NBC logos
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NBC has used numerous logos at various times; this article shows all of its television logos, including the peacock design (originally for color broadcasts only) that led to it being nicknamed "the Peacock network" and eventually became its logo.
[edit] Early NBC television logos (pre-1954)
In 1943, four years after inaugurating television service, NBC television got its first official logo, a microphone surrounded by lightning bolts, a modification of an existing logo used by the NBC radio network. Lightning bolts were also part of corporate parent RCA's logo, as well as that of one-time sister company RKO Pictures. At the beginning of telecasts, another card was used, depicting an NBC cameraman with his camera.
[edit] Early NBC television logos (1954-1956)
In 1954, on New Year's Day, to coincide with the start of broadcasting in color, a stylized xylophone and mallet was introduced, accompanied by the three-tone "bing-bong-bing" NBC chimes, first heard on NBC radio in 1927. The tones are the notes "G," "E," and "C." There is some indication that the xylophone logo was used at 5:32 p.m. on December 17, 1953 to announce the FCC's approval of the new color standard, which would go into effect 30 days later. Special permission was apparently used on New Year's Day when the Tournament of Roses Parade was aired.
[edit] Original peacock logo (1956-1961)
In 1956, John J. Graham created an abstraction of an eleven-feathered peacock to indicate richness in color. This brightly hued peacock was adopted due to the increase in color programming. NBC's first color broadcasts showed only a still frame of the colorful peacock.
On September 7, 1957 on Your Hit Parade the peacock was animated, and thereafter appeared at the beginning of every NBC color broadcast until a revamped animation appeared in 1961. Its musical backing was a gong while the peacock began its formup, then an announcer saying "The following program is brought to you in living color on NBC" while the music crescendoed, and after that a bombastic nine-note flourish while the peacock's feathers changed color and finally "filled out". According to Game Show Network executive David Schwartz, the first announcer who spoke those famous words behind the Peacock graphic logo was Ben Grauer, a familiar voice on NBC since 1930.
The animated original NBC peacock (requires QuickTime player)
[edit] NBC Snake Logo (1959-1975)
Beginning in 1959, an animated logo joined the Peacock, appearing at the end of broadcasts. Beginning with N, each letter would grow from the other, forming a stacked typographic logo ending with C, forming the base. This would be known as the "NBC Snake." Several editions of this exist, the earliest being the snake formup in front of a multicolored background while a camera passed by to an orchestral version of the NBC chimes, and the second consisting of the snake forming on top of a color-changing background (going from blue to green to brown) on each note of the regular, automated NBC chimes.
[edit] Second peacock logo ("Laramie Peacock") (1962-1975)
On January 1, 1962, on the Laramie series, a second version of the Peacock opening was introduced in which the bird fanned its bright plumage against a kaleidoscopic color background. Like the 1956 Peacock, this logo only appeared at the start of NBC color broadcasts; as all NBC broadcasts eventually became color, it was generally used only to open those shows that had traditionally opened with the Peacock such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The "Laramie Peacock" (named for the series which introduced it) used the same "living color" spiel as did the first peacock, but its music piece was a soft, woodwind-based number. It was revised further in November 1968; the music was slightly rearranged, and the animation was shortened by a few seconds. This peacock was retired on December 31, 1975.
[edit] Stylized 'N' Logo (1976-1979)
In 1976, NBC's visual trademark was updated, as a stylized 'N' was introduced, consisting of two trapezoids. The design was bold, bright and contemporary. One of the technological innovations of this logo was the first electronically animated ident for an American television network. ([1]) In February 1976, NBC was sued by the Nebraska ETV Network, Nebraska's chain of PBS affiliates, for trademark infringement, since the new NBC logo was virtually identical to the Nebraska ETV logo, except in the coloring. An out-of-court settlement was reached in which NBC gave ETV new equipment and a mobile color unit (valued at over $800,000) in exchange for allowing NBC to retain their logo. In addition, NBC paid $55,000 to ETV to cover the cost of designing and implementing a new logo. Newfoundlanders can also tell the story of NBC's successful attack on the similar logo of the Newfoundland Broadcasting Company and its subsequent capitulation.
[edit] Proud 'N' Logo (1979-1986)
The Peacock, still with eleven feathers, returned in the fall of 1979, was married with the N, to create a design called "the Proud N". This was the first time the Peacock was actually part of NBC's own logo. It was simplified in keeping with the letter's pared-down design. Although all eleven feathers were intact, the teardrop tips were gone, the feet were gone and the Peacock's body became a simple triangular shape. On several occasions, the new Peacock was used independently of the N (starting with the 1979 "Proud as a Peacock" advertising campaign that reintroduced the Peacock), but the N and the Peacock were usually used together between 1979 and 1986. Contrary to popular belief, the Peacock was not originally used as NBC's own logo; the 1956 and 1962 versions were used solely to identify the network's color broadcasts, while other logos (initially the xylophone logo, but most commonly the "NBC Snake") identified NBC itself. Nonetheless, the Peacock became so identified with NBC that it was incorporated into the network logo in 1979 by Fred Silverman, then President of NBC, due to prior research from 1977 in NBC's corporate planning department by Peter Kliegman who recommended the station identification value of the Peacock and suggested the Peacock be utilized as a logo. The Peacock became the sole logo in 1986.
[edit] Peacock logo (1986-present)
On May 12, 1986, during a broadcast of the NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration, every NBC star (past and present) stood on stage to introduce a new logo to America. The arranged marriage of "N" and Peacock ended, and "The Bird" finally assumed its official place as NBC's symbol. The peacock was now flipped to the right to suggest it was forward looking, not back. With its six feathers then representing the network's divisions (at the time: News, Sports, Entertainment, Stations, Network, and Productions) as well as the six primary and secondary colors, this Peacock, redesigned by Chermayeff & Geismar, remains one of the world's most recognized logos. Almost all of NBC's affiliates added the new peacock to their logo, but a few still kept the old peacock on their logo for a few months after the logo's introduction. The new logo was adopted January 1, 1987.
Starting in the early 2000s, if a show was presented in widescreen, the logo would be shrunk and placed to fit within the picture instead of in the black bars, to be seen easier. Starting with the 2006-2007 season, this smaller widescreen logo has only been used during live broadcasts, such as Saturday Night Live and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting, with high-definition programming using a variation of the network's logo bug accompanied by "HD" text.
The logo is sometimes accompanied with NBC text (usually below the peacock), but this is not always the case; the network's logo bug did not incorporate the text until 2002, and it was removed in the fall of 2006 from programs besides NBC Nightly News (NBC Nightly News finally got the 2006 bug starting 3/26/2007). Some NBC Sports programs (such as golf) use a bug that has the Olympic rings below the peacock (this version is also used on regular programming during the Olympics).
[edit] Flag variation (2001-2002)
In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, NBC introduced a special version of the peacock that replaced the colors with the American flag, which was used until the 2002 Winter Olympics.
