Draft:PBS/Television Idents

Credits

Descriptions by
Nicholas Aczel, Kris Starring, Ryan Froula, iLogoMaster, and Pepsi9072

Captures by
Eric S., Mr.Logo, BenderRoblox, Nightspears, Gilblitz112, Pepsi9072, LogoGuy94 and Megadeth99

Editions by
gshowguy, Ryan Froula, BenderRoblox, MariluHennerArtist45, Liz Tetlow, KirbyGuy2001, Mike Bode, TheBigLogoFan, UniversalFlorida1990, gameandwatchrocks101. Unnepad, Mario9000seven and Nick Lancer

This page describes regular PBS idents. For special (non-regular) idents, click here

Background

The Public Broadcasting Service, known on air as PBS, is a publicly funded non-profit distribution service (founded on November 3, 1969) that serves a variety of television stations in the United States, as well as some areas of Mexico and Canada. PBS replaced its predecessor NET in October 5, 1970 with some of their original affiliates being KPBS in San Diego, WNET in New York, WGBH in Boston, and KCET in Los Angeles. PBS has over 350 affiliates today, mostly owned by educational institutions.

1st Logo (May 17, 1970-Late Summer 1971)

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Nicknames: "Windows", "The PBS Windows III", "CGI Window", "PBS P-Head VI", "PBS Express"

Logo: On a black background, a CGI window appears with a bird's-eye view of the Earth, a plastic globe spinning on the top right, and a telescope rotating on the bottom left. A pear-colored PBS P-Head (with the split colored light blue) appears in front of the window and grows smaller as the window grows bigger. As the two meet each other, the window disappears. Inside the P-Head are transparent images of two globes, a feather and a telescope. The P-Head takes its place in the top center of the screen and turns to light blue and aquamarine as the text "PBS" fades in below them.

Variant: Early editions of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer that featured this logo had this fading in and out.

Trivia:

• This was based on a 1995 rebranding of PBS produced by PMcD Design; this rebranding would gradually be adopted by many PBS stations over the ensuing years, including WITF, WSJK/WKOP, WNET, WQED, WVIZ, Kentucky Educational Television, Maine Public Broadcasting Network, and Vermont ETV.
• This would be the last PBS logo to be produced in 30i.

FX/SFX: Neat CGI effects.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A new age tune with guitars and flutes, composed by Elias Associates, followed by a female announcer (the late Lauren Bacall) who says "This is PBS."

Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants:

• On some shows, Lauren Bacall says "You are watching PBS." This was used for program breaks.
• Some programs, such as the first 17(?) episodes of Baking with Julia, have this with a similar tune (G#-D#-F), with a different announcer saying "This is PBS."

Availability: Uncommon. It appears on TV sometimes, but PBS Home Video tapes are an easier way to find it.

• The logo's first confirmed appearance was on June 17, 1996, at the end of the series premiere of Baking with Julia.
• This appeared at the start and end of Turner Home Entertainment's releases of Adventures from the Book of Virtues, and also plasters the 4th and 5th logos on episodes of American Experience, one of which was packaged with Warner Home Video's 70th anniversary Blu-ray release of Citizen Kane, and Triumph of the Nerds.
• It also appeared on original broadcast prints of pledge drive specials, Keeping Up Appearances: The Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket and The Carpenters: Close to You, the latter which is now distributed on PBS stations directly by T.J. Lubinsky's Timeless Collection division.
• It appeared at the end of Are You Being Served? episodes broadcast on KYVE in 1999.
• Even when the next logo started to be used, it continued to be used by some programs for some time, with its last new appearance being on Doo Wop 50. Its last known appearance on television was in 2009 on UNC-TV after an episode of Faces of Culture.

Editor's Note: This logo has some very neat effects for the time as well as a calming theme.

9th Logo (September 21, 1998-September 1, 2002)

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Nicknames: "Acrobats", "Circle P-Heads", "PBS P-Head VII", "Circle PBS P-Head", "This Is Who We Are"

Logo: On a computer-generated green sky background, a person standing to the left covers his or her head with a black circle with the PBS P-Head on it in white. Acrobats jump from all directions off the circle. The text "PBS" appears to the right, with the URL "www.pbs.org" appearing below it. This is the last logo that used the words "This Is PBS". Also, throughout the ident, different things happen in the background: On all ten variants, there are tiny superimposed silhouettes of people flying in a circle behind the acrobats. On three out of ten of the variants, there are silhouettes of big wands briefly flying down behind the PBS text. And on the rest, there are silhouettes of people tip-toeing in an oval (a circle on the widescreen version) around the person.

Trivia:

• This logo was designed at Publicis & Hal Riney and animated at Lee Hunt Associates.
• This logo was filmed and animated entirely at 30p, an oddity for PBS, which usually had its logos produced in 24p or 30i.

Variants: Each time you see this logo, different people are holding the circle with the P-head on it, and the acrobats doing different kinds of tricks around the P-head circle. Here's a list of the men and women you see (also including the tricks the acrobats do):

• Man in gold shirt; female acrobats orange do a backflip.
• Man in blue shirt; same acrobats from 1st variant.
• Woman in blue shirt; male acrobats in yellow shirts do a "side spin". (This version was also used for high definition programming.)
• Woman in deep red shirt; male acrobats in Prussian blue shirts curl into a ball and spin around.
• Man in orange-tan shirt; same acrobats from 3rd variant.
• Older woman (Lauren Bacall herself) in red shirt; same acrobats from 4th variant.
• Woman in folly shirt; same acrobats from 4th variant.
• Man in dark blue shirt; same acrobats from 1st variant.
• Woman in red shirt; same acrobats from 3rd variant.

FX/SFX: The computer effects used to shrink the acrobats and superimpose them around the circle.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A brief synth swell and a 3-note flute fanfare, then a new age percussion/choir tune, followed by the female announcer from the previous logo (Lauren Bacall) who says "This is PBS." If you listen carefully, you can also hear a trombone and strings in the background as well. There is also a variant that exists with Lauren Bacall saying, "You are watching PBS." This was used for program breaks.

Availability: Rare.

• This logo can usually be found on reruns and some PBS Home Video tapes (mainly the ones that use the Warner Home Video logo instead of the PBS Home Video logo) such as An Ice Cream Show. It is also preserved on '98-'02 episodes of Scientific American Frontiers on the Chedd-Angier website. On home video, the "man in gold shirt" variant appeared on An Ice Cream Show (where it plasters the 5th logo), and the "woman in blue shirt" variant appeared on Great Old Amusement Parks and A Hot Dog Program.
• It also plasters older logos on more recent prints of American Experience (various, as early as the 4th logo), French in Action (3rd and 4th logos), Solutions to Violence (5th logo), and Julia Child's cooking programs (5th and previous logos).
• This still appears on Workplace Essential Skills if your station is broadcasting it.
• In addition to program breaks, the "You are watching PBS" variant also appears at the end of Digital TV: A Cringely Crash Course.
• The logo first appeared on the three-part Frontline special "The Farmer's Wife".
• Oddly enough, this appeared on the Sesame Street 30th anniversary special Elmopalooza instead of the P-Pals logo.

Editor's Note: The many variations of this logo marked the beginning of a trend for PBS idents that continues to this very day. Like the last logo, this one also features very nice effects as well as a great musical theme.

10th Logo (1998-2000)

Nickname: "If PBS Doesn't Do It, Who Will?"

Logo: Against a computer-generated sky background, a kaleidoscope consisting of several humans holding placards is zoomed in on, with the PBS circle in the center. The circle briefly fades out before fading back in, and the placards alternate between a random program's title card and a still from the same program throughout.

FX/SFX: TBA.

Music/Sounds: A rearrangement of the 1998 PBS logo's theme.

Availability: Extinct. Was seen on a WXEL recording from June 1999.

Editor's Note: None.

11th Logo (Summer 2000-September 1, 2002)

Nickname: "Stay Curious"

Logo: On a light blue background, the PBS circle slowly eases back and fades out as four lighter blue circles appear and spread across the screen, revealing smaller, even lighter blue circles inside. The PBS circle, now in black and white, reappears in the center of the screen. "Stay curious. PBS" appears below.

FX/SFX: The "P" Circle easing back and vanishing. The circles forming, spreading, merging, and spreading again. The blurring in of the PBS logo. The text appearing. Typical early 2000's animation.

Music/Sounds: Either a three-note ascending tune (G, A, D) played on a celesta followed by a new age celesta/acoustic guitar rhythmic tune, or the tail end of the 2001 CPB logo's music.

Availability: Extinct. Can be seen on the Internet Archive's 9/11 archive between PBS programs.

Editor's Note: None.

12th Logo (October 2, 2000-2002)

Nicknames: "Stay Curious", "PBS P-Head VIII", "Circle PBS P-Head II"

Logo: Against an orange background, we see the PBS circle in a light yellow color with the P-head being the same orange color as the background. The "P" Circle slowly eases back and fades out as four green circles appear and spread around the screen revealing smaller light yellow circles inside. Four more circles appear and the outer circles merge with the other circles before they begin spreading out. The PBS "P" Circle, now in the standard black and white colors, appears with a blur effect. Small circles form "pbs.org" below in a white calibri font.

Variants:

• A version with a blue color scheme was used between programs. Instead of the URL, the text below the PBS circle read "Stay curious. PBS".
• An extended variant begins on a blue background with a darker blue P-head. The camera zooms into the pupil and the normal animation begins. The logo also has a green tint to it.

FX/SFX: The "P" Circle easing back and vanishing. The circles forming, spreading, merging, and spreading again. The blurring in of the PBS logo. The circles forming the pbs.org name. Typical early 2000's animation.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A three-note ascending tune (D, E, A); most likely played on sitar, Gibson Les Paul or a Rickenbacker 325 (put through a wah-wah pedal) and a voiceover saying "This is PBS."

Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants: On the blue variant, one of two tunes was used:

• Usually, the tune was played in the key of D (G, A, D) on a celesta, followed by a new age rhythmic tune played on a celesta and acoustic guitar.
• A slightly longer version of the blue variant, usually shown before the 7PM broadcast of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, uses the second half of the CPB/Viewers Like You music of the era.

Availability: Extinct.

• This appears to have been used only briefly, and even then as an alternate logo, during PBS's "Stay Curious" campaign. It ended up being retired quickly and the previous logo continued to be used for another year. Being the national station ID shown on the satellite feed, the blue logo remained in use for a while longer.
• One program on which this logo appeared was American High. Unlike other logos, it's not known to have ever plastered an earlier logo.

Editor's Note: Very simple compared to the rest of the logos on here, but some may like its vaguely '60s-ish vibe.

13th Logo (September 23, 2002-December 3, 2010)

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Nicknames: “Be More”, “We Are PBS”, “I Am PBS”, "I'm PBS", "The Sienna Curtains", "PBS P-Head IX", "Circle PBS P-Head III", "Launch and Megatron Announce PBS"

Logo: We see a letterboxed clip show of live-action footage, filmed on a large set with hardwood floor and a background of shaggy raw sienna-colored curtains. Culturally and generationally diverse people are employed in the variants, each giving different performances on-camera. As the last clip plays, we see the “Circle P-Head” logo animating with the word "PBS" in PMN Caecilia on the right and the slogan “Be more” on the left. The text has been modified a bit after the past 18 years. Throughout the bumper, a bug for the URL "pbs.org" is seen in the lower left corner.

Variants: Here are some of the variations that have been seen of late, with a list of the clips in each variant in chronological order:

• Young People: A teenage girl presses her hands on her boyfriend’s cheeks and gives him a kiss; a mother plays with her baby’s feet; a dad and his little boy are holding guitars; mom and daughter are side by side; a mom runs pulling a red wagon holding her two little girls (Edie Mirman: “We are PBS”).
• Standard: A woman threads her fingers through her hair; another young woman gyrates from right to left; a baby wearing a hat walks. ("We are PBS").
• A man sits with a pile of books; a young man smiling; a close-up of a smiling young woman's head; a close-up of of the previous man smiling. ("We are PBS").
• Performers: A man sits on a stool holding a guitar; a dressy man plays his trumpet; a teenage boy is "bopping" to his headphones; a young dancer spins in her dress; an elderly man takes a bow (David Kaye: “We are PBS”).
• Activities: A man sits with a pile of books, a woman takes a picture of flowers with her camera; a young man in a wheelchair; catches a soccer ball; a man plays with his dog; a young woman hula-hoops.
• Flowers: A close-up of a smiling woman’s head; then we see her holding a large bouquet of flowers, a close-up of the flowers, and finally a close-up of the woman holding the flowers (Helen Mirren: “I am PBS").
• Daddy and Son: A dad and his little boy are holding guitars; a close-up of them playing; and the dad and son on a playground swing (Kyle Eastwood): “We are PBS.”)
• Mother and Daughter: A mother and her teenage daughter are seen spinning and dancing; a close-up shot of the daughter kissing her mom; and the two hug (Edie Mirman: "We are PBS.").
• Generations: A mother holds her baby; an old man smiling; a young man takes off his cowboy hat. (Edie Mirman: “We are PBS.”)
• Cowboy Hat: The young man from the "Generations" variant is dancing with his cowboy hat; a close-up of him wearing it; and finally he briefly tosses it at the camera and giggles (David Kaye: "I'm PBS.").
• Basketball: We see a facial close-up of the man in a wheelchair from "Activities"; he plays with his basketball; then we see him on the left smiling ("I am PBS.")
• Young Woman: This variant features the same dancing woman from "Performers". First, we see her riding on a scooter, then smiling at the camera wearing a picture hat, and finally we see her spinning in her dress as she does in the "Performers" variant, but closer to the right of the screen so we see the logo animating ("I am PBS").
• Dancing: We see the same elderly man from "Performers" dancing and taking a bow ("I am PBS").
• There is also a version of the logo that has no live-action footage. A burst of light comes in from either side of the screen, and we see an outline of the "P-head" logo (in a style similar to the 1984 logo). Other lighting effects occur, and at the end the circle "P-Head" logo animates, with "PBS" on its right side and "Be more" on its left. There is no voice-over.
• On Carrier, the voice-over says “This show will return in a moment over most of these local stations. We are PBS.”
• On The This Old House Hour, there was another version with a voice-over saying "This PBS show will return in a moment".
• There was another version with a voice-over saying "The following PBS show is closed captioned".
• There was another version with a voice-over saying "PBS will return in a moment".
• There's also a version that appeared on Frontline and a few editions of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer from 2003. On the same background as the CPB logo of the time but darker, we see the words "Perspective. Analysis. Understanding." in white slowly zoom in and shine. Then the words "dissolve" away and the Be More PBS logo animates. In the background throughout the ident is a wallpaper-like array of transparent copies of the words seen earlier. (Bob Hilton: "This is PBS.")
• There is another non-animated variant which is adapted from the 2004 PBS Distribution logo, which is normally shortened at the end except after a 29-minute program (usually from PBS Kids). As with the blue variant of the previous logo, this was used as the national network ID on the satellite feed.

FX/SFX: Mostly live action, except for the logo animating at the end. This logo was done by PMcD Design.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A majestic orchestral tune. Composed by Tonal Sound and Elias Associates. The same tune is always used, but is rearranged for some variants and has a different voice-over (see above for examples).

• On the "Flowers" variant, the music is given a Baroque style arrangement.
• The "Daddy and Son" variant uses a guitar-rock arrangement with horns.
• The "Mother and Daughter" variant uses a soft guitar arrangement.
• The "Cowboy Hat" variant uses a groovy country-style version of the tune, played on bass.
• The "Basketball" variant uses a funky hip-hop style version of the tune.
• The "Dancing" variant uses a groovy piano style version of the tune.
• The Frontline variant uses a piano arrangement, ending in a dramatic string cadence.
• The satellite ID variant uses an extended version of the piano arrangement.

Availability: No longer current, but it's still common, generally being preserved on reruns of older PBS programming, including the specials Lawrence Welk: Milestones and Memories, where it plasters the previous logo; Lawrence Welk: God Bless America, and Welk Stars Through the Years (the former two use the "Flowers" variant, while the latter uses the "Performers" variant). This wasn't used much for plastering, unlike previous logos, though it did appear on rebroadcasts of An Ice Cream Show from 2002 to 2018, when the original logo was surprisingly restored. Though the logo officially ended on September 27, 2009, the transition to the next logo would be staggered among programs, with programs such as Washington Week and Bill Moyers Journal among the earlier programs to make the transition. The satellite ID variant can still be seen on certain programs to this day, though usually promos and interstitials selected by the local PBS station are used instead (you might catch this if your station, by some random chance, e.g. during a transition to or from Daylight Savings Time, or late at night on KET2, or while technical difficulties are sorted out by the local station, broadcasts promos and interstitials from the standard PBS feed at any time for whatever reason).

Editor's Note: None.

14th Logo (September 28, 2009-2021)

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Nicknames: "Be More II", "Be More, PBS", "PBS P-Head X", "Circle PBS P-Head IV"

Logo: We see a video of a person or people having activities. Suddenly, the PBS logo appears with "Be More" on the left and "PBS" on the right. The word "PBS" then changes to the URL "pbs.org". A voice-over says "Be More, PBS." as the logo animates.

Variants:

• Art Interacts: A man is walking in a street when he encounters a gigantic exotic Pine Green object that looks like a Rubik's-Cube slanted on its corner, which twirls around quite to the man's amusement.
• Big Dreams: An Ecru-clad woman and her son are in a mall. The kid looks through an astronaut helmet.
• Observing Child: A boy in a forest-green jacket is walking in a shallow lake with his doodling pad.
• Family Viewing: A family is looking through a telescope at the stars in the sky.
• Bluesman: Calvin Keys is playing the tune on his guitar while someone films it on camcorder. On Bluegrass Underground, this fades in and out.
• Photo Album: A man and his grandson are looking at old pictures of their African ancestors in a scrapbook.
• Symphony: A symphony orchestra performs the tune. The camera sees the violin, bass clarinet, marimba, cymbal and tuba.
• Strange Recipe: A storekeeper recommends a pineapple to his supermarket's customer.
• Generic: Sometimes, there is no live action footage; instead the logo is placed on a custom background with bubbles. The background is used in four different colors: blue, green, orange, and magenta. On some shows, an announcer says, "You're watching PBS". On the orange variant,"PBS" does not change to the URL.
• Masterpiece: A variant appears on episodes of Masterpiece. Clips from episodes of the anthology series are shown one by one over the blue background before the PBS logo appears as usual. The voiceover says, "Masterpiece, only on PBS." Retired as of November 10, 2019, it made its final appearance throughout the final PBS broadcast of Downton Abbey in June 2020.
• Antiques Roadshow: A variant appears on episodes of Antiques Roadshow. Clips from episodes are shown together over the orange background before the PBS logo appears as usual. The voiceover says, "Antiques Roadshow, only on PBS." Officially retired as of November 4, 2019, having last appeared on the program on October 28, 2019.
• Public Affairs: A variant appears on episodes of Frontline and Washington Week, as well as on the special America After Charleston. Depicted over the blue background are various public affairs personalities (as of 2016, Gwen Ifill, Judy Woodruff, Hari Sreenivasan, and Charlie Rose, in that order; early programs with this logo featured a different montage with a different slate of public affairs personalities), before the PBS logo appears as usual. The voiceover is the same as on the generic variants. This variant was retired following Ifill's death in November 2016, and with Charlie Rose having fallen from grace just over a year later it's safe to say this variant is gone for good.
• Generic (We'll Be Right Back): As with the previous logo, the generic logo (often using the blue or green version) is sometimes shown at the start of program breaks, with a voiceover saying, "This PBS program will return in a moment."
• Opening Variant: Against a blue background, the circle P-head appears in the center.

Trivia: Perhaps due to its appeal to a variety of audiences for the network, this is PBS's second longest-lasting ID, after their Everymen logo.

FX/SFX: Same as the 10th logo.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A 5-note tune, created by music company Expansion Team. Like the eighth logo, the same tune is always used, but is rearranged for some variants and has a different voice-over.

• Art Interacts: The music is played on percussion, electric piano, and celesta.
• Big Dreams: The music is played on electric piano.
• Observing Child: The music is played on a harp and concertina.
• Family Viewing: The music is played on piano and cello.
• Bluesman: The music is played on guitar.
• Photo Album: The music is played on drums, piano, and electric guitar.
• Symphony: The music is performed by an orchestra.
• Strange Recipe: The music is played on woodwinds, with the CPB logo's music playing as a backing track (albeit muffled or in a different arrangement)
• Generic: The music uses either the standard strings and keyboard arrangement or (for the orange and magenta versions) a classical guitar and harp arrangement.
• Masterpiece: The music is played on strings and keyboards.
• Antiques Roadshow: The music is played in a soft guitar and piano arrangement.
• Public Affairs: A hard-rock arrangement of the music.
• Generic (We'll Be Right Back): The music is played either on strings and keyboards (for the green version) or in an electronic arrangement (for the blue version).
• Opening Variant: Just a short string of rising piano notes.

Availability: Currently in use on most PBS first-run shows. The variants are used randomly, as with the previous logos, on many programs, including Nova, This Old House, Motorweek, and The Woodwright's Shop; however, on certain programs you can always expect to see the following variants:

• Art Interacts: Seen at the end of American Masters, some Secrets of Britain specials, some first-season episodes of A Chef's Life, and recent rebroadcasts of A Program About Unusual Buildings and Other Roadside Stuff, and in rotation on Vicious. Some broadcasts of Masterpiece during pledge drive season will end with this instead of the custom variant created for the series, as seen during a nationally-broadcast series six marathon for Downton Abbey, and it also appears in place of said custom variant on the Downton Abbey series finale.
• Big Dreams: Seen at the end of Charlie Rose: The Week, The Brain with David Eagleman, and Jackie Robinson.
• Observing Child: Seen at the end of Earth's Natural Wonders, Wild Alaska Live (including the PBS Kids Channel simulcasts), and recent rebroadcasts of The Adirondacks.
• Family Viewing: Seen at the end of Hometime, some first-season episodes of A Chef's Life, some Secrets of Britain specials, Carol Burnett's Favorite Sketches, and recent rebroadcasts of the original version of Great Old Amusement Parks. It was actually the first variant to be shown, debuting on The National Parks: America's Best Idea.
• Bluesman: Seen at the end of Washington Week (until July 24, 2015), To the Contrary, Jazz, most episodes of Austin City Limits, Bluegrass Underground, and a 2016 rebroadcast of A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway. Also seen at the end of concerts broadcast on PBS, including Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park, Alice's Restaurant 50th Anniversary Concert, current broadcast prints of the United Artists film The Last Waltz, and Journey Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour, and many a My Music special, including California Dreamin': The Songs of the Mamas and the Papas.
• Photo Album: Seen at the end of PBS NewsHour Weekend, Tavis Smiley, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, and The Civil War. It also appeared on Great Old Amusement Parks as part of the Rick Sebak's Summer Fun collection and the first episodes of Charlie Rose: The Week.
• Symphony: Seen at the end of PBS Previews, A Capitol Fourth, some current episodes of Austin City Limits, and some Secrets of Britain specials.
• Strange Recipe: Seen at the end of A Chef's Life and The Great British Baking Show.
• Generic (Blue): Seen at the end of PBS NewsHour, Washington Week, Third Rail with Ozy, Amanpour on PBS, Beyond 100 Days, BBC World News, current prints of The Statue of Liberty, and in rotation on Vicious. Also appears on many a My Music special, including Summer, Surf & Beach Music We Love.
• Generic (Orange): Appeared on several programs towards the end of this logo's lifespan, including the first two episodes of Retro Report on PBS, and on a 2020 rerun of the Austin City Limits episode "Run the Jewels".
• Generic (Magenta): Seen at the end of the final episodes of Charlie Rose, and also on Point Taken, Call the Midwife, and in rotation on Vicious.
• Don't expect to see this on rebroadcasts of An Ice Cream Show, which use either the previous logo or (since 2018) the 5th logo.
• The opening variant was only seen on Retro Report on PBS.
• Even after the next logo was introduced, this remained on PBS NewsHour until November 13, 2019, Martha Stewart's Cooking School until November 17, 2019, Washington Week until December 27, 2019, BBC World News until February 28, 2020, and Amanpour and Company until April 17, 2020, and still appears on new episodes of Firing Line, Motorweek, and To the Contrary as of December 2020, and is retained on the 2020 national rebroadcasts of The Roosevelts: An Intimate History and The Talk: Race in America. The extended version of Photo Album was shown among the post-program content at the end of the fourth episode of The War when it was rebroadcast in 2020, even though the closing logo is the 2020 Documentaries ID.

Editor's Note: While this logo is almost a decade old, its many variants over the years have kept it fresh.

15th Logo (November 4, 2019- )

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Nicknames: "21st Century PBS", "50 Years of PBS"

Logo:

• Selfies: A man and his girlfriend take a selfie together. It fades to another shot of them walking down a wooded path. Debuted on November 4, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on July 26, 2020, at 9:56 PM ET.
• Nature Walk: A woman is in a forest. She grabs onto a leaf on a tree, lets go of it and stares at it in awe. It cuts to another shot of her opening a notebook with a sketch of a leaf. Then it fades to another shot of the woman sitting down while the PBS logo and the letters come out from left side of the logo and shifts to the right. Debuted on November 4, 2019, at 10:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 6, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET.
• Backyard Party: A family is gathered in a backyard late at night following a party, watching a Nature episode being shown on a projector. Debuted on November 5, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 6, 2019, at 9:56 PM ET.
• Kayaking: Two women kayak down a river. Debuted on November 6, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 7, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET.
• All-American Memories: A woman labels a photo of a waterside mountain as "Beautiful ♥". It cuts to another shot of her pinning the photo on a map of America before admiring her handiwork. Debuted on November 12, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 6, 2019, at 9:56 PM ET.
• Guitar Lesson: A man teaches a guitar chord to his son and shows his approval when he plays something on the guitar. Debuted on November 9, 2019, at 11:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 8, 2019, at 11:56 PM ET.
• Cooking: A woman reads a recipe from a digital screen, and she and her daughter mix some of the ingredients in a bowl and knead some dough. Debuted on November 9, 2019, at 4:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 10, 2019, at 11:00 PM ET.
• Gaming: A girl and her father play a PlayStation 4 game together. Debuted on November 30, 2019, at 1:56 PM ET.
• Family Dinner: Family and friends are gathered together in a kitchen. One man dices some vegetables and pours them into a pot on the stove. One woman prepares some pasta while the man is cooking the diced vegetables in the background. Debuted on December 13, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET.
• Planetarium: Children are in awe as they watch a show and view some other exhibits at a planetarium. Debuted on December 22, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on January 6, 2020, at 1:56 AM ET.
• Dancing: A hip hop dance troupe performs at a small-town auditorium, to great applause. Debuted on January 1, 2020, at 5:56 AM ET.
• Antiques: Two women check out a brace of telephones in an antique shop. Debuted on June 15, 2020, at 8:56 PM ET.
• The Learning Experience: Children paint their hands with paintbrushes and press them against a white wall to make color art as their teacher watches. Debuted on June 16, 2020, at 9:26 PM ET.
• Earth Science: Two children catch a caterpillar and study it. Debuted on June 17, 2020, at 10:56 PM ET.
• Coffeehouse: TBA. Debuted on June 21, 2020, at 10:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on September 27, 2020, at 8:56 PM ET.
• Volunteer Gardeners: Volunteers plant a tree in a park. Debuted on June 23, 2020, at 9:56 PM ET.
• Temptations: TBA. Debuted on July 7, 2020, at 8:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on September 18, 2020, at 9:56 PM ET.
• Audiobooks: TBA. Debuted on July 10, 2020, at 11:56 PM ET.
• Photography: TBA. Debuted on July 22, 2020, at 8:56 PM ET.
• TBA: TBA. Debuted on July 26, 2020, at 9:56 PM ET.
• Generic: The P-Head circle zooms out against a PBS blue background and slides to the left, with PBS appearing in white, in the PBS Sans font, to the right. Debuted on November 9, 2019, at 6:26 PM ET.

Variants:

• Opening Variant: Same as the generic variant, except somewhat quicker. On some programs, the logo will animate in reverse, with the opening shot of the program fading in within the P-head's eye.
• On the 2020 rebroadcast of The War, an in-credit version of the P-Head is used during the "Viewers Like You" funding spot, with a black P-Head in a white circle and the old serif PBS to its right.
• In lieu of the usual "Viewers Like You"/"Thank You" text, the P-Head animation, minus zooming, is used for the "Viewers Like You" funding spot as a whole on Driving While Black.

Trivia: This logo incorporates elements of the 1971, 1992, 2002, and 2009 logos, with emphasis on blues, live-action variants, and a quick zoom-out through the eye of the P-head.

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds/Voice-over:

• Selfies: An upbeat piano rendition of the 2009 logo's theme. A male voice says, "You're watching PBS."
• Nature Walk: A piano piece followed by a guitar rendition of the 2009 logo's theme. A male voice says, "You're watching PBS."
• Backyard Party: Same as Nature Walk. The extended version has the sound of a dog barking at the start.
• Kayaking: Same as Nature Walk.
• All-American Memories: A held synth chord followed by a synth rendition of the 2009 logo's theme. A male voice says, "You're watching PBS."
• Guitar Lesson: Same as Nature Walk.
• Cooking: Same as Nature Walk.
• Gaming: Same as Selfies.
• Family Dinner: Same as Selfies.
• Planetarium: An orchestrated version of the Selfies/Gaming/Family Dinner variant with violins and brass instruments. A male voice says, "You're watching PBS."
• Dancing: Same as Selfies, but with the sound of applause at the end. Sometimes, it uses the All-American Memories variant's music instead.
• Antiques: Similar to Nature Walk, but driven by woodwinds instead. A male voice says, "You're watching PBS."
• The Learning Experience: Same as Selfies.
• Earth Science: Same as Nature Walk.
• Coffeehouse: Same as Antiques.
• Volunteer Gardeners: Same as Nature Walk.
• Temptations: Same as Antiques.
• Audiobooks: Same as Nature Walk.
• Photography: Same as Nature Walk.
• TBA: Same as Antiques.
• Generic: Same as Planetarium, but extended at the start with the first six notes of the Selfies/Gaming/Family Dinner variant. When used for intermissions, the voice instead says, "This PBS program will return in a moment." This intermission variant debuted on November 14, 2019.
• Opening Variant: A shortened version of the All-American Memories variant's music, only using the modified 2009 theme (C-D-G-F#-power chord D).

Availability: Brand new. Formally announced on November 4, 2019, it debuted later that night on Antiques Roadshow's Extraordinary Finds and is expected to replace the 2009 PBS logo over the coming years. The opening variant debuted on Independent Lens, and the intermission variant debuted between the This Old House episode "Westerly: The Doors" and the Ask This Old House episode "Switch, Affordable Geothermal" as part of the November 14, 2019 edition of The This Old House Hour. Don't expect this on the 2020 rebroadcast of The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, as it uses the previous logo, though the extended bumpers appear among the post-episode content. It also plasters the previous logo on the final PBS broadcast of the final two episodes of Downton Abbey.

Editor's Note: A new modernization of the PBS logo for the digital age, and the first since the 1971 logo to not use serifs in its identity. However, the corporate brand unification the company has been pushing with this logo and the design itself seems to be garnering less favorable (initial) reactions compared to previous logos. Time will only tell if the community will warm up to this logo. Nevertheless, its variant set, including and excluding special IDs, appears to be the most robust ever offered by the network thus far.