CBS/1983-2007

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum

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1st Ident (We've Got the Touch) (1983-1984)


Visuals: There are two variants:

  • Five bands are waving on a black-blue gradient background, in the following colors: yellow, blue, red, blue, and yellow. Then, the text "WE'VE GOT THE TOUCH" and the CBS eye, both in bronze, zoom out and shine.
  • On the same background is a orange CBS eye with "CBS" in the middle.

Technique: CGI or none.

Audio: The campaign's song "We've Got the Touch", sung by Richie Havens.

2nd Ident (We've Got the Touch) (1984-1985)


Visuals: On a blue background is a yellow outline of the Eyemark with "CBS" in its familiar font in the center, in white.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: An announcer says "This is CBS."

3rd Ident (We've Got the Touch) (1985-1986)


Visuals: Same as before but the background is now solid blue with lines running horizontally.

Variant: A variant with small CBS eyemarks in the background exists. In this variant, the CBS eye is at the bottom-center. A red, white, and blue striped ribbon is above, and over that is a outline of a five-pointed star. There are also two panels, and slightly above those are two more panels. A arc is above those, with "W E ' V E G O T T H E T O U C H" on it. The camera spins in before stopping with the finished product at the center.

Technique: CGI by Omnibus Computer Graphics on a Foonly F1 and DEC VAX-11/780 using Wavefront software.

Audio: Just an announcer saying "This is CBS."

4th Ident (Share the Spirit) (1986-1987)


Visuals: On a red, blue and black background is a outline of the CBS eye with "CBS" in the middle. The eye shines.

Technique: CGI designed by Sheryl Gold and animated by Cranston/Csuri Productions using a VAX-11/750 and an early Sun SPARC computer.

Audio: The campaign's song "Share the Spirit".

5th Ident (CBSPIRIT) (1987-August 1988)


Visuals: The CBS eye appears on a black background with purple segmented rectanglar trails and a laser-like comet. "CBSPIRIT" flies in and stops in front of the eye. It then lights up like a neon sign, turning "CB" orange and "SPIRIT" pink.

Technique: CGI by Pacific Data Images on a Ridge32 supercomputer.

Audio: The campaign's song "CBSpirit Oh Yes" by an unknown composer.

6th Ident (Television You Can Feel) (August 1988-November 16, 1989)


Visuals: On a black background is a metallic blue Eyemark with "CBS" in its pupil. The Eyemark shines.

Technique: CGI by Metrolight Studios.

Audio: An announcer says "This is CBS."

7th Ident (Get Ready) (November 17, 1989-1990)


Visuals: There is a gray and pink-tinted rendition of the CBS Eye with "CBS" in a tall, thick serif font on a blue gradient background. Streaks of light pass by on the background as the logo shines.

Technique: CGI by Pinnacle Effects.

Audio: An announcer saying "This is CBS."

8th Ident (Get Ready/The Look of America is CBS) (1990-1992)


Visuals: On a white background is the Eyemark in front of rotating cyan/yellow/purple shapes. A yellow streak wipes in "C B S" below.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: An announcer says "This is CBS."

9th Ident (This is CBS, It's All Right Here) (September 1992-1995)


Visuals: A lavender CBS eye zooms out, from an extreme close up and at an angle, over a black background filled with colorful Aurora lights as the familiar "C B S" wordmark flies within the eye. It gets a comfortable distance away from the screen, and a gray "C B S" in Helvetica Neue appears below. A lens flare brightens everything up, turning the CBS eye sky blue and the text white.

Trivia: A picture of this ident is seen in Scott Pelley's office on the CBS Evening News.

Variants:

  • On the night of August 30, 1993, David Letterman did the spiel (The Late Show, which Letterman hosted until 2015, debuted that night). Dave fades in midway through the animation and shrugs after saying the line. Dave fades out by the end of the ID.
  • A special variant aired in November 1994 to promote the miniseries Scarlett. The Eyemark is now colored gold, and the Scarlett series logo flies within the eye.

Technique: CGI by Pittard Sullivan.

Audio: A four-note jingle, with a delay between the first two notes (which is filled with what sounds like a harp), followed by twinkling sounds (the network usually cut away by this point). This is coupled with an announcer (there were two different ones) saying "This is CBS." The four-note jingle became the network's musical logo, akin to the NBC chimes.

10th Ident (I am...CBS People) (1994-1995)


Visuals: A salmon CBS eye zooms out over a wall. A rectangle that resembles marble is on the left side. Shadowy copies of "CBS" scroll down as "CBS" fades in. A small lens flare appears on the eye.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The campaign's song "I am...CBS People".

11th Ident (WJZ-TV's 1995 switchover variant) (January 2, 1995)


Visuals: On a black background, the CBS eye swirls towards the viewer. When it gets a moderate distance away, it stops, and "C B S" (fashioned like the network ID of the era) wipes in below.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A rising note (like in the Nelson Entertainment logo), followed by a "ding". It's also the same jingle heard in the early '90s WPBT logo.

Availability: Its only known appearance was in the early hours of January 2, 1995, used to denote that Baltimore's WJZ-TV had switched to CBS.

12th Ident (You're on CBS) (1995-1996)


Visuals: The CBS eye appears in some form, sometimes held by ghostly hands, over different backgrounds. A trail of copies of the word "cbs" scrolls throughout.

Technique: Live-action and CGI.

Audio: Some haunting chimes and a bang.

13th Ident (Welcome Home) (1996-1998)


Visuals: On a white background is a black CBS eyemark logo. It turns yellow as the text "CBS" in a Didot font zooms out letter-by-letter on the eye before fading out, which each letter appearing next to it. After "S" disappears, "Welcome home." appears below.

Trivia: This slogan was also used by Australia's Nine Network from September 27, 2009 to December 23, 2017.

Variants: Many variants were used.

Technique: 2D computer animation from Pittard Sullivan.

Audio: A jazzy rendition of the CBS jingle, with an announcer saying "CBS. Welcome home."

14th Ident (The Address is CBS, Welcome Home) (1998-1999)


Visuals: There are two variants:

  • Variant 1: The CBS eye appears in the center of a orange background with several lines and curves. "w e l c o m e h o m e" fades in below.
  • Variant 2: Over a blue background with several lines and curves, numerous glass CBS eyes swirl towards the center. Then, the CBS eye appears in the center before flashing. Then, the text "w e l c o m e h o m e" appears below.

Technique: 2D animation by REZN8.

Audio: A majestic fanfare, with an announcer (Don LaFontaine) saying "The address is CBS. Welcome home."

15th Ident (The Address is CBS) (1999-2000)


Visuals: The CBS eye appears on a blue or green background with several lines and curves. "the address is CBS" fades in below. The background moves throughout.

Technique: CGI by REZN8.

Audio: Same as before.

16th Ident (It's All Here) (2000-September 23, 2001)


Visuals: The CS eye appears over a gold or blue background with a giant spinning CBS eye. "it's all here" or "cbs" is below. Copies of "it's all here" scroll throughout.

Technique: CGI by REZN8.

Audio: Likely a hip-hop tune.

17th Ident (It's All Here) (September 24, 2001-2002)


Visuals: A CBS eye appears on a white background with copies of "CBS" scrolling. A smaller CBS Eyemark and "CBS" appear in the center. Below is "it's all here" or "America's #1 network".

Technique: CGI by REZN8.

Audio: Likely a techno tune.

18th Ident (It's All Here) (2002-2003)


Visuals: Multiple CBS eyes and squares appear on a orange or blue background. As the camera zooms in, one CBS eye turns white and rises up along with "CBS". The camera slightly tilts upward and stops.

Technique: CGI by REZN8.

Audio: Same as before.

19th Ident (It's All Here) (2003-2004)


Visuals: Several navy blue squares with white CBS eyes appear on a white floor. The squares move as the camera zooms in. Eventually, only one square is left, and it inverts colors. The left side is wiped out by a CGI CBS eye, and "CBS" appears to the left.

Technique: CGI by REZN8.

Audio: Same as before.

20th Ident (It's All Here) (2004-2005)


Visuals: The camera zooms out from a CBS eye made of golden lights. A white CBS eye with "CBS" and "IT'S ALL HERE" are revealed as the camera continues to zoom out and stops at a comfortable distance.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Likely a orchestral tune.

21st Ident (Everybody's Watching CBS) (2005-2006)


Visuals: On a dark orange or light blue background are distorted lines that say "Everybody's Watching". They reveal the rotating CBS eyemark, then it shifts to the CBS wordmark. Then, the wordmark zooms in from the "S" in "CBS" and it reveals mini CBS eyeballs forming a distorted line on the very bottom, with the words "Everybody's Watching" on the top, the signature CBS eye in the middle, and its wordmark on the bottom of the eye.

Technique: CGI by REZN8.

Audio: Likely a muzak tune.

22nd Ident (We Are CBS) (2006-September 23, 2007)


Visuals: A teal-ish light shines on a black background, revealing "WE ARE CBS" and the CBS eye.

Technique: CGI by Troika Design Group.

Audio: Likely some haunting chimes.

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