WQED
Background
WQED is a PBS affiliate located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1st (known) Logo (1975-1987)
Logo: Filmed live from a helicopter-camera monitor, we see various aerial shots of Pittsburgh, including the Mellon Arena, the Cathedral of Learning, the Pittsburgh skyline, Point State Park, and the U.S. Steel tower. On the last shot (which is in a wide-angle lens), "from WQED Pittsburgh" in a yellow Univers font flips in from the bottom of the screen.
FX/SFX: The flipping.
Music/Sounds: A dramatic French horn and kettledrum fanfare accompanied by violins and flutes. As a local ID, it uses either the 1985 "TV Worth Watching" jingle or the 1988 "TV Worth Watching" jingle.
Availability: Probably extinct. Seen on PBS broadcasts of The Nutcracker with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland in the '80s.
Editor's Note: None.
2nd Logo (January 29?, 1986-Early 2000's)
Logo: We see the Pittsburgh skyline at dusk. The text
FROM
_____WQED_____
P I T T S B U R G H
is below it, in white, and in various fonts. The "W" and "Q" are merged together. A time-lapsed sunset occurs. "WQED" glows slightly. A white line is between "WQED" and "PITTSBURGH".
Variants:
- Later on, the footage was reshot. A few notable differences include an additional skyscraper (the Fifth Avenue Place), a more zoomed out image, and a darker night sky.
- A short variant of the original logo that appeared around 1990 exists.
FX/SFX: Just the time lapse and flashing. It appears to just be two images fading into each other, but the effect is good enough not to notice.
Music/Sounds: A 5-note synth-horn fanfare with drumbeats at the end.
Availability: Was seen on many shows during this period, such as Infinite Voyage and '90s broadcasts of The Nutcracker with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland.
Editor's Note: This is a favorite logo of many.
3rd Logo (September 30, 1991-October 4, 1996)
See the WGBH page for more info.
4th Logo (1980s-1990s)
Nickname: "Another Pittsburgh Skyline"
Logo: We see a live-action aerial shot of Pittsburgh, panning all over. "WQED13 PITTSBURGH" flips into place.
FX/SFX: The flipping logo. Other than that, it's all live-action.
Music/Sounds: An abridged version of the 1988 "TV Worth Watching" jingle, as heard in the WXEL and Prairie Public TV IDs. There's also a longer version of the jingle.
Availability: Seen as a local ID only.
Editor's Note: None.
5th Logo (1998-2006)
TBA
6th Logo (2006-2011)
Logo: On a cloudy sunset sky background, a navy blue circle zooms out to the right. Then, an abstract "surf" fades in on the bottom of it, turning into a Q. The words "Produced by" in black appear on the left as well as "WQED Pittsburgh" in blue under the Q.
FX/SFX: Modern chroma key effects.
Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the program.
Availability: Rare. Seen on Doo Wop 50. May have also appeared on others at the time.
Editor's Note: None.
7th logo (2011-)
Logo: First, we have a bird's-eye view of Pittsburgh, which we zoom towards. Then, the familiar "Q" insignia in azure overtakes the screen and closes-up the shot to reveal a white liquid background. Then, it slides to the left to reveal the words "Changing Lives" in navy blue. Under the Q are the words "WQED PITTSBURGH" in the same color.
FX/SFX: Live-action at first, until we see the logo animate.
Music/Sounds: A fast-paced percussion tune, then a tubular bell cadence.
Availability: Used as a local ID.
Editor's Note: None.
8th Logo (2011-)
Logo: On a black background, we see a "Q" with a river inside it. Below it are the stacked words "WQED PRESENTS". The whole thing zooms up and shines.
FX/SFX: The zooming and the shine.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Current. Used on programs from WQED.
Editor's Note: None.
