National Public Affairs Center for Television

Background : National Public Affairs Center for Television is a company formed by the Ford Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1971. In 1972, it was merged into WETA, and in 1976, decided to fold the company into WETA. (1971-1976)

Nickname : "The Sliding/Locking Arrows"

Logo :


 * Opening : On a black background, we see a red "N" and sky blue letters "P", "C", and "T" (all in a bold, blocky font) slide in place from different directions. After that, a sky blue triangle slides and locks in place between the "P" and the "C" to represent the letter "A". Then, arrows slide (towards each other) into the letters "P" (from the left, stemming from the red "N" as to create a hyphen/dash), "A" (from below) and "C" (from the right). Finally, upon completion lock-formation of the arrows, the following words pop in immediately below the triangle "A":

NATIONAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS CENTER FOR TELEVISION


 * Closing : A still version of the logo is seen, already formed. Starting in 1972, a copyright disclaimer for GWETA appears bleow.

FX/SFX : The letters, triangle, and arrows sliding into locked positions; the full company name popping in.

Music/Sounds : A deep, dark three-chord synthesized tune led by a hard percussive instrument (sounding off and synchronizing each locked position) chord in synchronization with each of the three parts of the animated sequence), concluded by four soft, quick low-octave synth notes. The closing version is silent, except for a voiceover.

Availability : Rare. It was seen on all WETA-TV programs from 1971 to 1976, including Washington Week in Review and the Watergate hearings.

Editor's Note : None.