CBS Paramount Television

Credits

Descriptions by
Kris Starring

Captures by
AsdfTheRevival, Bob Fish, snelfu, V of Doom, EnormousRat and CookieDerp01

Editions by
Bob Fish, V of Doom, SilverSword55, Shadeed A. Kelly, Donny Pearson, BenIsRandom indycar and Mario9000seven

Video captures courtesy of
JohnnyL80 and Colby Thibault

Background

On August 10, 2004, Viacom, Inc. formed "CBS Paramount International Television" as a merger of two successful international television companies: Paramount International Television and CBS Broadcast International. That same date, Viacom formed the CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group as a result of two successful television production companies: Paramount Network Television and CBS Productions. Their respective names and logos, however, were kept. After the CBS and Viacom split was made official on December 31, 2005, beginning on January 17, 2006, the CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group and Paramount Domestic Television became part of the new semi-independent CBS Corporation. Because of this new ownership, it was decided that CBS would add their moniker to the studio's television unit, thus creating CBS Paramount Television, consists of CBS Paramount Network Television, CBS Paramount Domestic Television, and CBS Paramount International Television (spun-off as "CBS Studios International"). The transition was quick but gradually done, with copyrights to "CBS Studios Inc." appearing on shows such as Entertainment Tonight as early as February. Although, the post-2006 episodes of shows like CSI still kept the copyright to 'CBS Broadcasting, Inc.' The logos would make their debut by early summer '06, with CBS Paramount Television's "Eye In The Sky" syndication logo debuting on May 29th, 2006 - Memorial Day on that day's run of syndicated daytime programming from the company, retiring this one in September 2007 when the CBS Television Distribution logo debuted, since its formation on September 26, 2006 by King World, CBS Paramount Domestic Television, CBS Paramount International Television, and CBS Home Entertainment. The network television logo, "Wallpaper," wouldn't appear on TV screens until June 10, 2006 on the new season of The 4400 on USA. The label went defunct on May 15, 2009, when the main CBS Paramount Television group and its network television unit were reincorporated as "CBS Television Studios" by dropping the Paramount name and logo. The post-2006 Viacom relaunched a new version of Paramount Television four years later.

1st Logo (May 29, 2006-November 2007)

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Nickname: "CGI Wallpaper", "CBS Eyemark-Paramount Mountain Combo II", "CBS Paramount Wallpaper"

Logo: On a black screen, we the CBS Eyemark logo zooming-out to the middle. We later see two streaks of light pass through the words "CBS Paramount", a line, and "TELEVISION" below that, all of which is in the same design as the Domestic TV logo with the exception of the print logos in the foreground. The company name quickly zooms out to the center of the screen; "CBS" first, then "Paramount TELEVISION" second. The background quickly fades to reveal a navy blue environment made up of a curved wallpaper of CBS Eyes and Paramount print logos in a pattern shining light rays filling the screen. The name would later zoom-in slowly.

Trivia: The "Eyemark/Mountain" logo is a throwback of the 1959-1962 "CBS Eyemark Wallpaper" logo.

Variants:

• There is a black & white variant of this logo used on B&W shows.
• A rare extended version exists that starts closer to the center CBS Eyemark on the wallpaper as we zoom out. The animation is slightly slower and the logo stays onscreen for an extra second before fading out.

FX/SFX: The zooming and light effects. The words look appropriate this time against the more two-dimensional background.

Music/Sounds: An airy, six-note jingle followed by a harp. Often times, the end theme plays over it, such as the 2006-2009 seasons of the CSI franchise, and the DVD releases of the second season of both Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley (plastering the Paramount Television "Split Box II" and "Blue Mountain" respectively) and the third and forth seasons of Walker, Texas Ranger (plastering the 1995-97 CBS Productions logo on season 3 and the Columbia Pictures Television logo on season 4). On season three of The 4400, this logo was silent as well as on some episodes of current Me-TV reruns of The Untouchables (as well as the DVD releases), also being silent on a few other DVD releases such as seasons 3 & 4 of JAG, season one of Gunsmoke, and the 2nd episode of Aliens in America.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• The music from the first logo.
• Shows by CBS Paramount Domestic Television used a more orchestrated version of the theme. This happened beginning in November 2006.
• There is a shorter three-note variant that just features the first two and final notes. A high tone also exists.
• On the Wings episodes "Joe Blows, Part 1" and "Joe Blows, Part 2" on the season 5 DVD, on Spanish prints of a few S2 episodes of Diagnosis: Murder such as "Many Happy Returns", and on one episode on Girlfriends: The Complete Second Season on DVD, the 1987 Paramount Television theme is heard, probably due to sloppy plastering.
• Russian airings of Sabrina The Teenage Witch from season 2 and 3 had the Viacom "Wigga Wigga" music (without voice over) play over it instead, probably due to sloppy plastering once again.
• One episode of CSI: Miami on Fox Crime had this with the shortened CBS Television Studios music.
• NBC, CBS and The CW airings used their generic themes and voice-overs.
• On Spanish prints of a few S1 episodes of The Love Boat, the 1988 Worldvision Enterprises theme in low-tone is heard over the logo.
• On a NTSC DVD print of Comanche Moon, this logo has the music of the dreaded Sony Pictures Television logo, while the latter logo uses the CPTV music. This is probably due to an editing error.
• The above extended version has the theme starting halfway through the animation.
• On Encore Westerns, one episode of Rawhide had the 1976 Viacom "V of Doom" music in warp-speed over the short B&W logo.

Availability: Common for the network version and uncommon for the domestic version.

• This logo was rather prevalent on programs from CBS and The CW and during the 2006-2009 television season, this logo appeared on syndicated programs.
• It's also featured on most CBS Paramount Television series on DVD from 2007 to early April 2009, including seasons 3-5 of JAG (H&I airings of seasons 3 and 4 have this logo), season 4 of Wings, seasons 2-3 of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, seasons 3-4 of Walker, Texas Ranger, season 2 of Diagnosis: Murder, and season 1 of Matlock.
• It was seen on some contemporary prints (excluding the 2014 DVD release because the CTD logo was used) and Encore Suspense airings of Perry Mason Returns as well as some contemporary prints of Return to Mayberry (excluding a recent Me-TV broadcast and possibly DVD and Blu-Ray releases) and is seen on episodes of The Wild Wild West on Me-TV and Decades, plastering the 1995 Paramount Domestic Television and older Viacom logos, along with some restored episodes of The Odd Couple and Rawhide on Me-TV and H&I and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour on Decades. It was also seen on a March 2020 FETV airing of the Perry Mason finale, "The Case of the Final Fade-out."
• The extended version can be found on a very early 2007 episode of The Montel Williams Show.
• This logo was also seen on an episode of Rawhide that aired May 27, 2010 on Encore Westerns, plastering the warp-speed "V of Doom" logo. It even made a surprise appearance on Disney Channel when it aired the Suite Life On Deck episode "The Wrong Stuff" in 2012.

Editor's Note: This is actually a nicely made logo that's at least preferable to the above logo and CTD. This logo was also used for CBS Paramount Domestic Television from November 2006-August 19, 2007.