imported>Blue2000 |
imported>AlalaRocky |
||
Line 3:
===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 (a Spanish-language country) and Canada. PBS replaced its predecessor [[National Educational Television|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. Currently,, PBS has over 350 affiliates
===1st Logo (May 17, 1970-September 18, 1971)===
Line 26:
'''Availability:''' Extinct.
* It was used concurrently with the NET logo from 1970 to 1971 mid-season as a placeholder logo (the NET logo appeared at the
* Though PBS officially went on the air on October 5, 1970, it had actually been formed the year before, in 1969, with the logo
* The logo was likely seen on the fourth season of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' and the second season of ''Sesame Street'', but modern prints have featured either the 1971 or 1989 logo. It was also seen on some of the earliest known extant episodes of WNET's ''Soul!'', the first season of ''The Great American Dream Machine'', and the first ''Masterpiece Theatre'' serials (from ''The First Churchills'' to ''Pere Goriot'').
* It was found on a 1971 episode of ''Firing Line'', which was uploaded to YouTube on January 26, 2017, and is also retained on a few other early episodes thereof. A repeat of the series premiere of ''Realities'', as well as other episodes including "If Eugene Talmadge Were Alive Today...", and the ''Black Journal'' episode "Justice?" also have this logo. It was also seen on episodes of ''Thirty Minutes With...'' featuring Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, NBC News correspondent David Brinkley, Senator Allen J. Ellender (D-LA), and Secretary Elliot Richardson.
Line 55:
** A falcon with a "PBS"-shaped neck, colored {{color|hotpink|pink}}.
** Numerous color schemes, including the scheme of the American flag. The idea was rejected due to the political climate at the time. NET had already been killed as a network under pressure from the conservative Nixon administration, and PBS worried that a {{color|red}} left-facing P-head may be interpreted as a pro-Communist symbol if it had been approved.
* Some of the aforementioned logo designs make appearances in a late
* This logo was parodied in the oldest Saturday Night Live episode (with "P" and "B" were colored red and green)
* This logo was also parodied in the ''Family Guy'' S1 episode "The Son Also Draws", where it is already formed and is still, the "PBS" logo is all white and the text is {{color|gold|yellow}}} and crudely drawn, the P-Head is facing the opposite direction, and the text reads "PUBLIC BROADCASTING SYSTEM" instead of "PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE"
* This logo was brought back by PBS as the logo for their "PBS Digital Studios" YouTube channel.
Line 63 ⟶ 64:
* On some broadcasts of ''The MacNeil/Lehrer Report'', the {{color|blue}} slant in the show's title expands diagonally, resulting in a solid {{color|dodgerblue|blue}} screen with the same shade as the "{{color|dodgerblue|'''P'''}}"; the logo begins from here. This version premiered when the program changed titles from ''The Robert MacNeil Report'' to ''The MacNeil/Lehrer Report'' on September 6, 1976. The slant was {{color|red}} for its first week of use; on September 14, 1976, it changed to the familiar {{color|dodgerblue|blue}} color. The color change was probably intended for September 13, but bad timing resulted in a rushed show closing.
* On the April 19, 1977 edition of ''The MacNeil/Lehrer Report'', the above variant was executed incorrectly, resulting in the logo being keyed over the final shot of the show. The black background cut back in after the "{{color|limegreen|'''S'''}}" appeared.
* A similar error occurred on the September 22, 1978 edition of ''Wall $treet Week''; the technician
* There were two different endings: one with a fadeout, and one without a fadeout.
* In 1972 promos, the {{color|dodgerblue|blue}} P-head, a {{color|hotpink|pink}} P-head and a {{color|red}} heart appear one by one. The {{color|hotpink|pink}} P-head fades out. The letters "{{color|orange|'''B'''}}" and "{{color|limegreen|'''S'''}}" appear; the heart grows as the letters move up to it. Then the heart fades out and the words "PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE" appear.
Line 75 ⟶ 76:
'''Music/Sounds Variants:'''
* On ''We Interrupt This Week'', a short-lived game show produced for PBS by WNET in 1978, the regular music was replaced by a male choir singing very loudly, "'''Happy birthday to you!!'''". This audio was taken from the episode itself and used as a liner for this variant. The source of the audio from this episode was when the host played a video of the male choir singing the song to a woman (the birthday recipient). At this point, PBS had celebrated its 9 years on
*The ''Southbound'' episode "Mouth Music" had an acapella version of the logo's music.
* A low tone variant exists.
Line 82 ⟶ 83:
'''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.
*One of the logo's first appearances was on ''Jude the Obscure'', broadcast as part of ''Masterpiece Theatre'' between October 3 and November 7, 1971; the prototype logo appeared on a few episodes of ''Firing Line'' in the late
* The logo plays on many episodes of ''The MacNeil/Lehrer Report'' (later ''The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour'') from the era, available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website. Many episodes of Seasons 2-5 of ''This Old House'' also retain this logo on the show's official website. Don't expect to see this on MacArthur Library tapes of programs from the era.
* The logo can be found on the DVD sets ''The Best of the Electric Company'' and ''Sesame Street: Old School''. In the latter case, this logo replaces the [[National Educational Television|NET]] and 1970 PBS logos on the respective episodes. The DVD of ''Zoom: Back to the 70s'' has this logo and the original WGBH logo. ''The Great American Dream Machine'' also has this at the end of each episode on Volumes 1, 2, and 4, and at the end of the final episode on Volume 3.
Line 109 ⟶ 110:
'''Trivia:'''
*Using the "P" in the previous logo as a basis, this logo (and the accompanying
*Despite being created on a 60-field system, this logo runs at 24p.
Line 116 ⟶ 117:
* A version exists with the company name in {{color|gold|yellow}}.
* As with the previous logo, this faded out sometimes, including on ''Eyes on the Prize''.
* On season 1 episodes of ''Shining Time Station'', one of the
* A filmed variant exists.
* A variant exists with the piece colored {{color|red}}. On superimposed footage of fireworks, two CGI P-Heads ({{color|blue}} and {{color|red}}) appear from off-screen. As the P-Heads turn, the {{color|dodgerblue|blue}} head is placed behind the {{color|red}} one, where most of it dissolves away, forming the piece in front of the {{color|dodgerblue|blue}} P-Head. After the logo settles in place, the footage fades to black and the company name fades in. This was spotted on a [[KETC]] sign-off in 1991.
Line 126 ⟶ 127:
'''Music/Sounds Variants:'''
* Very scarcely (possibly, only a
* On the 1985 airing of ''The Making of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' as well as pledge drives held by various PBS member stations, an announcer can be heard saying "When you see this logo, you know that you're watching only the best, member-supported public television."
* The filmed variant is silent.
Line 132 ⟶ 133:
'''Availability:''' Common. It appeared on old prints of PBS shows produced from 1984-89. Can also be found on early [[PBS Distribution|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.
* The logo
* The logo has also appeared on the 1994 rebroadcast and 1995 PBS Video reissue of ''Pyramid'', part of a series of architectural documentaries hosted by David Macaulay, even though earlier installments had this (and the earlier logo, in the case of ''Castle'') plastered with the 1992 logo in the same reissue of the series. It also appeared on the 1997 [[Turner Home Entertainment]] release of ''Spaceflight''.
* In an oddity, recent prints of the 1976 miniseries ''The Adams Chronicles'', including the DVD release, end with both this (preserved from a 1987 rebroadcast) and the 2006 WNET logo.
Line 142 ⟶ 143:
* The "That's Infinity" variant is extinct and only appeared on pre-1989 broadcasts of ''Square One TV'' episode 101; apart from a video uploaded to RetroJunk, no recording of this variant is known to exist online.
'''Editor's Note:''' While this logo has
===4th Logo (September 15, 1989-July 31, 1993; November 20, 1995; April 23-24, 2011)===
Line 179 ⟶ 180:
* A silent version was used on VHS releases of ''Barney & Friends'' season 1 episodes. This version also appeared on the ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' episode "No & Yes #1541".
* The still version with the lines intact uses a different male announcer saying, "This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service."
* On ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' episode 1250, the normal theme plays. However, if
*On the white background promo variant, a synth note is heard instead and the announcer also says "This Fall, on PBS".
*On the PBS Viewer Response Line variant, announcer Peter Thomas says, "If you've enjoyed the program you just watched, or have comments or suggestions, please call the PBS Viewer Response Line at 1-800-866-1400."
'''Availability:''' Rare. As with other vintage PBS logos, the chance of showing up on
* The logo
* This logo plasters the 1971 logo on Twitch.tv and Amazon.com prints of various 1971-75 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episodes that last aired on PBS in the
* This may plaster earlier PBS logos on [[Time-Life Video]] releases of ''Nature'', including "Forest in the Sea" (which preserves its original [[The WNET Group|WNET]] logo). Other programs where it plastered earlier logos in the early '90s include ''Dinner at Julia's'', ''French in Action'', ''Reading Rainbow'', rebroadcasts of Season 1 episodes of ''Shining Time Station'' and later episodes of Season 20 of ''Sesame Street'' beginning with episode 2576, and certain of Ken Burns's earlier works, including ''Brooklyn Bridge'', ''The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God'', ''The Statue of Liberty'', and ''Huey Long''.
* Appearances of this logo on DVD are scarce as they're usually plastered over or trimmed off. It appeared on DVD releases of some episodes of ''The American Experience'' from the era, including "Last Stand at Little Bighorn", which retained it on television even as the series entered the Internet age in 1995 with PBS Online. It's also retained on a few DVD releases of certain ''NOVA'' episodes of the era, including "Earthquake".
Line 193 ⟶ 194:
* Don't expect to see this on the PBS Video release of ''The Civil War'', which uses the off-air version (it appeared on the 1990 broadcast version, but not the [[Pacific Arts]] release of the same).
* The PBS Viewer Response Line variant is extinct and only known to have appeared at the end of the broadcast premiere of the first episode of ''The Civil War''.
* Oddly enough, this plasters the next logo on current prints of ''Lamb Chop's Special Chanukah'' (faith-based video).
'''Editor's Note:''' The logo is well-liked for its nice animation and soft music.
Line 222 ⟶ 223:
'''Availability:''' Uncommon.
*
* It first appeared in print in late December 1992 on an issue of ''Broadcasting Magazine'' dated January 4, 1993, and the animated version premiered in full on the January 4, 1993 edition of ''The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour''. For its first year, it was used in tandem with the previous logo, appearing on some episodes of ''Nature'' (starting in its 11th season), ''Sesame Street'' (particularly late in the 24th season and on the Spring/Summer 1993 rebroadcast of the season), and ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (mainly episodes that premiered in 1993 as well as some mid-'90s reruns of older programs) as well as all third-season episodes of ''Shining Time Station'', 1993 episodes of ''Newton's Apple'', a March 31, 1993 rebroadcast of ''Empire of the Air'', new editions of ''Washington Week'' beginning on January 8, 1993, and the earliest nationally-broadcast episodes of ''Charlie Rose'', among others. It also appeared on the first run of the second season of ''Barney and Friends'', as well as early broadcasts of the second print run of the first season thereof (identifiable by use of the second season's funding credits), before being plastered by the 1993 [[PBS Kids]] logo on subsequent reruns, and is believed to have appeared on ''A Magic School Bus Halloween''. The 1995 ''Shining Time Station'' prime time specials, and ''Lamb Chop'' holiday specials released during this time, also used this logo.
* In the mid-'90s, this logo became the chief means of logo plastering for PBS, appearing on newer prints of ''Castle'' (1994 rebroadcast), ''Cathedral'' (1994 rebroadcast), ''Eyes on the Prize'', ''The Civil War'' (1994 rebroadcast), ''The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God'', ''The Statue of Liberty'' (1994 rebroadcast), ''Huey Long'', ''The Congress'', ''Empire of the Air'', ''How Difficult Can This Be?'', ''Frontline'', and ''Nature'', among other programs.
* This logo can be seen on various episodes of ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' from 1974-1980 on Twitch.tv, its first appearance being on Episode #1362. It can also be viewed at the end of many episodes of ''The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour'' from the era, available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website.
* The logo's
* It also appears on what seems to be a 25th anniversary promo for PBS that was shown during the Fall 1993 pledge drive on many stations.
* Don't expect to find this on mid-'90s episodes of ''MotorWeek'', as they used the [[Maryland Public Television]] logo at the end instead from 1993 to 1997.
Line 240 ⟶ 241:
'''Nicknames:''' "Auroras", "Metallic Blue", "The Blue Aurora P-Head", "Metallic P-Head", "PBS P-Head V"
'''Logo:''' {{color|darkblue|Dark blue}} lights can be seen swirling and moving around over a {{color|dodgerblue|blue}} aurora background. The PBS logo, seen in a similar
'''FX/SFX:''' Just the aurora and lights moving around, nothing else.
Line 316 ⟶ 317:
* 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
'''Editor's Note:''' This logo has some very neat effects for the time as well as a calming theme.
Line 355 ⟶ 356:
'''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 announcer from the previous logo (Mike Pengra) who says "This is PBS." If
'''Availability:''' Rare.
* This logo can usually be found on reruns and some [[PBS Distribution|PBS Home Video]] tapes (mainly the ones that use the [[Warner Bros. Home Entertainment|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
* 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.
Line 465 ⟶ 466:
'''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 with a choir. 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.
Line 480 ⟶ 481:
*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 (
'''Editor's Note:''' None.
Line 589 ⟶ 590:
'''Logo:'''
* Selfies: A man and his girlfriend take a selfie together. It fades to another shot of them walking down a wooded path.
* 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.
* Backyard Party: A family is gathered in a backyard late at night following a party, watching a ''Nature'' episode being shown on a projector.
* Kayaking: Two women kayak down a river.
* 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
* Guitar Lesson: A Latino man teaches a guitar chord to his son and shows his approval when he plays something on the guitar.
* Cooking: A Latina 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.
* Gaming: A black girl and her father play a PlayStation 4 game together.
* 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.
* Planetarium: Children are in awe as they watch a show and view some other exhibits at a planetarium.
* Dancing: As onlookers watch backstage, a hip
* Antiques: A group of women check out a
* The Learning Experience: Children paint their hands with paintbrushes and press them against a white wall to make color art as their teacher watches.
* Earth Science: Two children catch a caterpillar and study it.
*Coffeehouse: TBA.
* Volunteer Gardeners: Volunteers plant a tree in a park.
* Temptations: TBA.
* Audiobooks: TBA.
* Photography: TBA.
* TBA: TBA.
* Generic: The P-Head circle zooms out against a PBS {{color|blue}} background and slides to the left, with "'''PBS'''" appearing in white, in the PBS Sans font, to the right.
'''Trivia:''' This logo incorporates elements of the 1971, 1993, 2002, and 2009 logos, with emphasis on blues, live-action variants, and a quick zoom-out through the eye of the P-head.
Line 616 ⟶ 617:
* 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
'''FX/SFX:''' Most variants are in live-action, while the PBS logo itself has rather simple animation. Done by Lippincott.
'''Music/Sounds/Voice-over:'''
* Selfies: An upbeat piano rendition of the 2009 logo's theme. A male voice-over says, "You're watching PBS."
* Nature Walk: A piano piece followed by a guitar rendition of the 2009 logo's theme. A male voice-over says, "You're watching PBS."
* Backyard Party: Same as "Nature Walk". The extended version has the sound of a dog barking at the
* 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-over 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
* 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-over 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
* 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:''' Current.
* This logo was formally announced on November 4, 2019, and
* The opening variant
* 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
{{Navbox-PBS}}{{TV-Navbox}}{{StationIDs-Navbox}}
|
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 (a Spanish-language country) 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. Currently,, PBS has over 350 affiliates, but mostly owned by educational institutions.
Nicknames: "The Text", "The Text of Boredom", "Multi-Colored/Tri-Colored Text", "Public Boredom Service"
Logo: Just the words "PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE" stacked on top of each other on a black background.
Variants:
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 "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 "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 "S" appears to the right of the "B" and 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: Rather simple traditional 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 Variants:
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 never 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 folding and leaving behind a trail as it settles in the center of the screen, the multicolor lines wiping 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, where this logo debuted) saying "This is PBS".
Music/Sounds Variants:
Availability: Rare. As with other vintage PBS logos, the chance of showing up on television 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 appearing, the camera zooming out to reveal the P-Head, the PBS logotype flipping 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 way 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.
Trivia:
Variant: Early editions of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer that featured this logo had this fading in and out.
FX/SFX: Neat CGI effects.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A new age tune with guitars and flutes, composed by Elias Associates, followed by an announcer (Mike Pengra) 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 announcer from the previous logo (Mike Pengra) who says "This is PBS." If we listen carefully, we can also hear a trombone and strings in the background as well. There is also a variant that exists with Mike Pengra 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 with a choir. 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.
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.
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.
Variants:
FX/SFX: Same as the 12th logo. Done by EyeballNYC.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A 5-note tune, created by music company Expansion Team. Like the ninth logo, the same tune is always used, but is rearranged for some variants and has a different voice-over.
Availability: Current, and used in tandem with the next logo. 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 was used for over a decade, its variants over the years have kept it fresh.
Nicknames: "21st Century PBS", "50 Years of PBS"
Logo:
Trivia: This logo incorporates elements of the 1971, 1993, 2002, and 2009 logos, with emphasis on blues, live-action variants, and a quick zoom-out through the eye of the P-head.
Variants:
FX/SFX: Most variants are in live-action, while the PBS logo itself has rather simple animation. Done by Lippincott.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over:
Availability: Current.
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 powerful ever offered by the network thus far.
Television idents | |
---|---|
American Networks |
|
Canadian Networks | |
British Networks |
|
Australian Networks | |
Japanese Networks | |
German, Swiss, and Austrian Networks | |
Brazilian Networks | |
French Networks | |
Dutch, Belgian, and Luxembourgish Networks | |
Emirati Networks | |
Qatari Networks | |
Saudi Arabian Networks | |