WGBH is a PBS affiliate located in Boston, MA. It is owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation and produces more than two-thirds of the national programs for PBS and NET, and it first went on the air in 1955 (though they did not have a logo until 1971, where it became PBS) as an NET affiliate.
1st Logo (1971-1977)
The third (first animated) logo premiered in 1971. It began with a blue background, and the letters "WGBH" in a yellow Helvetica font zooming back away from the viewer to the vanishing point. Then the word "Boston", also in yellow, quickly zooms forward engulfing the screen and creating a yellow background, which at this point the word "Presents" zooms forward at a fast pace in blue.
A black and white version appeared in 1974 on the first two seasons of NOVA (1974-1975). In this version, "WGBH" and "Boston" are in black, and "Presents" is in white.
On Julia Child's The French Chef, the logo was superimposed over a slanted flag of France over a blue background, and the letters were in orange.
The music begins with a choppy, eerie UFO-like computer blips that ascend and descend several times, then followed by a rising synth violin stinger. All elements were produced by a MOOG synthesizer. The music was composed by Gershon Kingsley.
Variants:
Black and White
Brown and Beige
Yellow and Green
Yellow and Blue
Blue and Green (Only used in the first season of NOVA)
Orange and Cyan (Due hue color)
Orange and Light Blue (Another variant of it with the French flag)
Red and Yellow (Earliest variant)
Black and White (Variant from Evening at Pops) NOTE: It's in color.
2nd Logo (1977-present)
WGBH changed their logo to its current form in 1974 in-tandem with the previous logo, although they did NOT animate it until 1977. The original 1977-1993 version of the current logo featured this logo on a black background, and then, we see two little lights forming 2 orange 2D "shadows" on top and on bottom. The lights then form an outline of "WGBH" in the center of the screen between the 2 "shadows". When the WGBH logo is completed, an orange flash starts behind it and changes it to "Boston Presents" in an orange Univers font.
The logo was moved to the end of shows in 1993; this version featured the WGBH logo already formed and an orange flash starting behind it and "BOSTON" appears under it in an orange Art Deco font.
The music is the original 1972 jingle used to this day. There are two versions, a long version and short version. The long version was the full seven-second jingle; the short version is just the rising synth chord and is much more common these days. From the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, often times an announcer would say "(show's name is) a production of WGBH Boston". Sometimes the closing theme of the show will play over this logo.
Variants - there are many variations in terms of the announcer and music:
- (1977-1986): the full version of the music, complete animation, with "Boston Presents" bumper, and no announcer
- (1986-1993): same as above but shortened to when the WGBH logo begins to flash
- (1993-2009): The short version of the music, with the logo already formed and no announcer.
- (1993-2009): Same as above, but with an announcer.
- (2001-2009): The short version of the music with no announcer, complete (sped-up) animation, and no announcer, but the logo itself has been digitally enhanced. This version was first seen on Frontline and showed up on other WGBH shows in subsequent years. A later version has the logo zooming in a bit while the animation is being drawn, which can be seen on episodes of Frontline and NOVA, and was also used as a station ID. Another version had the PBS logo appearing in its place and shining with an announcer saying "You're watching WGBH Boston.". A superimposed variant of the animation can be seen on episodes of Masterpiece Theater.
- (2008-present): Same as above, but the lighting and drawing effects are smoother and more refined, with stars surrounding the logo (like in space) when it flashes, and no text appears. And the flash is also brighter than usual. One version that is tinted blue can be seen on WGBH's local programming such as Greater Boston. Another variant that is also tinted blue is seen on PBS Kids shows produced by WGBH. During the flash, semi-animated PBS Kids characters such as Curious George, Arthur and Buster, Ruff Ruffman, and Martha the dog pop up as "kids" appears under the WGBH logo. Early versions of this variant has Peep, Chirp and Quack From Peep and The Big Wide World.
- (1993-2009): A version can occasionally be spotted in which the "glowing" animation is played, but no text appears. This can be seen on most pre-2005 episodes of Arthur.
- A version has been seen with abridged animation, no voice-over, and slightly lower-pitched music.
- Sometimes, the closing theme of the show will play over this logo.
- On local programming, the opening theme plays over the tinted blue variant with an announcer saying "This is a production of WGBH 2 Boston"
- The kids version has the sound of children laughing at the end of the synth stinger.
- An in-credit version of the logo has been spotted on Antiques Roadshow, which simply shows the orange WGBH logo at the bottom of the screen.
- Another local version used in the 1980s begins with a blue flash, followed by an orange 2 written in the same style as the WGBH logo zooming up. No music or sounds play here.
Logo Behavior Factor
High to nightmare for the 1971 version. The sudden appearance of it, the zooming, and the eerie synth music could scare a good number of viewers, and POSSIBLY the PJ Masks and Puppy Dog Pals. However, many Boston people love the next logo.
High to nightmare for the original 1977 version, and medium to high for the 1993, 2001, and 2008 variants. The eerie animation, forming of the logo, the flash, and the eerie synth music have frightened a few. For those who are used to it ,it would be a Minimal, and possibly a none. But many Boston people love this logo, unlike the previous one.