Favorite Television Logos

[illwauk]

I was looking at the WISN 12 logo on my facebook feed yesterday and thinking about how I can't ever remember them using another logo. After some quick googling, it turns out they began using it in 1974... a good 7 years before baby illwauk first graced this earth with his awkward demeanor. Personally, I hope they never change it. Dated? Sure... but there's no way you could look at it out of context and mistake it for anything but a TV logo which, to me, adds to its coolness.

Anyway, at 36 years, I suspect it may be the longest continuously used logo in American television (excluding the networks, of course). I don't have the desire to sift through the logos of all 200+ television markets to see if it's true, but I figured that being the logo-philes that we are that someone here would know if a TV station in their city has been using one for longer. Keep in mind the "continuous" part as a lot of stations had a "classic" logo they veered away from in the 80s or 90s only to bring it back later.

[BBTV]

According to this, WPVI 6 (abc affiliate) in Phila has used the same "6" since 1971. Not the same logo, but the 6 has been the same style since then.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WPVI-TV

[slapshot]

WCVB in Boston has been using this logo as far back as 1972. Every time the channel shows a retrospective it's included with some of the original news broadcasts.

[BBTV]

How long until local stations just drop the numbers, since it's not like you can tune in to those channels over the air anymore? Even with OTA HD, the numbers aren't the same as they used to be.

[The_Admiral]

I dunno, I still tend to refer to the over-the-air channels by channel number rather than network, but that's because I was still partially slumming it with no cable outside the family room up through 1996, and old habits die hard. Jeopardy! is still on channel 7 to me. If I tell someone to put it on, I say "put on channel 7, Jeopardy! is on."

Speaking of, since most ABC O&Os are channel 7 and well-identified with the Circle-Seven logo, I can see those identifying by number for some time.

[slapshot]

How long until local stations just drop the numbers, since it's not like you can tune in to those channels over the air anymore? Even with OTA HD, the numbers aren't the same as they used to be.

But in many cases, the call letters are based on the channel

WCVB = W + Channel + V (5) + Boston

WLVI = W + LVI (56 in Roman Numerals)

WPRI = W + Providence Rhode Island

[The_Admiral]

Callsigns have all sorts of esoteric origins; not that many are tied to the channel number.

[illwauk]

How long until local stations just drop the numbers, since it's not like you can tune in to those channels over the air anymore? Even with OTA HD, the numbers aren't the same as they used to be.

Not sure what you mean here. I get digital stations over the air on the same channels (well... with a .1) they were at before the switch from analog.

But to answer the first part of your question, stations are legally required to identify themselves by channel number once per hour (at least I think it's once an hour). There's a low power independent station here in Milwaukee (WMLW) that never mentions a their channel (41 analog, 58.2 digital) except for the legal ID's.

I've also heard of some stations branding themselves by their cable slot rather than their over the air channel.

Callsigns have all sorts of esoteric origins; not that many are tied to the channel number.

One of my favorites is WMAQ in Chicago: We Must Ask Questions

I also like it when the W or K is incorporated into something that refers to the city name like KCMO in Kansas City or WISC in Madison. I suppose WISN fits here too, but they apparently decided that the calls referred to Wisconsin retroactively when the Wisconsin News (the newspaper that founded the station) folded.

[BBTV]

How long until local stations just drop the numbers, since it's not like you can tune in to those channels over the air anymore? Even with OTA HD, the numbers aren't the same as they used to be.

Not sure what you mean here. I get digital stations over the air on the same channels (well... with a .1) they were at before the switch from analog.

But to answer the first part of your question, stations are legally required to identify themselves by channel number once per hour (at least I think it's once an hour). There's a low power independent station here in Milwaukee (WMLW) that never mentions a their channel (41 analog, 58.2 digital) except for the legal ID's.

I've also heard of some stations branding themselves by their cable slot rather than their over the air channel.

Callsigns have all sorts of esoteric origins; not that many are tied to the channel number.

One of my favorites is WMAQ in Chicago: We Must Ask Questions

I also like it when the W or K is incorporated into something that refers to the city name like KCMO in Kansas City or WISC in Madison. I suppose WISN fits here too, but they apparently decided that the calls referred to Wisconsin retroactively when the Wisconsin News (the newspaper that founded the station) folded.

I have a digital OTA set up, and I thought that some of the channels weren't on their named number. Could be wrong though, I'll have to check later. When we first got cable back in '93, I thought it was funny that channel 17 was actually on channel 9, and FOX 29 was on channel 11.

Despite what the call letters may mean, or rules re: station identification, it just doesn't seem particularly relevant in 2010. Maybe the FCC should amend some of those rules.

[The_Admiral]

Yeah, channel 50 was channel 8 downstairs on the cable box, but plain old 50 in the rest of the house. It wasn't as if the cable system didn't go up into the 50s or anything, it was just there just because. There was a channel 23 that wasn't even on cable. They had Polish shows!

Station identification on television isn't obtrusive enough to worry about amending. They just flash channel, callsign, city of license on the bottom of the screen and you don't even notice unless you're looking for it.

[Gary]

While the logo may be new, the 12 in the logo has been around since 1986

[sacker12]

I would guess that this logo, in the various forms it has been in, has to rank up there in this category.

[fiasco!]

I can't remember Detroit's channel 7 (WXYZ, great call letters) using anything other than the circle 7 logo.

[illwauk]

The circle 7 was the reason for the last sentence in my first post. A lot of stations moved away from it at some point, only to bring it back a few years later.

How long until local stations just drop the numbers, since it's not like you can tune in to those channels over the air anymore? Even with OTA HD, the numbers aren't the same as they used to be.

Not sure what you mean here. I get digital stations over the air on the same channels (well... with a .1) they were at before the switch from analog.

But to answer the first part of your question, stations are legally required to identify themselves by channel number once per hour (at least I think it's once an hour). There's a low power independent station here in Milwaukee (WMLW) that never mentions a their channel (41 analog, 58.2 digital) except for the legal ID's.

I've also heard of some stations branding themselves by their cable slot rather than their over the air channel.

Callsigns have all sorts of esoteric origins; not that many are tied to the channel number.

One of my favorites is WMAQ in Chicago: We Must Ask Questions

I also like it when the W or K is incorporated into something that refers to the city name like KCMO in Kansas City or WISC in Madison. I suppose WISN fits here too, but they apparently decided that the calls referred to Wisconsin retroactively when the Wisconsin News (the newspaper that founded the station) folded.

I have a digital OTA set up, and I thought that some of the channels weren't on their named number. Could be wrong though, I'll have to check later. When we first got cable back in '93, I thought it was funny that channel 17 was actually on channel 9, and FOX 29 was on channel 11.

Despite what the call letters may mean, or rules re: station identification, it just doesn't seem particularly relevant in 2010. Maybe the FCC should amend some of those rules.

Most cable systems try to stick the local channels somewhere in the beginning, regardless of their OTA channel. Normally the lower numbered stations end up on the same channel, but the higher numbered stations usually end up somewhere much lower... the aforementioned WMLW is channel 7 on cable. This is actually why a lot of higher-numbered stations choose to brand themselves by their cable channel. There is (or at least was) a stigma in the television industry associated with high-numbered stations similar to being issued a high jersey number during spring training because they tend to be smaller and have a weaker signal. In fact, one of the jokes on King Of The Hill is that Arlen's only TV station (where Nancy Gribble works) is Channel 84, which is one channel higher than used to be allowed by the FCC. Nowadays 69 is the highest.

As far as legal ID's... they weren't relevant in 1980, let alone 2010. They're a relic from the days when TV's had radio-style tuners that didn't always have markings (and even when they did, they weren't always accurate). But aside from what admiral mentioned, it wouldn't make sense to go through the motions of getting rid of legal ID's since so many stations are willingly using bugs (the little translucent logo in the corner of the screen) anyway.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I don't know how this logo is, but it looks sufficiently dated:

Fun fact: KING 5 also operates KONG 6.

EDIT:

A version of it at least existed in 1978:

[The_Admiral]

The circle 7 was the reason for the last sentence in my first post. A lot of stations moved away from it at some point, only to bring it back a few years later.

I think every ABC O&O on channel 7 uses it. I can't remember WLS not using it.

This is actually why a lot of higher-numbered stations choose to brand themselves by their cable channel. There is (or at least was) a stigma in the television industry associated with high-numbered stations similar to being issued a high jersey number during spring training because they tend to be smaller and have a weaker signal.

Isn't channel 58 in Milwaukee the highest-numbered CBS affiliate--or any network affiliate--in a major market? The reason why, of course, for anyone here who doesn't know the story, is the Packers. CBS used to be channel 6, and Fox was channel 24. When Fox poached the NFC from CBS in 1994, it was of utmost importance to channel 6's parent company that they remain in the business of airing the Packers, so big old channel 6 dropped CB-freaking-S to pick up the Fox affiliation, which left the CBS network pissing in the wind in not-altogether-insubstantial Milwaukee (not to mention poor old 24, who picked up UPN or WB or something I forget). Apparently unable to procure the big independents 18 or 24 (which were either sister stations like they are now or blood enemies, again, forget) or anything respectable, CBS desperately grabbed channel 58, which before affiliation must've just been some guy in his basement airing Make Room For Daddy reruns for his neighbors (which until like two years ago was basically what channel 49 was), because I sure had never heard of any "channel 58" when my family would go up to the lake house in the summer, where we roughed it with a mere antenna on the set. Affiliations have held steady since then, save for the UPN/WB/CW shakeups, so channel 6 is still the Packer station, and 58 is still CBS. And they do identify as such! Proudly! Might as well.

[dfwabel]

The circle 7 was the reason for the last sentence in my first post. A lot of stations moved away from it at some point, only to bring it back a few years later.

I think every ABC O&O on channel 7 uses it. I can't remember WLS not using it.

This is actually why a lot of higher-numbered stations choose to brand themselves by their cable channel. There is (or at least was) a stigma in the television industry associated with high-numbered stations similar to being issued a high jersey number during spring training because they tend to be smaller and have a weaker signal.

Isn't channel 58 in Milwaukee the highest-numbered CBS affiliate--or any network affiliate--in a major market? The reason why, of course, for anyone here who doesn't know the story, is the Packers. CBS used to be channel 6, and Fox was channel 24. When Fox poached the NFC from CBS in 1994, it was of utmost importance to channel 6's parent company that they remain in the business of airing the Packers, so big old channel 6 dropped CB-freaking-S to pick up the Fox affiliation, which left the CBS network pissing in the wind in not-altogether-insubstantial Milwaukee (not to mention poor old 24, who picked up UPN or WB or something I forget). Apparently unable to procure the big independents 18 or 24 (which were either sister stations like they are now or blood enemies, again, forget) or anything respectable, CBS desperately grabbed channel 58, which before affiliation must've just been some guy in his basement airing Make Room For Daddy reruns for his neighbors (which until like two years ago was basically what channel 49 was), because I sure had never heard of any "channel 58" when my family would go up to the lake house in the summer, where we roughed it with a mere antenna on the set. Affiliations have held steady since then, save for the UPN/WB/CW shakeups, so channel 6 is still the Packer station, and 58 is still CBS. And they do identify as such! Proudly! Might as well.

I thought it was Detroit's CBS affiliate, channel 62.

KXAS (Dallas/Ft. Worth) has used the "Star 5" logo since the early 70's.

[illwauk]

The circle 7 was the reason for the last sentence in my first post. A lot of stations moved away from it at some point, only to bring it back a few years later.

I think every ABC O&O on channel 7 uses it. I can't remember WLS not using it.

This is actually why a lot of higher-numbered stations choose to brand themselves by their cable channel. There is (or at least was) a stigma in the television industry associated with high-numbered stations similar to being issued a high jersey number during spring training because they tend to be smaller and have a weaker signal.

Isn't channel 58 in Milwaukee the highest-numbered CBS affiliate--or any network affiliate--in a major market?

Not sure if it's the highest, but CBS comes on channel 62 in Detroit.

The reason why, of course, for anyone here who doesn't know the story, is the Packers. CBS used to be channel 6, and Fox was channel 24. When Fox poached the NFC from CBS in 1994, it was of utmost importance to channel 6's parent company that they remain in the business of airing the Packers, so big old channel 6 dropped CB-freaking-S to pick up the Fox affiliation, which left the CBS network pissing in the wind in not-altogether-insubstantial Milwaukee (not to mention poor old 24, who picked up UPN or WB or something I forget). Apparently unable to procure the big independents 18 or 24 (which were either sister stations like they are now or blood enemies, again, forget) or anything respectable, CBS desperately grabbed channel 58, which before affiliation must've just been some guy in his basement airing Make Room For Daddy reruns for his neighbors (which until like two years ago was basically what channel 49 was), because I sure had never heard of any "channel 58" when my family would go up to the lake house in the summer, where we roughed it with a mere antenna on the set. Affiliations have held steady since then, save for the UPN/WB/CW shakeups, so channel 6 is still the Packer station, and 58 is still CBS. And they do identify as such! Proudly! Might as well.

There's a bit more to that story. WITI (channel 6) was owned by New World Communications at the time which switched all of its stations to Fox affiliates after they got the NFC package and eventually, Fox bought WITI outright, as they did the same in almost every NFC market. Back in 1994, Fox was "hip" and "edgy," (read: more attractive to advertisers) while CBS was the geriatric network that had Murder She Wrote and Walker Texas Ranger. In fact, the CBS affiliation was offered to WCGV (24) and they chose to go independent so they could sign on with UPN when it launched a few months later (that's right, they chose UPN over CBS). Then it was offered to WVTV (18), but they chose to remain "Wisconsin's Superstation" (they were on cable in Madison and Green Bay at the time and had the Bucks, Brewers and sometimes the Badgers). I think it was also offered to channel 30, but they wanted to keep programming for evangelist loons.

In other words, CBS wasn't a very attractive commodity back then, which is essentially why it ended up on channel 58 (which I didn't even know existed until I saw the logo on the back of an Admirals schedule later that year). I'm not so sure WITI's decision was necessarily driven by the Packers, although I'm sure still having the Packers didn't make the decision a difficult one (assuming they had a choice in the first place).

Ironically, the Packers "official" Milwaukee TV affiliate and therefore the station that shows preseason games is WTMJ (4), an NBC station, but the actual broadcasting of games is handled by WFRV in Green Bay. Because WFRV is owned directly by CBS, they're able to use CBS's graphics, music and even Kevin Harlan, all of which we in Milwaukee get shown on our NBC affiliate.

[OMMF]

KONG 6.

Which, confusingly enough, is channel 31 digitally, 16 on satellite, 6 on cable and 106 for HD cable.

[The_Admiral]

I think it was also offered to channel 30, but they wanted to keep programming for evangelist loons.

Channel 30 is the best thing ever because it's seriously just a guy popping in videotapes from 1993. Last time I saw it, a fat guy in child-molester glasses was giving a seminar on Power Rangers: How Satan Infiltrates Our Youth, and "last time I saw it" was only like a year ago.