custom Local Variants:

  • WPVI in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • WMTW in Portland, Maine
  • KHGI in Kearney, Nebraska
  • WHTM in Harrisburg/York/Lebanon/Lancaster, Pennsylvania
  • WTSP in Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg*
  • KARD in West Monroe, Louisiana
  • WTAE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • WABC in New York, New York
  • WUTR in Utica/Rome, New York
  • WKOW in Madison, Wisconsin
  • WVEC in Hampton, Virginia
  • WGTU and WGTQ in Northern Michigan
  • WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts (It's a different ID, but they did have the ABC 1991 Graphics)*
  • WVUE in New Orleans, Louisiana (same as above)*

Technique: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Extinct.

28th ID (It Must Be...) (1992-1993)

Regular ID
Local IDs

Logo: TBA

Custom Local Variants:

  • WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts
  • WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio
  • KFBB in Great Falls, Montana
  • WVUE in New Orleans, Louisiana
  • WBRZ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas
  • WLS in Chicago, Illinois
  • WEAR in Penscola, Florida/Mobile, Alabama
  • WTSP in St. Petersburg, Florida
  • WHOA in Montgomery, Alabama
  • WUTR in Utica/Rome, New York
  • KGO in San Francisco, California
  • WVNY in Burlington, Vermont
  • WPBF in West Palm Beach, Florida
  • KEYT in Santa Barbara, California

Technique: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Extinct.

29th ID (Watched By More People Than Any Other Network/The American Broadcasting Company) (1993-1996)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: TBA.

Custom Local Variants:

  • WMAR in Baltimore, Maryland*
  • WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio*
  • KGO-TV in San Francisco, California*
  • WJLA in Washington, D.C.*
  • WBBJ in Jackson, Tennessee*
  • WFAA in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas*
  • KODE in Joplin, Missouri/Pittsburg, Kansas*
  • WKRC in Cincinnati, Ohio*
  • WHBQ (now Fox) in Memphis, Tennessee*
  • WSET in Lynchburg/Roanoke, Virginia*
  • WUTR in Utica/Rome, New York*
  • WVNY in Burlington, Vermont*

Technique: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Extinct.

30th ID (Nobody Does It Like ABC/This is Your TV) (1996-1997)


Logo: TBA

Technique: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Extinct.

31st ID (TV Is Good) (1997-1998)


Logo: TBA

Technique: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Extinct.

32nd ID (America's Broadcasting Company) (1998-2002)

Regular ID
Local IDs


Logo: Usually a bunch of shapes moving around, which always ends with the ABC logo in the middle of a yellow background with "American Broadcasting Company" or "We Love TV" appearing one-by-one below to the beat of the music.

Trivia: The idents were designed by Pittard Sullivan and Troika Design Group.

IDs: All idents end with the ABC logo on a yellow background with "America(n/'s) Broadcasting Company" or "We Love TV" appearing one-by-one, unless otherwise marked.

  • 1998
    • On a yellow background, a black circle moves around in various places of the screen. After a few seconds, two other circles appear, and all three circles form lines at the top, middle, and bottom. The usual ending plays.
    • The ABC logo pops up on screen, along with zooming circles. The usual ending plays. This is a shorter ident and only lasts 3 seconds, however an extended version does exist where the animation is slower.
    • The ABC logo appears in three different places of the screen, surrounded by rippling effects. An alternate version of this exists where the animation is much faster-paced. The usual ending plays.
  • 1999
    • Stripes of black and yellow ABC logos quickly move and zoom throughout the screen. Then it cuts to the ending.
    • An SMPTE color bar appears. The rectangles and colors move around and slowly disappear. Soon, there are only three rectangles left (red, yellow, blue). The rectangles go closer together, and disappear afterwards, so only the yellow remains. Then it cuts to the ending, but with the text already formed.
  • 2000
    • A yellow background slowly "loads" in, row by row. Once done, it cuts to the ending, with the text reading "No download time.".
    • We zoom through two different curves made out of circles and ABC logos. The colors switch between yellow and black throughout the ident. After that, the yellow ABC logo zooms in. Then it cuts to the ending.
    • Similarly to the last ident, we move through a spiral made out of yellow circles. The ABC logo zooms out to the center of the spiral, and after a few more seconds zooms in again. The now-black spiral then moves back quickly, over a yellow background. The usual ending plays.
    • Inside a yellow/black tunnel, the yellow ABC logo moves inside, with the tunnel inverting colors and sides after a few seconds. The tunnel zooms up and swirls back inside the logo. The usual ending plays.
    • Over a black background, a yellow ABC logo flashes twice. It then cuts to an up-close black ABC logo, and flashes between the two colors twice. Then, it cuts to a tunnel, similar to the previous ident. We move through it for a few seconds, then it suddenly changes speed and zooms past it. Then it cuts to the ending.
    • On a yellow background, a black star appears. It slowly grows in size, as the colors shift between yellow and black. Then it cuts to the ending.
    • In a black background, we see yellow dots dropping to the bottom of the screen, resembling rain drops. At the end, one drops and zooms up to the screen, forming a yellow background. The usual ending plays.
    • Over a black background, a trail of yellow circles move across the screen in swirling patterns, resembling an interchange. One of the circles has an ABC logo inside. After it moves off screen, the trail moves faster, and zooms out to a yellow background with the ABC logo. The usual ending plays.
    • On a black background, we see yellow flowers with their petals spinning around like pinwheels. A yellow ABC logo zooms out in the middle, revealing another set of black petals, and another ABC logo zooming in. It then zooms out, with other flowers appearing in the process. The usual ending plays.
  • 2001
    • The ident animates similarly (but not exactly the same) to the 2002 "On ABC" ident.
    • We start over a yellow sun that zooms out, resembling a sunset, with white circles coming out of it. Then the background becomes black, and another yellow circle reveals itself in the center. The word "definitely" rotates to the right of it, as an arrow shape appears alongside the ABC wordmark. As that happens, gray "stars" animate in the background.
    • The first ID has shapes of circles made by stripes moving around in circles. The logo's wordmarks zooms in the middle of the B. More shapes of circles formed, revealing a yellow background with a circle. The logo's wordmark appears, The usual ending plays, with the text now in a sans serif font.
    • We see white and black circles as a piano playing some notes, and it gets faster until all white notes disappear and only four black circles remain. The 3 circles disappear, leaving the middle circle. The logo's wordmark appears. No text was shown below.
    • We see the ABC logo on a yellow background, with black and white circles forming many patterns. The usual ending plays.
    • We see a landscape of a yellow city in a black background. We now see a street with another city landscape. At the end, we see 3 yellow circles moving to the right. The middle circle is the ABC logo in yellow. No text was shown below.

Variant: Talent variations of the ID exist, where black-and-white pictures of the show's stars are seen before cutting to the usual ending.

Technique: The shapes moving. 2D animation by Pittard Sullivan and Troika, however three of the 2000 idents were done by Primal Screen, and four of the 2001 idents were done by Belief.

Music/Sounds: Depends on the variant, but they usually end with the four-note ABC jingle played on bass instruments, itself based on the "We Love TV" tagline used during this period. Composed by Mad Bus Music.

Availability: Extinct. These idents were frequently seen during commercial breaks on ABC between 1998 and 2002. It also appears at the end of 1998-2002 episodes of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.

Legacy: This logo design was used for the ABC Entertainment logo for programs around this time.

33rd ID (America's Broadcasting Company) (2002-2003)


Logo: We see the ABC logo form in the middle. Behind, a yellow circle drops down behind the ABC logo and zooms in to fills the rest of the screen. After this, a red circle drops down in front of the ABC logo and covers the screen including the ABC logo. After the circle drops, a shadow turns clockwise and zooms out revealing that it is the ABC text in the signature font. Afterwards, green, blue, and orange circles drop down in tune with the beat, and finally, a black circle drops down. Once it hits the middle, a white shine appears. This white shine dissolves and reveals to be the ABC logo, whilst the black circle fills the screen. Once the ABC logo is done forming, another green circle appears, drops down behind the ABC logo, and fills the screen. With this, the words " America's Broadcasting Company" appear in white. The logo stays on screen, while the green background and the logo shine.

Variant: The ID is sometimes shortened for local commercial breaks. Another version exists where the text is located directly below the logo, presumably to make room for a station identification logo.

Technique: Computer animation by Troika Design Group.

Music/Sounds: The ABC theme, but dramatized and an extra note at the beginning. This gets shortened to the 2nd note on the shortened variant. Composed by Wow and Flutter music.

Availability: Extinct. Was only seen around this time, and can be seen if one has a recording (VHS, DVD, etc.) from ABC at this time.

Legacy: This logo design was used for the ABC Entertainment logo for programs around this time.

34th ID (America's Broadcasting Company) (2003-2004)

Logo: We see a 2D version of the black ABC circle forming on a black background. As this happens, 12 squares in many different shades of blue slide in (and also slide right), along with the slogan "America's Broadcasting Company" appearing word-by-word. Various ABC circles then zoom in behind the squares.

Trivia:

  • This was designed by PMcD Design.
  • If you look closely, the a's tail is slightly longer.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Music/Sounds: A guitar note, ending in a string rendition of the ABC theme. Composed by Tonal Sound and Elias Associates. Sometimes the announcer says "You're watching ABC".

Availability: Extinct on TV.

Legacy: This logo design was used for the ABC Entertainment logo for programs around early-mid 2004.

35th ID (America's Broadcasting Company) (2004-2005)

Logo: On a background of nine red squares, we see a black disc rotating to face the screen. The letters "a", "b" and "c" are drawing themselves on the disc. When the logo positions itself, a “ripple-in-the-water” effect is seen, and the slogan "America's Broadcasting Company" fades in below.

Variant: Like the 33rd ID, there is a localized version of the ident where the text is on the right side of the logo, a la the previous ident.

Technique: Simple CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A triumphant, news-like rendition of the ABC fanfare. Composed by Tonal Sound.

Availability: Extinct on TV.

Legacy: This logo design was used for the ABC Entertainment logo for programs around this time.

36th ID (America's Broadcasting Company) (2005-2006)


Logo: On a green-blue aurora background with white lines trailing around, we see a black disc in the center. The letters "a", "b", and "c" write themselves on the disc with the white lines to make the finished logo. When it forms, the words "AMERICA'S BROADCASTING COMPANY" appear word-by-word below and the disc then shines.

Variants: Localized variants have the slogan moved to the top to make room for station logos.

Technique: Advanced computer animation.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 36th ID, combined with whooshes.

Availability: Extinct on TV.

Legacy: This logo design was used for the ABC Entertainment logo for programs around this time.

37th ID (America's Broadcasting Company) (September 6, 2006-September 21, 2007)


Logo: A shiny blue disc zooms out on a white background. This turns out to be an reflection inside the ABC logo, which then zooms out on a white background filled with blue bubbles and streaks. "America's Broadcasting Company" appears one by one.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Music/Sounds: An orchestral-pop rendition of the ABC tune.

Availability: Extinct on TV.

Legacy: This logo design was used for the ABC Entertainment logo for programs around this time.

38th ID (Start Here) (September 22, 2007-May 29, 2013)

Regular IDs
Local IDs


Logo:

  • Long Version: On a bright gray surface over a white and light gray background, a selection set emerges and rotates. It contains four ABC circles, each with a different device inside (a cell phone, an iPod/mp3 player, a computer, and a TV). When the set shows us every picture, it compresses into a single circle with an arrow, which immediately reverts to the ABC logo. Water drops appear around, and the words "start here" (written in the Aaux typeface) are drawn to the right. Red ribbons appear around the logo afterwards.
  • Short Version: On the same gradient background as before, we see the ABC logo tilted to its side, covered in water. The water is raised from the top of the screen, as the logo is revealed, taking its comfortable position. As this happens, a red ribbon flies by. The "start here" text from before may or may not appear. This version appeared at the end of promos for ABC shows during this period.

Variants:

  • Sometimes, the background will be black and dark gray instead.
  • The aforementioned ribbons that appear at the end in local IDs are usually based on the color(s) of the station's logo.
  • The short version with the dark background and blue ribbons was used at the end of promos for ABC News programs.
  • Local versions of the short ID may include the station's city briefly being seen in the reflection of the ABC logo as it zooms out.
  • Some local IDs have the "start here" text written in Myriad (the default font in Adobe applications), likely due to the given station not having the Aaux font installed in their servers.

Custom Local IDs:

  • KNXV in Phoenix, Arizona
  • KOAT in Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • KQTV in St. Joseph, Missouri
  • KTMF in Kalispell, Montana
  • WBND in South Bend, Indiana
  • WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota
  • WDHN in Dothan, Alabama
  • WDIO/WIRT in Duluth/Hibbing, Minnesota
  • WEAR in Pensacola, FL/Mobile, AL
  • WGTU/WGTQ in Traverse City-Cadillac/Sault Ste. Marie, MI
  • WHOI in Peoria-Bloomington, Illinois
  • WISN in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • WPRU in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
  • WKDH in Houston-Tupelo-Columbus, MS
  • WVNY in Burlington, VT-Plattsburgh, NY
  • WYTV in Youngstown, Ohio
  • WZVN in Naples-Fort Myers, Florida

Technique: CGI animation by Troika.

Music/Sounds: A soft majestic rendition of the four-note ABC News fanfare for the dark variant. However, the bright variants have a soft synthesized rendition of the ABC theme, ending in a deep sounder.

Music/Sounds Variant: The long version sometimes has a male voiceover reading "Anytime. Anywhere. ABC. Start Here".

Availability: Extinct on TV.

Legacy: This was used as a template (and concept) for both the ABC Entertainment logos from 2007 to 2012 and the ABC Studios logos from 2007-2013.

39th ID (May 30, 2013-September 2, 2018)


Logo: We start with the letters "'ABC" in its characteristic trademarked font suddenly appearing on the screen. They zoom out, revealing the rest of the 2013 ABC logo. As it zooms out, slowly decelerating, the light shining on it, in a similar shade to the background of the previous logo, becomes slightly darker. When the logo fills about half of the screen, the background fades to black, with continuous glowing around the logo. The logo slowly zooms out.

Technique: CGI by Loyalkaspar.

Music/Sounds: Same as the previous ID, but the ABC jingle is absent. This is basically the last note of the 2007-2012 ABC Entertainment logos.

Music/Sounds Variant: Sometimes, a voice-over would say "ABC".

Availability: Extinct on TV.

Legacy: Like the previous IDs, this was used as a template for the ABC Entertainment and also ABC Signature logo.

40th ID (America's Network) (September 3, 2018-August 8, 2021)

Logo: On a large black circle on a red background, we see the ABC logo in the center. Thick and thin, white and red lines are swirling and drawing themselves around the logo, with the black circle slowly growing in size.

Technique: Simple 2D animation. Done by The New Blank.

Music/Sounds: A new jingle with heavy drum music (based on the music ABC used in their branding at the time. Known as "Heroes," a piece written by Matthew Kajcienski of DreamArtists Music (a producer known for many other tunes on ABC) and performed with vocalist Taylor Carroll, created specifically for the network and their 2015 branding campaign.) ending with a vocal rendition of the ABC theme.

Availability: Extinct on TV.

Legacy: Like the previous IDs, this was used as a template for the ABC Entertainment logo.

41st ID (August 9, 2021-)


Logo: On a dark gray background, we see a red circle. It splits into 3 circles. The circles get farther and farther, eventually getting closer as the middle one zooms out. It then forms a black outlined circle on a red background with circles, with three smaller black ones inside, with another black outlined circle to the right of it and yet another one to the left of it. The first of the small black circles immediately forms as “A” with the second later forming a "B" and the third eventually forming a "C", forming “ABC” on a red circle on the same dark gray background while a red outlined circle zooms in.

Variants:

  • There is a white variant where the first background is white and the second is black with circles while the outlined circles and the three small circles are red while they form.
  • There is a stroke variant of both black/red background and white/black background variants, but they remove the red outlined circle zooming in.
    • On the black variant, the circles at the start are now outlined and not filled. The rest is also outlined, The finished product remains outlined. The animation is slighly off center for some reason.
    • The white variant is the same, but also outlined at the start and the finished product. Like the black variant, The animation is slighly off center for some reason, however it is less off center.
  • There is one variant in black and white without circles, and it cuts straight to the circles forming
  • Another black/white version exists, with the full animation.
  • On ABC's preroll, a completely different animation is seen. On a dark gray background, we see a red circle, with three smaller black ones inside. The three circles zoom out one after the other, with the first one already formed as “A”. The circles zoom back up sequentially, while morphing into their respective letters, forming “ABC”. with "ORIGINAL" also in red beside the ABC logo. As that is happening, spinning black/dark blue gradient circles fade in behind the logo.

Technique: 2D animation designed by Trollback+Company.

Music/Sounds: A snap, then a 3-note synth fanfare, which is the modified version of the ABC jingle introduced that year. Composed by YouTooCanWoo.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the preroll, the synth fanfare is heard earlier.

Availability: Current.

(1972)


Logo: On a brown background, we see several yellow lines appearing, forming a yellow grid. The grid turns red as the grid's squares morph into circles. The circles then converge into a single circle, which flips into the "ABC" wordmark in white, which zooms in. The background turns black as this happens.

Technique: All Scanimate animation done by Computer Animation Industries.

Music/Sounds: A synthesized warbling theme as the logo forms, followed by a droning tune when the wordmark zooms in.

Availability: Unused. It was found on a demo reel for Computer Animation Industries.

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