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{{About|the regular idents used by PBS|seasonal, election and other special idents|PBS Special Idents}}
{{PageCredits|description=Nicholas Aczel, Kris Starring, Ryan Froula, iLogoMaster
===
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 [[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. PBS has over 350 affiliates today, mostly owned by educational institutions.
===1st Logo (May 17, 1970-September 18, 1971)===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
PBS (1970).png
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=rCY7BS3ehuA|id2=XZpfjW-eskA|id3=VexRnwLdr5k}}
'''Nicknames:''' "The Text", "The Text of Boredom", "Multi-Colored/Tri-Colored Text", "Public Boredom Service"
'''Logo:''' Just the words "'''{{color|red|PUBLIC}} {{color|gold|BROADCASTING}} {{color|blue|SERVICE}}" stacked on top of each other on a black background.
'''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 [[Corporation for Public Broadcasting|CPB]] logo.
'''FX/SFX:''' None.
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'''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 start of ''Our Vanishing Wilderness'' and at the end of the first few broadcasts of ''Realities'' during that season) and then quickly replaced with the 2nd logo.
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'''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.
===2nd Logo (September 18, 1971-September 30, 1984; June 1, 2000)===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=WtGZAoIDe84|id2=cshc9GRl64U|id3=HF0dKPxufMg|id4=8_jl8Gxh-XU|id5=HV1aAW2awZA}}
'''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
'''{{Huge|{{
'''Trivia:'''
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'''Variants:'''
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'''FX/SFX:''' Rather simple traditional cel animation.
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'''Music/Sounds Variants:'''
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'''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.
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'''Editor's Note:''' Many individuals who grew up during this logo's time period have strong memories of it
===3rd Logo (September 30, 1984-September 17, 1989; May 9, 1994)===
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</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=qGZyt_D3QJE|id2=I5kkWhqCVvo|id3=3biL1EbUSnw|id4=Kvqa7dSNSYU}}
'''Nicknames:''' "Split Profile", "The Everyman/Everyperson P", "PBS P-Head II", "The Split"
'''Logo:''' On a black background, a {{
'''Trivia:'''
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'''Variants:'''
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'''FX/SFX:''' The P-head "splitting" as a fragment of the logo stretches away.
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'''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
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*The filmed variant is silent.
*The ''Square One TV'' variant uses the normal music, followed by a chorus singing "And on, and on, and on..." (a snippet of the song "That's Infinity", which was featured in the first episode of ''Square One TV'').
'''Availability:''' Common. It appeared on old prints of PBS shows produced from 1984-89. Can also be found on early
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'''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.
===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=1__G0NzTCCw|id2=-aNTtHIVd0k|id3=PVLCMx1H_r0|id4=0ezxu-xgyK4|id5=nnL9A0He7yk}}
'''Nicknames:''' "3D Glass", "Transparent Blue P-Head", "Merging Crystal P-Head", "PBS P-Head III"
'''Logo:'''
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* '''Official PBS description:''' The five-second ID begins with seven computer-generated crystalline images of PBS's "Everyman" logo. As the images rotate toward the background along their vertical axes, they merge into one full head and one profile. Five spectral lines, in a rainbow of colors that also appear on the beveled edges of the logo, race across the bottom of the screen. The PBS initials then appear over the spectral lines.
'''Trivia:'''
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'''Variants:'''
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'''FX/SFX:''' The P-head
'''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:'''
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'''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.
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'''Editor's Note:''' The logo is well-liked for its nice animation and soft music.
===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
ATzgSnLBPiBjpnwACvFaJw21579.jpeg
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=B8s7YKvUTPM}}
'''Nicknames:''' "Orange P-Head", "Glass P-Head", "Pink P-Heads", "PBS P-Head IV", "Pink PBS Logo"
'''Logo:''' On a {{
'''Trivia:'''
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'''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
'''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.
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'''Availability:''' Uncommon.
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'''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.
===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
PBS (1995).jpg
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=oAubvp9AHg8}}
'''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 fashion to the 3rd logo, sits over the lights. The logo is colored {{color|deepskyblue|light blue}} with a slight tint of {{color|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:'''
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'''Availability:''' Extinct. This was used between programs on PBS's satellite feed.
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'''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''.
===7th Logo (July 21, 1995-1998)===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
Screenshot 2022-04-02 3.54.00 PM (1).png
</gallery>
{{Vimeo|link1=50839319|title1=PBS 2000}}
'''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:
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'''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]], [[East Tennessee PBS|Public TV for East Tennessee]], [[Vermont PBS|Vermont ETV]], [[WITF]], [[WNET]], [[WQED]], and
'''FX/SFX:''' Depends on the animations.
'''Music/Sounds:''' Differs based on the ID.
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'''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.
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'''Editor's Note:''' This logo has quite a creative concept.
===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
PBS 1996 A.png
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=1Gw9Au0vK2A|id2=grQF0gsNwgg|id3=VBsbpz9wvp8}}
'''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 {{
'''Trivia:'''
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'''Variant:''' Early editions of ''The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer'' that featured this logo had this fading in and out.
'''FX/SFX:''' Neat CGI effects.
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'''Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants:'''
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'''Availability:''' Uncommon. It appears on TV sometimes, but PBS Home Video tapes are an easier way to find it.
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'''Editor's Note:''' This logo has some very neat effects for the time as well as a calming theme.
===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
PBS98IDGolden.jpg
PBS ident 2000.png
PBS Ident 1999.png
PBS98IDOrangeRed.jpg
PBS98IDLauren.jpg
PBS98IDRedShirtLady.jpg
PBS98IDPurple.jpg
PBS98IDRedShirtLady2.jpg
PBS Widescreen ident.png
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=6IUfXP0NYPQ|id2=Ln79OE09TKU|id3=o76_2cGyfaE|id4=wEU48z4cQ44|id5=LzMz9UoTP3w}}
'''Nicknames:''' "Acrobats", "Circle P-Heads", "PBS P-Head VII", "Circle PBS P-Head", "This Is Who We Are"
'''Logo:''' On a computer-animated {{
'''Trivia:'''
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'''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):
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'''FX/SFX:''' The computer effects used to shrink the acrobats and superimpose them around the circle.
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'''Availability:''' Rare.
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'''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.
===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
PBS_ID_-_Gymnastics_-_1998.png
</gallery>
'''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.
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'''Editor's Note:''' None.
===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
</gallery>
'''Nicknames:''' "Stay Curious", "PBS P-Head VIII", "Circle PBS P-Head II"
'''Logo:''' Against an {{
'''Variants:'''
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'''FX/SFX:''' The "P" Circle easing back and vanishing
'''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 {{
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'''Availability:''' Extinct.
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'''Editor's Note:''' Very simple compared to the rest of the logos on here, but some may like its vaguely '60s-ish vibe.
===12th Logo (September 23, 2002-December 3, 2010 [2002- on satellite feeds])===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
PBS Young People 2003 ident.png
PBS ident 2002.png
PBS Generations 2003.png
PBS ident May 1, 2008.png
PBS Performers 2003.png
PBS Young Woman 2003.png
PBS Cowboy Hat 2006.png
PBS ident 2004 Full-Screen.jpeg
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=D41bhD6cgiI}}
'''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 {{
'''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:
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'''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).
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'''Availability:''' Common, still preserved on reruns of older PBS programming.
*This includes 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.
===13th Logo (September 28, 2009-)===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
PBS 2009 Big Dreams.png
PBS 2009 Observing Child.png
PBS 2009 Bluesman.png
PBS 2009 Symphony.png
PBS 2009 Strange Recipe.png
PBS 2009 Generic - This PBS program will return.png
PBS 2009 Generic - Blue.png
GRT_Studios_PBS_GRT_Tencent_endcap_2019.png
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=T3lNcz1YzdQ}}
'''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 "{{Font|Serif|'''PBS'''}}" on the right. The word "{{Font|Serif|'''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:'''
*Art Interacts: A man is walking in a street when he encounters a gigantic tropical Pine Green object that looks like a Rubik's-Cube slanted on its corner, which twirls around quite to the man's amusement.
*Big Dreams: An Ecru-clad woman and her son are at the mall. The kid looks through an astronaut helmet.
*Observing Child: A boy in a forest-green jacket is walking in a shallow lake with his doodling pad.
*Family Viewing: A family is looking through a telescope at the stars in the sky.
*Bluesman: Calvin Keys is playing the tune on his guitar while someone films it on camcorder. On ''Bluegrass Underground'', this fades in and out.
*Photo Album: A elderly man and his grandson are looking at old pictures of their African ancestors in a scrapbook.
*Symphony: A symphony orchestra performs the tune. The camera sees the violin, bass clarinet, marimba, cymbal and tuba.
*Strange Recipe: A storekeeper recommends a pineapple to his supermarket's customer.
*Generic: Sometimes, there is no live action footage; instead the logo is placed on a custom background with bubbles. The background is used in four different colors: {{color|blue}}, {{color|limegreen|green}}, {{color|orange}}, and {{color|mediumvioletred|magenta}}. On some shows, an announcer says, "You're watching PBS". On the {{color|orange}} variant, "PBS" never changes to the URL.
*''Masterpiece'': A variant appears on episodes of ''Masterpiece''. Clips from episodes of the anthology series are shown one-by-one over the {{color|blue}} background before the PBS logo appears as usual. The voiceover says, "''Masterpiece'', only on PBS." Retired as of November 10, 2019, it made its final appearance throughout the final PBS broadcast of ''Downton Abbey'' in June 2020.
*''Antiques Roadshow'': A variant appears on episodes of ''Antiques Roadshow''. Clips from episodes are shown together over the {{color|orange}} background before the PBS logo appears as usual. The voiceover says, "''Antiques Roadshow'', only on PBS." Officially retired as of November 4, 2019, having last appeared on the program on October 28, 2019.
*Public Affairs: A variant appears on episodes of ''Frontline'' and ''Washington Week'', as well as on the special ''America After Charleston''. Depicted over the {{color|blue}} background are various public affairs personalities (as of 2016, Gwen Ifill, Judy Woodruff, Hari Sreenivasan, and Charlie Rose, in that order; early programs with this logo featured a alternated montage with a different slate of public affairs personalities), before the PBS logo appears as usual. The voiceover is the same as on the generic variants. This variant was retired following Ifill's death in November 2016, and with Charlie Rose having fallen from grace just over a year later it's safe to say this variant is gone for good.
*Generic (We'll Be Right Back): As with the previous logo, the generic logo (often using the {{color|blue}} or {{color|green}} version) is sometimes shown at the start of program breaks, with a voiceover saying, "This PBS program will return in a moment."
*Opening Variant: Against a {{color|blue}} background, the circle P-head appears in the center.
'''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.
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'''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 ''
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'''Editor's Note:''' While this logo was used for over a decade, its variants over the years have kept it fresh.
===
<gallery mode=
PBS_system_cue_-_2020_Elections_-_2019.png
PBS_2020_BLM_ID.png
</gallery>
<center><big>'''Idents'''</big></center>
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
PBS ID (2019) - Backyard Party.png
PBS_system_cue_-_Bench_-_2020.png
PBS (2019, Planetarium) ID 00-00-05 .png
PBS_system_cue_-_Photography_-_2020.png
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PBS_system_cue_-_Books_-_2020.png
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Walter Presents_Skyline Entertainment_EEN_PBS (2016_2020) 00-00-10 .png
PBS (2020) 00-00-05 .png
PBS (2020, The Learning Experience ID) 00-00-05 .png
PBS_system_cue_-_Bubbles_-_2020.png
PBS_ID_-_Guitar_Lessons_-_2019.png
Florentine Films_WETA_PBS (2009_2020) 00-00-16 .png
</gallery>
{{YouTube|id=CRolaRePWv4}}
'''Nicknames:''' "21st Century PBS", "50 Years of PBS"
'''Logo:'''
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'''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:'''
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'''FX/SFX:''' Most variants are in live-action, while the PBS logo itself has rather simple animation. Done by Lippincott.
'''Music/Sounds/Voice-over:'''
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'''Availability:''' Current.
*This logo was formally announced on November 4, 2019, and debuted later that night on ''Antiques Roadshow's Extraordinary Finds''; it 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.
{{Navbox-PBS}}{{TV-Navbox}}{{StationIDs-Navbox}}
[[Category:American television logos]]
[[Category:Television logos]]
[[Category:Station IDs]]
[[Category:American logos]]
[[Category:American education logos]]
[[Category:Education logos]]
[[Category:PBS]]
[[Category:Animations on Silicon Graphics]]
|
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: "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.
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 "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 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 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 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 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 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.
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 you listen carefully, you 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. 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 robust ever offered by the network thus far.
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