ProSieben

Credits

Captures by
Chow Woon Gan

Editions by
Chow Woon Gan

Video captures courtesy of
meinevideoclips, telenostalgiker, RetroFieber, RetroTV80, Inni-inside, oldschooltv10 and ConHex

Background

ProSieben (formerly known as Pro7 from 1989-1994) is a German private television station, launched on 1 January 1989 after the original station, Eureka TV, was shut down the night earlier, although the company was founded in October 1988. Having it struggle as a local channel around Munich, it opened a channel named Der Kabelkanel (The Cable Channel) in 1992 with Deutsche Bundespost Telekom and, in 1994, it changed its name and logo to their current incarnations and, in 2000, was merged with Sat.1 to create ProSiebenSat.1 Media. Them, along with Kabel Eins (what became of Der Kabelkanal in 1995 after ProSieben bought them out), remain some of the most-viewed German television stations to this day.

Pro7

Contents 1st ID (prototype logo) (January 1, 1989-1990) 2nd ID (1990-1992?)

ProSieben

Contents   ID (October 24, 1994-1997)

Pro7

1st ID (prototype logo) (January 1, 1989-1990)

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Visuals: On a black background, a white 7 shape with a glow effect and various streaks of red shines from top to bottom. After it disappears, a glossy 3D red bar rises up and zooms out as it reveals a "7" on the right side, and the background changes to a bluish grey/white gradient. As the logo zooms out, it reveals itself to be a 7-shaped box and, with the thick portion of the "7" drawing in, "PRO" flies in one-by-one from top to bottom. The "7" then shines all over.

Variants:

• A still variant was used at the end of programming, with a differently-oriented background and white text on the logo's side. It may read "IM AUFTRAG VON" or "EINE SENDUNG VON".
• As used for finishing a promo, the logo zooms out with the clip playing inside of it as "MORGEN" is seen next to the logo. A more blue-hued background is used here as the time it was scheduled to premiere appears below.
• An alternate ident used has a clip of a show or movie playing in the background, coted out and chroma-coloured to match it. After a while, the "7" bulges out and forms in red as the rest of the background disappears. At the same time, the "PRO" text and a slogan, "FERNSEHEN MIT SPANNUNG" fade in as the clip freezes inside of the logo. The music is remixed for the 2 known variants of this ident.

Technique: CGI. Live-action is also used for the alternate version.

Audio: A synthesized eleven-note theme, consisting of two four-note sections, and a three-note flourish. Percussion can also be heard throughout, and bass accompanies the three-note end.

Availability: This seems to be merely a prototype for the next logo, and it appeared at startup.

2nd ID (1990-1992?)

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Visuals: On a dark grey gradient background, a large pink-tinted crystalized structure passes by the camera, turning red as it does. As it zooms out, it reveals itself to be a 3D version of the Pro7 logo, shining all over as the background inverts in colour. The logo rotates into place, the logo shining and deepening in colour as it does, and the "PRO" text fades into the background, leaving bevelled versions of themselves.

Variants:

• Usually, the "7" structure would have a different image of something in it before it fades away, like flower petals or water.
• A variant of the logo has a different background and the "PRO" text not changing.
• An in-credit variant appeared on some German prints of shows, showing black text and a filled white inside. It can be seen at least on later German prints of Inspector Gadget.

Technique: CGI. Sometimes it's combined with live-action.

Audio: A fully synthesized version of the fanfare from the 1st logo, though deeper in tone. This tune is usually remixed in different styles.

ProSieben

ID (October 24, 1994-1997)

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Visuals: On a black background, an orange square is seen with the new ProSieben logo in it, consisting of a shiny orange block on top and 1/4th of a rotating globe below it in the lower right corner. The square-shaped hole then zooms in as the logo fades to a square-shaped alcove in the middle of rolling hills. In the centre of an elaborate silver device sits the globe and a large block rotating above it, adorned in square-shaped ornaments and rods. The camera moves about the device and cross-fades over different shots of it, sometimes with square-shaped keyhole effects and all the white the text "P R O SIEBEN" scrolls across the footage at different perspectives. On one final shot, the black background and orange rectangle zoom back out to fill the screen, but with the text "PRO SIEBEN" below it in a bold Helvetica font compressing below it. The footage inside of the square then changes to the globe in the corner as an orange box expands over "SIEBEN" to turn it black.

Variants:

• Morning: The ident takes place in the morning. The background is black, the globe and its continents are orange, and the large block above it is colored orange. The end result has the box colored orange.
• Afternoon: The ident takes place in the afternoon. The background is a white surface, the globe is grey while its continents are black, and the large block above it is colored light blue. The end result has the box colored black, while the text "P R O" casts a shadow.
• Evening: The ident takes place in the evening. The background is black, the globe is glowing white while its continents are dark purple, and the large block above it is colored red. The end result has the box colored red.
• Night: The ident takes place at night. The background is black, the entire setting has lights flashing through, while the globe remains the same as the evening ident, and the large block above it is colored blue. The end result has the box colored blue.
• Sunset: The ident takes place during the sunset. The background is an orange surface, the globe is grey while its continents are black, similar to the afternoon ident, and the large block above it is colored blue.

Other Variants:

• On programming, the print logo is enclosed in a white rectangle. "P R O" is also seen a bit stretched.
• Beginning in 1997 (before the next ident came into effect), the wall above the device now have "ProSieben" printed on it, the text during the globe segment is now replaced with "ProSieben", and at the end of the ident, the text below the logo is absent and "ProSieben" fades in on the lower-right corner instead.

Technique: CGI. This logo was designed by Pittard Sullivan.

Audio: A pleasant-sounding tune of different stylings, but always ending with the same three-note tune in the sequence of F-G-C notes. None for the programming variant.

Audio Variants: Beginning in 1997, it usually accompanies with an announcer saying: "ProSieben. Gute unterhaltung."

• Morning: An acid jazz tune with choirs and trumpets. The notes are played with trumpets.
• Afternoon: A calm woodwind tune with guitars. The notes are played with guitars.
• Evening: A three-note synth tune, followed by a chord. A trumpet rendition of the notes then plays, before heading into a quick woodwind rendition of the notes. The theme was later altered in 1997.
• Night: A rock tune with an eight-note trumpet. The notes are then played with trumpets.
• Sunset: A serene orchestral tune. The notes are then played in a violin, followed by a choir singing "ProSieben".

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ProSieben