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=== 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 16, 1954-1955)===
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{{YouTube|id=L0HsVAGjnrM}}
'''Nicknames:''' "NET Map of America", "The United States of NET", "Antenna on Map"
'''Logo:''' This logo consists of the typewriter letters "{{Font|Courier|'''NET'''}}", each in a segmented rounded square, on a white map of the U.S. inside a black circle on a white background, with what looks like an antenna on the map. "{{Small|NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION}}" and "{{Small|EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AND RADIO CENTER}}" are shown above and below, respectively, in tiny print.
'''Variant''': On ''Parents and Dr. Spock'', a credit for WQED with the slogan "First in Community Television" below that is superimposed over the NET logo, then fades out.
'''FX/SFX:''' None.
'''Music/Sounds:''' None.
'''Music/Sounds Variants:''' On ''Parents and Dr. Spock'', over the ending theme, a male announcer says, "From WQED, First in community television." After the WQED credit fades out, he then says, "This is National Educational Television."
'''Availability:''' This logo appears on ''Window Watchers'' and showed up three times on ''Because of You: 50 Years of Channel 9''. Also seen on ''Parents and Dr. Spock''.
'''Editor's Note:''' This logo is an exciting look back at the very early years of what would become PBS, despite being ordinary. It was back when it was a limited service for distributing educational films produced by local stations nationally.
===2nd Logo (1955-1958)===
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|ETRC.png|
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{{YouTube|id=XU9vcR2jXiE|id2=g_Z0t2S7iVQ|id3=Xn-7FIXZfN0|id4=P2pJ8-q_p9w|id5=8uniK5Pm4g0}}
'''Nicknames:''' "NET Map of America II", "Animated NET Map", "The United States of NET II"
'''Logo:''' We see a close-up of the letters "{{Font|Courier|'''N'''}}", "{{Font|Courier|'''E'''}}", and "{{Font|Courier|'''T'''}}", each in a black box, positioned along the coast of California on a gray background. The camera zooms away from the letters, revealing a complete map of America, with a white line along the West Coast and Northernmost states. The boxes shoot to the right, revealing "{{Font|Courier|'''N'''}}ational", "{{Font|Courier|'''E'''}}ducational", and "{{Font|Courier|'''T'''}}elevision". Then, the text fades into the words "'''EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AND RADIO CENTER'''".
'''Closing Variant:''' The logo plays in reverse.
'''Variants:'''
* There is a still variant and a variant where the ETRC card does not show up.
* Another variant features an inverted color scheme.
'''FX/SFX:''' The animation of the map and the letters.
'''Music/Sounds:''' Just an announcer saying "This is National Educational Television." The still variant uses a different announcer. Another variant features the announcer saying "Educational Television and Radio Center" when the ETRC card pops up, for both opening and closing variants.
'''Availability:''' Appeared on the 50th anniversary special for KVIE in Sacramento. The still variant can be found on ''The Born Criminal'', ''The Exceptional Child: Blind'', and ''On The Shoulder Of Giants'' (which appears to be the last time it appeared). The animated variant appears on ''Channelizing Aggression: The Impact of Personalities''. The animated closing variant appears on most programs of the time period. The variant with the announcer saying "Educational Television and Radio Center" can be spotted on ''Religions of Man''. The inverted variant appears on KUHT-TV's ''Mexicana''. This can be seen at the end of many programs available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website.
'''Editor's Note:''' One of the first NET logos to feature animation, albeit limited.
===3rd Logo (1957-1960)===
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|National_Educational_Television_1955.png
|NET_2.PNG.png|
|NET_Circle.PNG.png|
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{{YouTube|id=f6mJvX3FAHc|id2=wMbThYvXujc|id3=dP8MP7ebp3Q|id4=9QwA7w85fNs|id5=Z-bNRkyUJ-I}}
'''Nicknames:''' "The NET Circle", "Spotlight", "Big, White Shine"
'''Logo:''' On a {{Font color|gray|gray}} background, we see a white circle with "'''NET'''" in the Futura Bold font written in black.
'''Variant:''' A variant where the background is black, and the circle is black with a white outline, exists. An opening variant exists, with no announcer.
'''FX/SFX:''' None.
'''Music/Sounds:''' Just an announcer saying, "This is National Educational Television."
'''Availability:''' This logo appears on ''Discovery at the Brookfield Zoo'', ''Search for America'', ''Community of the Condemned'', ''The Exceptional Child'', ''The Criminal Man'', ''Sense of Poetry'', and ''Ordeal by Fire''. The inverted variant appears on ''From Capitol Hill''. The opening variant appears on ''Decision: The Constitution in Action''. This logo can be seen at the end of some programs on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website.
'''Editor's Note:''' None.
===4th Logo (1957-October 2, 1966)===
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{{YouTube|id=dhWE_Ned2X0|id2=NViia-y4J-Q}}
'''Nicknames:''' "The Carpet", "The NET House II", "The House on TV Static"
'''Logo:''' On a dark background with little white "stars" (looks somewhat like a carpet, but is supposed to represent TV static), we see a redesigned version of the "House" logo in white (The letters "'''NET'''" with the "'''T'''" connecting to a roof that hangs over the "'''N'''" and "'''E'''", with an antenna sticking out of the roof, making the "'''N'''" look slightly squished). The style of this "NET House" logo would be used later on.
'''FX/SFX:''' None.
'''Music/Sounds:''' Until October 1962, an announcer (Edward R. Murrow) said, "This is National Educational Television."
* An alternate version of the logo featured the announcer saying, "This is N-E-T, National Educational Television." It is unknown what year this began being used, but it outlived its predecessor, being used until 1966.
* Another variant has a V/O which says, "This is N-E-T, the National Educational Television network."
* An inverted variant appears on a 1960s episode of ''Perspectives''. In the same episode, an opening variant (also inverted) appears with the text reading "NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION presents PERSPECTIVES", replacing the NET House logo while the static background is retained.
'''Availability:''' Common, appeared on most AAPB programs by NET during the period.
'''Editor's Note:''' An introduction of the iconic house motif, marking the start of the most recognizable NET logo and associating the network with said logo/motif.
===5th Logo (1958)===
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{{YouTube|id=RCISnbZvC7M|id2=XypZSXbC31I}}
'''Nickname:''' "ETVNETETV"
'''Logo:''' On a black background, we see multiple copies of "{{Font color|gray|'''ETV'''}}" in {{Font color|gray|gray}}. In the middle, we see the text "'''NET'''" in white.
'''Variant:''' An inverted variant exists.
'''FX/SFX:''' None.
'''Music/Sounds:''' The ending theme of the program.
'''Availability:''' Seen on ''Ten For Survival''. The inverted variant appears on most episodes of ''The Subject is Jazz''. Both productions are in collaboration with NBC.
'''Editor's Note:''' This logo appears to have been used for NBC co-productions since all of its appearances (as discovered so far) have been on such.
===6th Logo (1958)===
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{{YouTube|id=69VFwoFoBP8}}
'''Nicknames:''' "Boxes", "Epitome of '50s Graphic Design", "Art Deco Carpet Design"
'''Logo:''' On a carpet-like background, the letters "'''NET'''" appear in multicolored boxes across on a white line, resulting in a design similar to the NBC's "Chimes" logo.
'''FX/SFX:''' None.
'''Music/Sounds:''' The ending theme of the program.
'''Availability:''' This was recently rediscovered on an episode of ''The Subject is Jazz'', titled “Performance”. It is currently unknown if this logo appeared on any other program.
'''Editor's Note:''' This logo is an oddity, as this logo's existence was practically unknown until Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning uploaded it on October 29, 2018. Its similarity to the NBC "Chimes" logo may or may not be a coincidence, as ''The Subject is Jazz'' was a co-production with NBC.
===7th Logo (October 11, 1959-June 1961)===
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{{YouTube|id=YNaffcZMSV8|id2=aIENwERPgJk|id3=VOxvyXA6Ug8|id4=Q431uroKx_o|id5=bHpUzAD0SKE}}
'''Nicknames:''' "NET in a House", "The NET House"
'''Logo:''' On a {{Font color|gray|gray}} background, we see an alternate version of the NET House logo, which is a black house with the letters "'''NET'''" inside and an antenna on the roof. Unlike other house logos, the "T" isn't connected to the roof.
'''FX/SFX:''' None.
'''Music/Sounds/Voice-over:''' An announcer says either "This is National Educational Television" or "This is N-E-T, National Educational Television."
'''Availability:''' Extremely rare. It appears on ''That Free Men May Live'' and ''The American Mind'', both of which are available on americanarchive.org. The logo can also be seen on ''Prospects of Mankind with Eleanor Roosevelt'', available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website. It can also be seen on ''Anatomy of a Revolution''.
'''Editor's Note:''': This is most likely a prototype/placeholder logo as the design does seem rough.
===8th Logo (1961-1966/1967?; 1970)===
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{{YouTube|id=xaLjph_crsk}}
'''Nicknames:''' "Smooth NET House", "Generic NET House", "Plain NET House"
'''Logo:''' Same as the third logo, but the background is entirely {{Font color|dimgray|dark gray}} and has a smooth texture.
'''FX/SFX:''' None.
'''Music/Sounds/Voice-over:''' Same as last logo.
'''Availability:''' First appeared on ''Conversation with Dean Rusk'' and last appeared on ''Of Broccoli and Pelicans and Celery and Seals''. This logo also appears on ''Pathfinders''.
'''Editor's Note:''' Another oddity, this time in terms of how and when it was used.
===9th Logo (''What's New?'' Variant) (1961-1970)===
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'''Nicknames:''' "Marching Band Children", "Backwards Musical Trio", "Sparkles on Jeans"
'''Opening Logo:''' On a {{Font color|blue|blue}} cloth-like background, "'''NET'''" appears in big, bold letters, with "presents" underneath and sparkles appearing.
'''Closing Logo:''' On a {{Font color|peru|rough sepia}} background, three children appear marching backward, forming the words "{{Font color|navajowhite|'''{{Font|Courier|National Educational Television}}'''}}", all stacked on top of each other.
'''Variant:''' This logo debuted in black and white.
'''FX/SFX:''' 2D Animation.
'''Music/Sounds:''' An announcer saying "This is National Educational Television" with the closing theme playing in the background.
'''Availability:''' Appears on ''What's New?''.
'''Editor's Note:''' None.
===10th Logo (''Perspectives'' variant) (1962)===
{{YouTube|id=wKmrHF_pawU}}
'''Nicknames:''' "The Animated NET House Globe", "NET Map (Sort of) Returns!", "A New Perspective of the NET House", "NET House On a Globe", "Foldable Earth Diagram"
'''Logo:''' After the closing titles of the show, the spinning globe on the credits suddenly folds out to a 2D model of the globe, and then the letters "'''N'''", "'''E'''", and "'''T'''", appear vertically at the left side of the globe, then rearrange to appear horizontally, slide to the middle, and then the roof is drawn over them, with the "'''N'''" slightly shrinking to make room for the roof.
'''FX/SFX:''' Typical '60s 2-D Animation.
'''Music/Sounds:''' The closing theme of the show.
'''Availability:''' Appears on ''Perspectives''.
'''Editor's Note:''' A unique and wonderful logo, one of the few animated custom logos NET has had.
===11th logo (1963-June 1967)===
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|GW261H149.jpg|
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{{YouTube|id=vVcqAXkUY1A|id2=0iNx-9Ff-z4}}
'''Nickname:''' "NET Fire Cage", "The Dancing Birdcage"
'''Logo:''' On a black screen, several dots flash near the center of the screen (a la the [[Screen Gems]] “Dancing Sticks” logo, or like YouTube dots while a video is buffering). Then we see a circle being drawn in a counter-clockwise direction. A line is drawn through the circle going downwards, where it quickly vanishes. A small fire can be seen starting within the circle. Another line is drawn through the center of the circle from left to right. Two lines similar to a Worldvision-like globe are drawn. Another pair, closer to the circle, are drawn, like that of the first lines, and then two horizontal lines above the first horizontal line. The camera zooms backward, and we see a thick line (the top of the "'''T'''") being drawn under the ball of fire, which later connects to the ball of fire. A vertical line (the beginning of the "'''N'''") is then formed. The "'''T'''" then finishes, and then the diagonal part of the "'''N'''" appears. Lastly, the "'''E'''" is formed. The fire continues blazing until we fade out.
'''Variant:''' A still, opening variant of the last shot of the logo with "'''NET'''" replaced by "{{Small|'''NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION presents'''}}" appears on ''Great Decisions 1966''.
'''FX/SFX:''' The dots, the live-action fire, and the lines being drawn.
'''Music/Sounds:''' Pinball-like dings to start, which turns into a bombastic but brief brass piece. Almost immediately afterward, an announcer can be heard saying, "The following program is from N-E-T, the National Educational Television network." (opening) or "This is N-E-T, the National Educational Television network.". (closing)
'''Availability:''' Uncommon. Can be seen on the 1965 program ''Changing the World: Southeast Asia, the Other War'', the 1967 program ''Aphasia, the road back'', both formerly available for viewing on the Museum of Broadcast Communications Archives website, and on the 1965 James Baldwin vs. William F. Buckley debates, available for watching on YouTube and the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. It has also been preserved on the VHS and DVD of ''Ten Blocks on the Camino Real''. This can also be seen on over 45+ programs available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website. The tail end can be seen early on in ''Mr. Soul!''.
'''Editor's Note:''' While it is not as widely remembered as the 1968 logo and future PBS logos, this is one of the first to be recognized more widely than the previous logos.
===12th logo (April 1967-November? 1970)===
{{Gallery
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|NET-1.PNG.png|1967-1968 variant (B&W)
|GW204H155.png|1967-1968 variant (Color)
|NET-2.PNG.png|1968-1970 variant (B&W)
|NET_Logo_1962_(Color)_(On_Black).svg|1968-1970 variant (Color)
|GW206H155.png|''Black Journal'' variant
|GW209H150.jpg|''Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood'' variant 1
|GW206H155.jpg|''Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood'' variant 2
|GW212H154.png| Copyright variant
}}
{{YouTube|id_Vmwt8d-NtY=|id2=02M12LnCwI8|id3=biPDiL1Huak|id4=-ARyzbVxG70|id5=ipCaub4jtNU}}
'''Note:''' The first four images are the regular variants. The fifth image is a ''Black Journal'' variant. The sixth and seventh images are the ''Mister Rogers'' variants, and the last image is the copyright version.
'''Nicknames:''' "The Roof", "The NET House III"
'''Logo:''' First, the left section of the screen fills with {{Font color|red|red}} from the bottom, the middle section fills with {{Font color#FFD900|yellow}} from the top, and the right section fills with {{Font color|dodgerblue|blue}} from the bottom. Each colored section flips to form the letters "'''{{Font color|red|N}}{{Font color|#FFD900|E}}{{Font color|dodgerblue|T}}'''" on a black background one by one. Then either one of two things would happen:
* '''<u>1967-1968:</u>''' The text "{{Font color|dodgerblue|'''NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION'''}}" appears above the NET logo and morph into a line, which bends to form a gable roof with an aerial antenna on top, which is connected to the "{{Font color|dodgerblue|'''T'''}}". You can see the fourth logo for seeing about the style of this logo.
* '''<u>1968-1970:</u>''' A {{Font color|dodgerblue|blue}} line is drawn above the letters, which bends to form the aforementioned gable roof with the aerial antenna on top (still connected to the "{{Font color|dodgerblue|'''T'''}}").
'''Variants:'''
* The 1968 version came in both black and white and color versions.
* In early shows, the logo had lighter colors ("'''{{Font color|orangered|N}}{{Font color|yellow|E}}{{Font color|deepskyblue|T}}'''"), likely due to film/tape deterioration.
* On the first three seasons (1968-1970) of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', the NET logo was built into a building that was part of the toy neighborhood in the show’s opening and closing (it was in black on B&W broadcasts to stand out better). This feature remained in reruns until 1989. A copyright notice to “National Educational Television and Radio Center” continued to be used on the show through 1971.
* The closing variant in ''Black Journal'' has the animation for the logo (during the part when the right section of the screen fills up with {{Font color|dodgerblue|blue}}) fade in a few seconds after the music begins.
* At the end of ''Black Journal'', an alternative closing variant can be seen after the regular closing logo. It is just the words "{{Font color|gray|NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION}}" in {{Font color|gray|gray}} stacked on top of each other on a black background. The ending result is quite similar to the first PBS logo.
* In ''The Warren Years'', a black version of the logo appears on a white background with a copyright notice below.
* A still variant was used for special programming that preempted regularly scheduled shows.
* Oddly enough, the closing Fall 1968 variant was used as the opening logo variant for a 1968 ''Black Journal'' episode.
'''FX/SFX:''' The flipping effects.
'''Music/Sounds:''' A low-tone mellotron fanfare edited from "Plenipotentiary" by Eric Siday, similar in style to his [[Columbia Pictures Television|Screen Gems]] “S from Hell” and [[CBS “In Color” IDs|CBS "In Color"]] jingles, and an announcer saying his part below depending on the variant:
* July 2, 1967-Fall 1968: The announcer says, “The following program is from N-E-T, the National Educational Television network.” (opening) or “This is N-E-T, the National Educational Television network.” (closing).
* Fall 1968-Summer 1970: The announcer says, “The following program is from N-E-T, the public television network.” (opening) or “This is N-E-T, the public television network.” (closing).
* Summer-Fall 1970: The announcer says, "This is N-E-T, National Educational Television." This variant is rarer than the others.
'''Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants:'''
* On ''A Hand Up'', the announcer says, "The following program is distributed by N-E-T, the National Educational Television network." while the 1967-1968 variant plays.
* On ''The Assessment of Cambodia'', the announcer says, "The program scheduled for this time will not be seen so that we may bring you the following N-E-T special program." It is a still variant, and no music plays during this variant.
'''Availability:''' Common. The B&W 1967 logo made an appearance on the VHS release of ''Our Neighbor, Fred Rogers'', but has been cut from TV rebroadcasts of the documentary since 2003. It can be seen on several shows available for viewing at The Paley Center for Media, including the series premiere episodes of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (1967 version, B&W), ''Black Journal'' (1967 version, color), and ''Sesame Street'' (1968 version, color). Though the videocassette release of the ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' episode "Death of a Goldfish" plasters the standard version of the 1968 logo with the 1971 PBS logo, the show's in-credit variant remains. The 1968 opening and closing versions can also be seen on the ''Sesame Street: Old School Volume 2'' DVD set on the test pilot episode. The 1968 closing version can be found on a handful of 1969-70 ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' episodes on Twitch (most plaster it with the 1971 PBS logo), as well as early on in the documentary ''Mr. Soul!''. The 1967 closing version can be found on all 1968 black and white episodes of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', including episodes streaming on Twitch as well as episodes 1-5 on Amazon. The 1968 alternative closing logo is quite rare; it can be seen on ''Black Journal'' (1967 version, color). Its last confirmed new appearance was on ''Realities''; the 1970 PBS logo plasters it on repeats, as seen on the series premiere (this logo can be found on a film print of the same show). The special program variant appears on ''Assessment of Cambodia''. This logo first appeared on ''Conversations 1967''. All variants, color and B&W, can be seen on over 100+ programs available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website.
'''Editor's Note:''' This is by far the most well-known NET logo. With its mellotron fanfare, the announcer, the dark background, and the low audio and grainy film quality, it gained a reputation for frightening children who grew up with ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' or ''Sesame Street''. It is one of the more fascinating logos in the history of NET/PBS.
===13th logo (October 5, 1970-March 1972)===
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{{YouTube|id=SSYNanbqX0I|id2=3y2X3ltmRiI|id3=05JbOIOo914|id4=N5DXpjcLXOs|id5=87MXrxx-vpw|id6=jEt8l8uTdFc|id7=JBO_xnw7XTs|id8=Lb7kHtkM5ok|id9=-1jpQQV33Rc|id10=mv94IUheb4Q}}
'''Nicknames:''' "Scanimate Letters"
'''Logo:''' On a {{Font color|darkslateblue|dark purple}} background, several distorted white shapes spin around the center of the screen, which appears to be letters spinning and rolling around each other and larger copies made of lines forming around them. The letters then unwrap from each other. The copies also absorb themselves into the letters, revealing the word "{{Font|Bauhaus 93|{{Big|net}}}}" in a Bauhaus 93-like font.
'''Variants:'''
* Some programs carry a custom variant for their respective shows, in which the logo leads out to their intros. It was seen on ''Fanfare'' and ''Realities'' (with the latter also carrying a "News Special" variant).
* A "Special Events" variant was seen on an NET special.
* A "Children’s Theatre” variant was seen on the 1971 TV movie "The Boy and the Turtle".
* A B&W variant also exists.
* Beginning on October 3, 1971, the logo was updated. It is now on an {{Font color|mediumblue|ultramarine}} background, the lines are now {{Font color|#FFD900|yellow}}, and the "{{Font|Bauhaus 93|{{Big|{{Font color|orange|n}}}}}}" is {{Font color|orange|orange}}, the "{{Font|Bauhaus 93|{{Big|{{Font color|#FFD900|e}}}}}}" is {{Font color|#FFD900|yellow}}, and the "{{Font|Bauhaus 93|{{Big|{{Font color|limegreen|t}}}}}}" is {{Font color|limegreen|green}}. Additionally, it is also videotaped, the mass appears to zoom in, and the letters also appear to be thinner and spread a bit further out from each other.
* A variant exists of the ''Realities'' logo, in 16mm. It is currently unknown if there is any other variant that is in the format.
'''Trivia:''' This logo was reused and retooled for WNET.
'''FX/SFX:''' Advanced Scanimation for its time.
'''Music/Sounds:'''
* '''Regular:''' A four-note keyboard tune which is repeated four times, the last over a synthesized drone. The announcer says "The following program is from NET." or "The following program is a presentation of NET."
* '''Custom:''' A low analog synth with a background scaling, which saturates over time. Sometimes, this is replaced by a fast synthesized piano with an uprising note that changes note momentarily and lowers back.
'''Availability:''' The custom variants appeared on ''Civilization'' (and may be preserved on the MacArthur Library VHS release), ''Realities'', and ''Fanfare'', being retained on a 1987 rebroadcast of the series premiere of the latter, "Welcome to the Fillmore East", and the official DVD release of "Go Ride the Music". The black and white variant appears on the ''Realities'' episode "Soldiers Who Search and Dissent". The regular logos also appears on ''Black Journal'', ''The Great American Dream Machine'' (retained on most episodes on Volumes 3 and 4, with the first variant appearing on Volume 3 and the later variant appearing on Volume 4), ''President's Report on Indochina'', ''Soul!'' and ''An American Family''.
'''Editor's Note:''' This is highly one of the most advanced logos of its time, and is even more advanced than some of the later Scanimate logos. This logo was extremely unique, and the later was reused for its use on WNET's logo. There was a debate if this logo was the original NET's logo or WNET's logo due to its usage on both of the station's shows and their relationship and interactions with each other. However, this logo first appeared only a few days before PBS officially began broadcasting, and a show the logo can be seen on wasn't produced by WNET, but rather Washington, DC affiliate WETA. Plus, WNET carried an entirely different logo under the WDNT name around the same time this logo was being used. However, the logo under WDNT's name was changed to use the WNET name for a 1971 in-credit notice. When NET merged with WNET, it was known as EBC, a division of NET. NET was also still around when PBS started, as PBS didn't fully take over until NET dissolved completely in 1972. Regardless, this is an interesting logo.
===14th Logo (October 5, 1970-Early 1972)===
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'''Logo:''' Just an in-credit logo with either "NET PRESENTS" (opening) or "A PRODUCTION OF NET EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING CORPORATION (Copyright year)" (closing).
'''FX/SFX:''' Just the fading.
'''Music/Sounds:''' None.
'''Availability:''' Extremely rare. This was used briefly by NET as an in-credit logo.
'''Editor's Note:''' Not a very interesting logo, especially when compared to the logo it was used in tandem with. The font does slightly resemble the text from the "House" logo, though.
'''Final Note:''' NET was fully absorbed into WNET in 1972. PBS took over what NET left behind, while WNET took control of all still-airing programs aired by NET.
=== 1st Logo (May 17, 1970-Late Summer 1971)===
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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.
Nicknames: "NET Map of America", "The United States of NET", "Antenna on Map"
Logo: This logo consists of the typewriter letters "NET", each in a segmented rounded square, on a white map of the U.S. inside a black circle on a white background, with what looks like an antenna on the map. "NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION" and "EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AND RADIO CENTER" are shown above and below, respectively, in tiny print.
Variant: On Parents and Dr. Spock, a credit for WQED with the slogan "First in Community Television" below that is superimposed over the NET logo, then fades out.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Music/Sounds Variants: On Parents and Dr. Spock, over the ending theme, a male announcer says, "From WQED, First in community television." After the WQED credit fades out, he then says, "This is National Educational Television."
Availability: This logo appears on Window Watchers and showed up three times on Because of You: 50 Years of Channel 9. Also seen on Parents and Dr. Spock.
Editor's Note: This logo is an exciting look back at the very early years of what would become PBS, despite being ordinary. It was back when it was a limited service for distributing educational films produced by local stations nationally.
Nicknames: "NET Map of America II", "Animated NET Map", "The United States of NET II"
Logo: We see a close-up of the letters "N", "E", and "T", each in a black box, positioned along the coast of California on a gray background. The camera zooms away from the letters, revealing a complete map of America, with a white line along the West Coast and Northernmost states. The boxes shoot to the right, revealing "National", "Educational", and "Television". Then, the text fades into the words "EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AND RADIO CENTER".
Closing Variant: The logo plays in reverse.
Variants:
FX/SFX: The animation of the map and the letters.
Music/Sounds: Just an announcer saying "This is National Educational Television." The still variant uses a different announcer. Another variant features the announcer saying "Educational Television and Radio Center" when the ETRC card pops up, for both opening and closing variants.
Availability: Appeared on the 50th anniversary special for KVIE in Sacramento. The still variant can be found on The Born Criminal, The Exceptional Child: Blind, and On The Shoulder Of Giants (which appears to be the last time it appeared). The animated variant appears on Channelizing Aggression: The Impact of Personalities. The animated closing variant appears on most programs of the time period. The variant with the announcer saying "Educational Television and Radio Center" can be spotted on Religions of Man. The inverted variant appears on KUHT-TV's Mexicana. This can be seen at the end of many programs available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website.
Editor's Note: One of the first NET logos to feature animation, albeit limited.
Nicknames: "The NET Circle", "Spotlight", "Big, White Shine"
Logo: On a gray background, we see a white circle with "NET" in the Futura Bold font written in black.
Variant: A variant where the background is black, and the circle is black with a white outline, exists. An opening variant exists, with no announcer.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: Just an announcer saying, "This is National Educational Television."
Availability: This logo appears on Discovery at the Brookfield Zoo, Search for America, Community of the Condemned, The Exceptional Child, The Criminal Man, Sense of Poetry, and Ordeal by Fire. The inverted variant appears on From Capitol Hill. The opening variant appears on Decision: The Constitution in Action. This logo can be seen at the end of some programs on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website.
Editor's Note: None.
Nicknames: "The Carpet", "The NET House II", "The House on TV Static"
Logo: On a dark background with little white "stars" (looks somewhat like a carpet, but is supposed to represent TV static), we see a redesigned version of the "House" logo in white (The letters "NET" with the "T" connecting to a roof that hangs over the "N" and "E", with an antenna sticking out of the roof, making the "N" look slightly squished). The style of this "NET House" logo would be used later on.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: Until October 1962, an announcer (Edward R. Murrow) said, "This is National Educational Television."
Availability: Common, appeared on most AAPB programs by NET during the period.
Editor's Note: An introduction of the iconic house motif, marking the start of the most recognizable NET logo and associating the network with said logo/motif.
Nickname: "ETVNETETV"
Logo: On a black background, we see multiple copies of "ETV" in gray. In the middle, we see the text "NET" in white.
Variant: An inverted variant exists.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the program.
Availability: Seen on Ten For Survival. The inverted variant appears on most episodes of The Subject is Jazz. Both productions are in collaboration with NBC.
Editor's Note: This logo appears to have been used for NBC co-productions since all of its appearances (as discovered so far) have been on such.
Nicknames: "Boxes", "Epitome of '50s Graphic Design", "Art Deco Carpet Design"
Logo: On a carpet-like background, the letters "NET" appear in multicolored boxes across on a white line, resulting in a design similar to the NBC's "Chimes" logo.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the program.
Availability: This was recently rediscovered on an episode of The Subject is Jazz, titled “Performance”. It is currently unknown if this logo appeared on any other program.
Editor's Note: This logo is an oddity, as this logo's existence was practically unknown until Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning uploaded it on October 29, 2018. Its similarity to the NBC "Chimes" logo may or may not be a coincidence, as The Subject is Jazz was a co-production with NBC.
Nicknames: "NET in a House", "The NET House"
Logo: On a gray background, we see an alternate version of the NET House logo, which is a black house with the letters "NET" inside and an antenna on the roof. Unlike other house logos, the "T" isn't connected to the roof.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: An announcer says either "This is National Educational Television" or "This is N-E-T, National Educational Television."
Availability: Extremely rare. It appears on That Free Men May Live and The American Mind, both of which are available on americanarchive.org. The logo can also be seen on Prospects of Mankind with Eleanor Roosevelt, available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website. It can also be seen on Anatomy of a Revolution.
Editor's Note:: This is most likely a prototype/placeholder logo as the design does seem rough.
Nicknames: "Smooth NET House", "Generic NET House", "Plain NET House"
Logo: Same as the third logo, but the background is entirely dark gray and has a smooth texture.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: Same as last logo.
Availability: First appeared on Conversation with Dean Rusk and last appeared on Of Broccoli and Pelicans and Celery and Seals. This logo also appears on Pathfinders.
Editor's Note: Another oddity, this time in terms of how and when it was used.
Nicknames: "Marching Band Children", "Backwards Musical Trio", "Sparkles on Jeans"
Opening Logo: On a blue cloth-like background, "NET" appears in big, bold letters, with "presents" underneath and sparkles appearing.
Closing Logo: On a rough sepia background, three children appear marching backward, forming the words "National Educational Television", all stacked on top of each other.
Variant: This logo debuted in black and white.
FX/SFX: 2D Animation.
Music/Sounds: An announcer saying "This is National Educational Television" with the closing theme playing in the background.
Availability: Appears on What's New?.
Editor's Note: None.
Nicknames: "The Animated NET House Globe", "NET Map (Sort of) Returns!", "A New Perspective of the NET House", "NET House On a Globe", "Foldable Earth Diagram"
Logo: After the closing titles of the show, the spinning globe on the credits suddenly folds out to a 2D model of the globe, and then the letters "N", "E", and "T", appear vertically at the left side of the globe, then rearrange to appear horizontally, slide to the middle, and then the roof is drawn over them, with the "N" slightly shrinking to make room for the roof.
FX/SFX: Typical '60s 2-D Animation.
Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.
Availability: Appears on Perspectives.
Editor's Note: A unique and wonderful logo, one of the few animated custom logos NET has had.
Nickname: "NET Fire Cage", "The Dancing Birdcage"
Logo: On a black screen, several dots flash near the center of the screen (a la the Screen Gems “Dancing Sticks” logo, or like YouTube dots while a video is buffering). Then we see a circle being drawn in a counter-clockwise direction. A line is drawn through the circle going downwards, where it quickly vanishes. A small fire can be seen starting within the circle. Another line is drawn through the center of the circle from left to right. Two lines similar to a Worldvision-like globe are drawn. Another pair, closer to the circle, are drawn, like that of the first lines, and then two horizontal lines above the first horizontal line. The camera zooms backward, and we see a thick line (the top of the "T") being drawn under the ball of fire, which later connects to the ball of fire. A vertical line (the beginning of the "N") is then formed. The "T" then finishes, and then the diagonal part of the "N" appears. Lastly, the "E" is formed. The fire continues blazing until we fade out.
Variant: A still, opening variant of the last shot of the logo with "NET" replaced by "NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION presents" appears on Great Decisions 1966.
FX/SFX: The dots, the live-action fire, and the lines being drawn.
Music/Sounds: Pinball-like dings to start, which turns into a bombastic but brief brass piece. Almost immediately afterward, an announcer can be heard saying, "The following program is from N-E-T, the National Educational Television network." (opening) or "This is N-E-T, the National Educational Television network.". (closing)
Availability: Uncommon. Can be seen on the 1965 program Changing the World: Southeast Asia, the Other War, the 1967 program Aphasia, the road back, both formerly available for viewing on the Museum of Broadcast Communications Archives website, and on the 1965 James Baldwin vs. William F. Buckley debates, available for watching on YouTube and the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. It has also been preserved on the VHS and DVD of Ten Blocks on the Camino Real. This can also be seen on over 45+ programs available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website. The tail end can be seen early on in Mr. Soul!.
Editor's Note: While it is not as widely remembered as the 1968 logo and future PBS logos, this is one of the first to be recognized more widely than the previous logos.
Note: The first four images are the regular variants. The fifth image is a Black Journal variant. The sixth and seventh images are the Mister Rogers variants, and the last image is the copyright version.
Nicknames: "The Roof", "The NET House III"
Logo: First, the left section of the screen fills with red from the bottom, the middle section fills with from the top, and the right section fills with blue from the bottom. Each colored section flips to form the letters "NET" on a black background one by one. Then either one of two things would happen:
Variants:
FX/SFX: The flipping effects.
Music/Sounds: A low-tone mellotron fanfare edited from "Plenipotentiary" by Eric Siday, similar in style to his Screen Gems “S from Hell” and CBS "In Color" jingles, and an announcer saying his part below depending on the variant:
Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants:
Availability: Common. The B&W 1967 logo made an appearance on the VHS release of Our Neighbor, Fred Rogers, but has been cut from TV rebroadcasts of the documentary since 2003. It can be seen on several shows available for viewing at The Paley Center for Media, including the series premiere episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1967 version, B&W), Black Journal (1967 version, color), and Sesame Street (1968 version, color). Though the videocassette release of the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episode "Death of a Goldfish" plasters the standard version of the 1968 logo with the 1971 PBS logo, the show's in-credit variant remains. The 1968 opening and closing versions can also be seen on the Sesame Street: Old School Volume 2 DVD set on the test pilot episode. The 1968 closing version can be found on a handful of 1969-70 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episodes on Twitch (most plaster it with the 1971 PBS logo), as well as early on in the documentary Mr. Soul!. The 1967 closing version can be found on all 1968 black and white episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, including episodes streaming on Twitch as well as episodes 1-5 on Amazon. The 1968 alternative closing logo is quite rare; it can be seen on Black Journal (1967 version, color). Its last confirmed new appearance was on Realities; the 1970 PBS logo plasters it on repeats, as seen on the series premiere (this logo can be found on a film print of the same show). The special program variant appears on Assessment of Cambodia. This logo first appeared on Conversations 1967. All variants, color and B&W, can be seen on over 100+ programs available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website.
Editor's Note: This is by far the most well-known NET logo. With its mellotron fanfare, the announcer, the dark background, and the low audio and grainy film quality, it gained a reputation for frightening children who grew up with Mister Rogers' Neighborhood or Sesame Street. It is one of the more fascinating logos in the history of NET/PBS.
Nicknames: "Scanimate Letters"
Logo: On a dark purple background, several distorted white shapes spin around the center of the screen, which appears to be letters spinning and rolling around each other and larger copies made of lines forming around them. The letters then unwrap from each other. The copies also absorb themselves into the letters, revealing the word "net" in a Bauhaus 93-like font.
Variants:
Trivia: This logo was reused and retooled for WNET.
FX/SFX: Advanced Scanimation for its time.
Music/Sounds:
Availability: The custom variants appeared on Civilization (and may be preserved on the MacArthur Library VHS release), Realities, and Fanfare, being retained on a 1987 rebroadcast of the series premiere of the latter, "Welcome to the Fillmore East", and the official DVD release of "Go Ride the Music". The black and white variant appears on the Realities episode "Soldiers Who Search and Dissent". The regular logos also appears on Black Journal, The Great American Dream Machine (retained on most episodes on Volumes 3 and 4, with the first variant appearing on Volume 3 and the later variant appearing on Volume 4), President's Report on Indochina, Soul! and An American Family.
Editor's Note: This is highly one of the most advanced logos of its time, and is even more advanced than some of the later Scanimate logos. This logo was extremely unique, and the later was reused for its use on WNET's logo. There was a debate if this logo was the original NET's logo or WNET's logo due to its usage on both of the station's shows and their relationship and interactions with each other. However, this logo first appeared only a few days before PBS officially began broadcasting, and a show the logo can be seen on wasn't produced by WNET, but rather Washington, DC affiliate WETA. Plus, WNET carried an entirely different logo under the WDNT name around the same time this logo was being used. However, the logo under WDNT's name was changed to use the WNET name for a 1971 in-credit notice. When NET merged with WNET, it was known as EBC, a division of NET. NET was also still around when PBS started, as PBS didn't fully take over until NET dissolved completely in 1972. Regardless, this is an interesting logo.
Logo: Just an in-credit logo with either "NET PRESENTS" (opening) or "A PRODUCTION OF NET EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING CORPORATION (Copyright year)" (closing).
FX/SFX: Just the fading.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Extremely rare. This was used briefly by NET as an in-credit logo.
Editor's Note: Not a very interesting logo, especially when compared to the logo it was used in tandem with. The font does slightly resemble the text from the "House" logo, though.
Final Note: NET was fully absorbed into WNET in 1972. PBS took over what NET left behind, while WNET took control of all still-airing programs aired by NET.
Nicknames: "The Text", "The Text of Boredom", "Multi-Colored/Tri-Colored Text", "Public Boredom Service"
Logo: Just a black background with the words:
stacked on top of each other in red, yellow, and blue.
Variant: On Firing Line and most of the first episodes of Thirty Minutes With... (save for the premiere with Secretary Elliot Richardson), the logo cuts in from the CPB logo.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: An announcer, the late MacDonald Carey, saying "This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service." Later programs used different announcers (at least two distinct announcers have been identified on Firing Line and Thirty Minutes With...).
Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variant: On Calebration, the opening theme plays over this logo, and there is no announcer.
Availability: Extinct.
Editor's Note: This logo is rather infamous as it is the hardest PBS logo to find because of its incredibly short lifespan. In all likelihood, this was developed as a placeholder logo during the NET to PBS transition, hence why the color scheme is the same as the 12th NET logo. For many years, the only circulating copy was one of very poor quality, and it had barely any information regarding its source. What was known is that it came from "Go Ride the Music", and even then many casual observers failed to connect it with Fanfare for years. However, by the late 2010s, the additional copies mentioned above have come to light, giving the community a few additional captures of this very elusive ID. It has also been found that the original poor quality source comes from a TVARK recording.
Nicknames: "P-Head and Friends", "PBS P-Head", "The Tri-Colored Everyman P-Heads", "The Tri-Colored PBS Logo", "The Tri-Heads from/of Hell/Doom"
Logo: On a black background, an abstract blue "P" zooms out to the top portion of the screen. The "P" turns into a P-shaped head (known internally at PBS as "Everyman"; nicknamed "P-Head" by fans) facing left with the text "PUBLIC" appearing underneath (this set and the later lines of text underneath being set in ITC Avant Garde); both move to the left side of the screen. An abstract orange "B" pops in to the right of the P-Head and two black dots form the holes within the "B" (the latter dot coinciding with the text "BROADCASTING" appearing below "PUBLIC"). An abstract green "S" appears to the right of the "B"; two black dots cut the inner curves of the "S" as the text "SERVICE" appears below "BROADCASTING" (coinciding with the second dot). The final text stack reads:
PBS
PUBLIC
BROADCASTING
SERVICE
Trivia:
Variants:
FX/SFX: Cel animation.
Music/Sounds: A telephone-like synthesizer scale descending rapidly, followed by 5 synthesizer tones as the black dots appear; there is an echo in the final note. Composed by Paul Alan Levi, using a EMS VCS3 Putney synthesizer.
Music/Sounds Variants:
Availability: Uncommon. Due to replacement with newer logos and newer shows, it was extremely rare in recent years. However, DVD releases and streaming have made it easier to find.
Editor's Note: Many individuals who grew up during this logo's time period have strong memories of it -- whether fond or otherwise. The loud synthesizer music freaked out a few people in its day, but now this logo stands for nostalgia more than anything else.
Nicknames: "Split Profile", "The Everyman/Everyperson P", "PBS P-Head II", "The Split"
Logo: On a black background, a blue P-head appears on the upper-mid screen, facing backwards. A piece, unofficially called "The Split", comes out to the right and settles itself about half an inch away. The text "PBS" appears below in a slab serif font, which was designed specifically for PBS (called "ITC Lubalin Graph Bold").
Trivia:
Variants:
FX/SFX: The P-head "splitting" as a fragment of the logo stretches away.
Music/Sounds: A majestic piano chord, followed by six string pizzicato tones, and then a softer version of the piano chord. Composed by Jonathan Elias.
Music/Sounds Variant:
Availability: Common. It appeared on old prints of PBS shows produced from 1984-89. Can also be found on early PBS Home Video releases from the '80s; just look for a banner with the P-Head on the left and "PBS VIDEO" filling the entire rest of the banner.
Editor's Note: While this logo has not been seen on television for many years, it is still very highly regarded and is a favorite of many.
Nicknames: "3D Glass", "Transparent blue P-Head", "Merging Crystal P-Head", "PBS P-Head III"
Logo:
Trivia:
Variants:
FX/SFX: The P-head folds, leaving behind a trail as it settles in the center of the screen. Multicolor lines wipe in to form the PBS logotype.
Music/Sounds: A long held-out string note combined with synth bells (played on a Roland D-50 using the Fantasia preset) and chimes, followed by an announcer (Paul Anthony, who is also the longtime announcer for Washington Week) saying "This is PBS".
Music/Sounds Variants:
Availability: Rare. As with other vintage PBS logos, the chance of showing up on TV now is almost nothing, but some PBS Home Video releases from the era may have it. Just look for a square in the top-left corner of the front of the box with "PBS VIDEO" below a P-head.
Editor's Note: The logo is well-liked for its nice animation and soft music.
Nicknames: "Orange P-Head", "Glass P-Head", "Pink P-Heads", "PBS P-Head IV", "Pink PBS Logo"
Logo: On a pink/orange lighted background, several transparent ellipses revealing people's faces appear and disappear one at a time. Then we zoom out through a circle, which turns out to be the eye in the PBS P-Head standing on a floor, made from glass. To the left of the P-Head, the text "PBS" rotates to face the screen.
Trivia:
Variant: There is a completely still variant with a male or female announcer saying, "This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service." This was used for program breaks. The same still variant, without the announcer, would be substituted in place of the "Viewers Like You" credit on Ken Burns' The West.
FX/SFX: Several ellipses appear before the camera zooms out to reveal the P-Head. The PBS logotype flips in.
Music/Sounds: A funky, boogie piano tune with choir vocalizing, followed by an announcer (Chris Murney, the voice of Elisha Hunt Rhodes in Ken Burns' The Civil War) who says "This is PBS." The music was composed by Peter Fish, who has also done music for CBS News.
Music/Sounds Variant: There is a rare variant that exists without the voice-over. This was seen on the aforementioned mini-documentary Making the PBS Logo, which was used as a filler program for when there was time left at the end of any program.
Availability: Uncommon.
Editor's Note: This logo is highly regarded by the community due in part to its production process, done without resorting to primarily using computer animation.
Nicknames: "Auroras", "Metallic Blue", "The blue Aurora P-Head", "Metallic P-Head", "PBS P-Head V"
Logo: Dark blue lights can be seen swirling and moving around over a blue aurora background. The PBS logo, seen in a similar fashion to the 3rd logo, sits over the lights. The logo is colored light blue with a slight tint of teal, it and the text are metallic and the logo reflects the aurora and the lights moving around.
FX/SFX: Just the aurora and lights moving around, nothing else.
Music/Sounds:
Availability: Extinct. This was used between programs on PBS's satellite feed.
Editor's Note: This logo was a surprise discovery, largely because home recordings from the PBS satellite feed are very rare. A more recent discovery is that everything was done with dissolves in the early years of PBS Express on Schedule X.
Nickname: "If PBS Doesn't Do It, Who Will?"
Logo: One of seven genre-based logos, which would form the basis for the 1996 PBS logo:
Trivia: Stations known to have used this branding on their IDs and/or promo tags include Kentucky Educational Television, KERA, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Maine Public Broadcasting Network, Public TV for East Tennessee, Vermont ETV, WITF, WNET, WQED, and WVIZ.
FX/SFX: Depends on the animations.
Music/Sounds: Differs based on the ID.
Availability: Extinct. Can be seen on Vimeo, oddly enough under the name "PBS 2000". Known to have appeared before programs on WSJK/WKOP and the Schedule X satellite feed, and after programs on WNET.
Editor's Note: This logo has quite a creative concept.
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:
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:
Availability: Uncommon. It appears on TV sometimes, but PBS Home Video tapes are an easier way to find it.
Editor's Note: This logo has some very neat effects for the time as well as a calming theme.
Nicknames: "Acrobats", "Circle P-Heads", "PBS P-Head VII", "Circle PBS P-Head", "This Is Who We Are"
Logo: On a computer-animated 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, many things happen in the background: On all ten variants, there are small 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:
Variants: Each time you see this logo, different people are holding the circle with the P-head on it, and the acrobats doing all 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):
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 tune (with men vocalizing), 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.
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.
Logo: Against a computer-animated 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.
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:
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:
Availability: Extinct.
Editor's Note: Very simple compared to the rest of the logos on here, but some may like its vaguely '60s-ish vibe.
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 bushy raw sienna-colored curtains. Culturally and generationally diverse people are employed in the variants, each giving various 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:
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).
Availability: Common, still 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.
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:
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.
Availability: Still used on reruns of most PBS first-run shows, as well as a few new episodes as well; though this has been gradually been phasing out in favor of the next logo. 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:
Editor's Note: While this logo is almost a decade old, its many variants over the years have kept it fresh.
Nicknames: "21st Century PBS", "50 Years of PBS"
Logo:
Variants:
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:
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. Oddly enough, the 2021 National Memorial Day Concert has the generic variant at both ends, even in place of the opening variant.
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.