My second-favourite ID when I was a kid was not from one of the commercial networks. We got it on a somewhat snowy signal from a hundred miles away. It was for NET, which was National Educational Television. I was disappointed when it became PBS in 1970 because the animated closing ID was dumped.
This post is a little weak because I’d love to give you a history of the ID. I do not know when the animated version first appeared, nor can I find what company animated it. However, I can provide some frame grabs.
Three rectangles separately slid onto the screen, the individually turned to become the network initials. They scrunched together and the words National Educational Television popped above the letters. The words turned into a bar, which became the roof of a house, complete with TV antenna on top.
The animation was accompanied by electronic music and a voiceover. Moog logos were a big thing starting in the mid-‘60s. The cue is a piece called “Plenipotentiary” by Eric Siday, who wrote a fair bit of music for commercials, as well as the CBS colour ID bed and the ABC News title used in 1966.
A colour version was made a number of years later (we only had a black-and-white TV in the ‘60s).
Reader Brandon Pierce points out the house made an appearance in the opening of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood when it moved to the NET network.
If anyone has a reliable source with information about this animated ID (ie. something without the word “Wiki” in it), let me know.
I remember this logo and the heavy moog music that accompanied it well.
ReplyDeleteRobGems68 wrote: If you want more information about NET's logo history from 1952-1971, look up the sources in the CLG Closing Logo Group listings, or check the dozens of videos found on YouTube (in Black & White & Color.) Many people found this logo "creepy" and "scary" along with Eric Siday's other famous logo, the Screen Gems "S From Hell/Film Reel Logo" from 1965 to 1974. Apparently, the then-strange sounding moog music was considered foreign sounding to many a child's ears through a tinny sounding monoural TV set during the 1960's & 1970's. Eric Siday was born in England in 1905 and died in 1976. He was considered a pioneer of the Moog Stynthisyzer, and was reportedly Robert Moog's second best customer. He was also an influence to other Moog players at the time such as Walter "Wendy" Carlos, Paul Beaver, Vangelis, and many others. The voiceover for NET is believed to be former ABC voice over Fred Ford.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you again, Rob. Siday deserves a little more attention; I didn't know anything about him until this post.
DeleteThere was moog music in the 1960s that was somewhat more melodic; Roger Roger wrote some under the name Cecil Leuter, as one example.
I recall another version of this logo where the antenna was replaced by a flame (or something that resembled a birdcage?).
ReplyDeleteEric Siday also did the music for the Screen Gems "S from Hell" logo.
@Migma: IIRC, the "flame" variant was for one of its discussion shows.
ReplyDeleteHere's what appears to be a pretty complete rundown, including the flame in the globe logo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdQHYf-lJak
RobGems68 Wrote:
ReplyDeleteA correction: It was Fred Foy who Announced for NET, not Fred Ford. Sorry for the confusion; I recently looked up the information on the PBS/NET historical blogs.
Just a brief note: when "Plenipotentiary" FIRST came out, in 1961, the Moog had yet to be invented. I had my suspicions, but now going to the Novachord site, it points me in the direction of the Novachord as the instrument used not just on "Plenipotentiary", but also on the Screen Gems logo.
ReplyDelete