PBS/Summary

Background
PBS replaced NET, a former major educational and public TV network, founded in early 1952 and incorporated in November of that year. Among their original affiliates were WETA Washington D.C., WNET New York, KCET Los Angeles, WGBH Boston, WQED Pittsburgh, KLRN San Antonio, KLRU Austin, Maryland Public Television, The Agency for Instructional Technology, Mississippi ETV, KTCA Minneapolis/St. Paul, KPBS in San Diego,and various others. Originating from The Educational Television and Radio Center from 1952-1959, and later The National Educational Television and Radio Center from 1959 to 1962, when the radio portion was dropped.

1st logo (May 17, 1970-September 17, 1971)
Nicknames : "The Text", "The Text of Boredom", "Multi-Colored/Tri-Colored Text", "The World's Most Generic Logo"

Logo : Just a black background with the Arial words:

PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE

stacked on top of each other in red, yellow , and blue as you can see in the images above.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : None, or the opening theme. At the end of each program with this logo, MacDonald Carey or another announcer, depending on possibly the program, says, "This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service."

Availability : Extinct. It was used concurrently with the NET logo from 1970 to 1971 mid-season as a placeholder logo (the NET logo appeared at the start of Our Vanishing Wilderness and at the end of the first few broadcasts of Realities during that season) and then quickly replaced with the 2nd logo.
 * Though PBS officially went on the air on October 5, 1970, it had actually been formed the year before, in 1969, with the logo allegedly premiering on the Hollywood Television Theatre pilot, "The Andersonville Trial", and appearing on the first season thereof. It also appeared on the Grateful Dead concert program Calebration and the initial broadcasts of the Fanfare episode "Go Ride the Music", featuring Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver Messenger Service (a bootleg DVD preserves it).
 * The logo was likely seen on the fourth season of Mister Roger's Neighborhood and the second season of Sesame Street, but modern prints have featured either the 1971 or 1989 logo. It was also seen on some of the earliest known extant episodes of WNET's Soul!, the first season of The Great American Dream Machine, and the first Masterpiece Theatre serials (from The First Churchills to Pere Goriot).
 * It was found on a 1971 episode of Firing Line, which was uploaded to YouTube on January 26, 2017, and is also retained on a few other early episodes thereof. A repeat of the series premiere of Realities, as well as other episodes including "If Eugene Talmadge Were Alive Today...", and the Black Journal episode "Justice?" also have this logo.
 * In what appears to be the first known live presentation snafu in the network's history, President's Report on Indochina, which replaced the first planned broadcast of The Nader Report following a delay stemming from objections from the oil companies regarding that show's political content, starts playing the voiceover over a title card reading "An NET News Special"; due to the video file hosted by the American Archive of Public Broadcasting cutting out at that moment, it is currently unknown whether this logo actually appeared on that program.

Editor's Note : This logo is rather infamous for being the hardest PBS logo to find because of its incredibly short lifespan. In all likelihood, this was developed as a placeholder logo during the NET to PBS transition, hence why the color scheme is the same as the last NET logo. For many years, the only circulating copy was one of very poor quality, and it had barely any information regarding its source (what wasknown is that it came from"Go Ride the Music", and even then many casual observers failed to connect it with Fanfarefor years). However, in recent years, the additional copies mentioned above have come to light, giving the community a few additional captures of this very elusive ID.

2nd Logo (September 18, 1971-September 29, 1984)
Nicknames : "Split Profile", "The Everyman/person P", "PBS P-Head II"

Logo : On a black background, a blue P-head appears on the upper-mid screen, facing backwards. A piece comes out to the right and settles itself about half an inch away. The text "PBS" appears below in a slab serif font, which was designed specifically for PBS called "ITC Lubalin Graph Bold".

Trivia : Obviously using the "P" in the previous logo (and the accompanying slab serif font) was designed and animated by Chermayeff & Geismar, a firm also responsible for the Screen Gems "S" and the 1986 NBC peacock. The logo debuted at the PBS annual meeting on March 30, 1984, and made its first network appearance six months later to the day.

Variants :
 * On the series premiere of Square One TV, after the logo forms, the P-head and letters multiply off into the distance, with voice-overs singing "and on...and on...and on..." (taken from a song from the episode) until it fades.
 * On one Saturday Night Live sketch from the '80s, which parodies a PBS show, a still 3D-rendered variant was used. This variant was created by SNL and was not actually used by PBS itself.
 * There is also a still version.
 * A version exists with the PBS text in yellow.
 * As with the previous logo, this faded out sometimes, including on Eyes on the Prize.
 * On season 1 episodes of Shining Time Station, one of the last new programs to use this logo, the fadeout was slower.
 * A filmed variant exists. This variant is silent and the "P" logo is a much lighter blue color, resembling a sky blue.
 * A variant exists with the piece colored red . On superimposed footage of fireworks, two CGI P-Heads (blue  and red ) appears from off-screen. As the P-Heads turn, the blue head is placed behind the red one, where most of it dissolves away, forming the piece in front of the blue P-Head. After the logo settles in place, the footage fades to black and the text "PBS" fades in. This was spotted on a KETC sign-off in 1991.

Effects : The P-head appearing and stretching. Simple, but effective animation.

Music/Sounds : A majestic piano chord, followed by six string pizzicato tones, and then a softer version of the piano chord. The Square One TV variant also has the same music, but associated with the "And on....and on...." vocals taken from the series premiere episode. Composed by Jonathan Elias (Who is also known for composing the 1993 Columbia pictures Jingle).

Music/Sounds Variant : Very scarcely (possibly, only a couple of times during this logo's lifespan), a narrator might talk over the logo. This variant was first found on a airing of Sesame Street from November 18th, 1987.

Availability : Rare. It appeared on old prints of PBS shows produced from 1984-89. Can also be found on early PBS Home Video releases from the '80s; just look for a banner with the P Head on the left and "PBS VIDEO" filling the entire rest of the banner.
 * The logo allegedly made its first appearance on the Nature episode "Krakatoa: The Day That Shook the World", broadcast on September 30, 1984. This is surprisingly easy to find on Time-Life Video tapes of Nature, most often with the 1987 WNET logo at the start.
 * The logo has also appeared on the 1994 rebroadcast and 1995 PBS Video reissue of Pyramid, part of a series of architectural documentaries hosted by David Macaulay, even though earlier installments had this (and the earlier logo, in the case of Castle) plastered with the 1992 logo in the same reissue of the series. It also appeared on the 1997 Turner Home Entertainment release of Spaceflight.
 * In an oddity, recent prints of the 1976 miniseries The Adams Chronicles, including the DVD release, end with both this (preserved from a 1987 rebroadcast) and the 2006 WNET logo.
 * The logo showed up on the Twitch.tv prints of episodes #1417 and #1456 of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
 * This logo has plastered the previous logo on rebroadcasts from the era of Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, The Nutcracker, and earlier episodes of Great Performances and This Old House.
 * It made a surprise appearance on Milwaukee Public TV's 50th anniversary special.
 * The last known appearance of this logo on television was in 2009 on UNC-TV after an episode of Lap Quilting with Georgia Bonesteele. This logo can also be viewed at the end of many episodes of The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour from the era, available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website.

Editor's Note : While this logo has not been seen on television for many years, it is still very highly regarded and is a favorite of many.

4th Logo (September 18, 1989-July 31, 1993)
Nicknames : "3D Glass", "Transparent Blue P-Head", "Merging Glass P-Head", "PBS P-Head III"

Logo : On a black background, a side-facing transparent dark blue  P-head folds to the right, leaving behind a residue trail of "P-Heads". The residue trail fades into the PBS logo from before, which settles itself in the center of the screen, occupying almost all of it. Several multi-colored lines wipe across the bottom of the screen, leaving the text "PBS" in the same font as before to the bottom left.

Trivia : Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that the residue trail has a total of seven P-Heads, including the initial P-Head.

Variants :
 * In an alternate version of the ident, the "P-head" appears just by fading in with the "PBS" text. No lines streak across the screen; therefore it is a still version of the ident. The same music, as in the ident's original version, is used. Once again, the announcer says "This is PBS".
 * At the end of PBS' 1990 "Just Watch Us Now" promo, a variant is used where we zoom out of the P-Head made of glass with light rays coming out of the P-Head's eye. Then the words "TV WORTH WATCHING" zooms out, and goes to the bottom left. The rest of the animation proceeds to this logo starting with lines wiping the word "PBS".
 * A silent version was used on VHS releases of Barney & Friends season 1 episodes. This version also appeared one time on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood "No & Yes #1541".
 * There is another version of the ident that fades in (with a little bit of print scratchiness) with the announcer saying, "This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service."
 * There is a promo variant where the background is changed to white and there are multi colored shapes rotating around the P-Head. The "PBS" Text is also colored purple.

Effects : The P-head folding, the lines wiping. Great animation for its time.

Music/Sounds : A long held-out string note combined with synth bells (played on a Roland D-50 using the Fantasia preset) and chimes, followed by an announcer (probably Peter Thomas, who also did the funding credits voiceovers for The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, Nova, and A World of Ideas at the time) saying "This is PBS".

Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants :
 * On the still version, the same music, as in the ident's original version, is used. Once again, the announcer says "This is PBS". There is also a silent variant as well for this variation.
 * A silent version was used on VHS releases of Barney & Friends season 1 episodes. This version also appeared one time on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood "No & Yes #1541".
 * The still version with the lines intact uses a different male announcer saying, "This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service."
 * On Mister Rogers Neighborhood episode 1250, the normal theme plays. However, if you listen closely, the 1971 logo's music plays quietly. This is a result of a bad plaster.
 * On the white background promo variant, a synth note is heard instead and the announcer also says "This fall, on PBS."

Availability : Rare. As with other vintage PBS logos, the chance of it showing up on TV now is almost non-existent, but some PBS Home Video and Barney Home Video releases from the era may have it. Just look for a square in the top-left corner of the front of the box with "PBS VIDEO" below a P-head.
 * The logo debuted after The Power of the Word: The Simple Acts of Life on September 15, 1989.
 * This logo plasters the 1971 logo on Twitch.tv and Amazon.com prints of various 1971-75 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episodes that last aired on PBS in the 1990s; these include episodes 1176, 1177, 1179, 1180, 1261, 1281, 1384, and 1389 on Amazon. This also plasters over the 1984 logo on episodes dating from 1984-1989 on the latter program when it aired on Twitch.tv. This may plaster earlier PBS logos on Time-Life Video releases of Nature, including "Forest in the Sea" (which preserves its original WNET logo). Other programs where it plastered earlier logos in the early '90s include Dinner at Julia's, French in Action, Reading Rainbow, rebroadcasts of Season 1 episodes of Shining Time Station and later episodes of Season 20 of Sesame Street beginning with episode 2576, and some of Ken Burns' earlier works, including Brooklyn Bridge, The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God, The Statue of Liberty, and Huey Long.
 * On DVD, it appears on episodes of The American Experience from the era. For its last year, it was used in tandem with the 5th logo, appearing on Healing and the Mind with Bill Moyers, MotorWeek '93, The American Experience, The New Yankee Workshop, most 24th season episodes of Sesame Street, most 11th season episodes of Nature, all 20th season episodes of Nova, all 2nd season episodes of Lamb Chop's Play-Along, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, and many early-to-mid-'90s reruns of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It also appears at the end of of the Turner Home Entertainment VHS releases of Brooklyn Bridge and Thomas Hart Benton. This logo can also be viewed at the end of many episodes of TheMacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour from the era, available for viewing on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting website.
 * The last known appearance of this logo on television was in 2012 on KET KY (a sub-channel of Kentucky Educational Television) after an episode of Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish. Some episodes of it can still be viewed in a hidden portion of KET's website, with the logo included. This logo could also be seen up until as late as 2006 after episodes of Reading Rainbow on many PBS stations.

5th Logo (August 1, 1993-September 4, 1996)
Nicknames : "The PBS Windows III", "CGI Window", "PBS P-Head V", "CGI Window, Globe and Telescope", "If PBS Doesn't Do It, Who Will?"

Logo : On a black background, a CGI window appears with a birds-eye view of the earth, a plastic globe spinning on the top right and a telescope rotating on the bottom left. The pear -colored PBS P-Head with the split colored light blue  appears in front of the window and grows smaller as the window grows bigger. As the two meet each other, the window disappears. Inside the P-Head are transparent images of two globes, a feather and a telescope. The P-Head takes it's place in the top center of the screen and turns to light blue  and aquamarine  as the text "PBS" fades in below them.

Effects : All of the CGI in the logo.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over : A new age tune with guitars and flutes, followed by a female announcer (the great Lauren Bacall) who says "This is PBS."

Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variant : On some shows, Bacall says "You are watching PBS."

Availability : Uncommon. It appears on TV sometimes, but PBS Home Video tapes are an easier way to find it.
 * The logo's first confirmed appearance was on September 5, 1996, on the daily edition of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
 * This appeared at the start and end of Turner Home Entertainment's releases of Adventures from the Book of Virtues, and also plasters the 4th and 5th logos on episodes of American Experience, one of which was packaged with Warner Home Video's 60th Anniversary DVD and 70th Anniversary Blu-ray releases of Citizen Kane, and Triumph of the Nerds.
 * It also appeared on original broadcast prints of the pledge drive specials Keeping Up Appearances: The Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket and The Carpenters: Close to You, the latter of which is now distributed on PBS stations directly by T.J. Lubinsky's Timeless Collection division.
 * Even when the next log premiered, it continued to be used by some programs for some time, with its last new appearance being on Doo Wop 50. Its last known appearance on television was in 2009 on UNC-TV after an episode of Faces of Culture.

Editor's Note : The logo is very interesting in its animation but the music very dated in its 90's computer program like sound.

8th Logo (September 21, 1998-September 22, 2002)
Nickname : "Circle P-Heads", "PBS P-Head VI", "Circle PBS P-Head", "If PBS Doesn't Do It, Who Will? II"

Logo : On a computer-generated sky background, a person standing to the left covers his or her head with a black circle with the PBS P-Head on it in white. Acrobats jump from all directions off the circle. The text "PBS" appears to the right, with the URL www.pbs.org appearing below it. This is the last logo that used the words "This Is PBS". Also, throughout the ident, different things happen in the background: On all ten variants, there are tiny superimposed silhouettes of people flying in a circle behind the acrobats. On three out of ten of the variants, there are silhouettes of big wands briefly flying down behind the PBS text. And on the rest, there are silhouettes of people tip-toeing in an oval (a circle on the widescreen version) around the person.

Trivia : This logo was designed at Publicis & Hal Riney and animated at Lee Hunt Associates (Lee Hunt Associates also animated the 1999 PBS Kids logo and the 1997 Game Show Network ID).

Variants : Each time you see this logo, different people are holding the circle with the P-head on it, and the acrobats doing different kinds of tricks around the P-head circle. Here's a list of the men and women you see (that also includes the tricks the acrobats do):
 * Man in gold shirt (Steve Burns); female acrobats with orange do a backflip.
 * Man in blue shirt (Kyle Hebert); same acrobats from 1st variant.
 * Woman in blue shirt (Michelle Ruff); male acrobats with yellow shirts do a "side spin". (A widescreen version was used in 2001.)
 * Woman in deep red shirt (Gong Li); male acrobats with Prussian blue shirts curl into a ball and spin around.
 * Man in orange-tan shirt (Chris Rock); same acrobats from 3rd variant.
 * Older woman in red shirt (Lauren Bacall herself); same acrobats from 4th variant.
 * Woman in folly shirt (Jocelyne Loewen); same acrobats from 4th variant.
 * Man in dark blue shirt (Jake Martin); same acrobats from 1st variant.
 * Woman in red shirt (Lynne Thigpen); same acrobats from 3rd variant.

Effects : The computer effects used to shrink the acrobats and superimpose them around the circle.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over : A brief synth swell and a 3-note flute fanfare, then a new age percussion/choir tune, followed by the female announcer from the previous logo (the late Lauren Bacall) who says "This is PBS." If you listen carefully, you can also hear a trombone and strings in the background as well. There is also a variant that exists with Lauren Bacall saying, "You are watching PBS." This was used for program breaks.

Availability : Rare.
 * This logo can usually be found on reruns and some PBS Home Video tapes (mainly the ones that use the Warner Home Video logo instead of the PBS Home Video logo) such as An Ice Cream Show. It is also preserved on '98-'02 episodes of Scientific American Frontiers on the Chedd-Angier website. On home video, the "man in gold shirt" variant appeared on An Ice Cream Show (where it plasters the 5th logo), and the "woman in blue shirt" variant appeared on Great Old Amusement Parks and A Hot Dog Program.
 * It also plasters older logos on more recent prints of American Experience (various, as early as the 4th logo), French in Action (3rd and 4th logos), Solutions to Violence (5th logo), and Julia Child's cooking programs (5th and previous logos).
 * This still appears on Workplace Essential Skills if your station is broadcasting it. In addition to program breaks, the "You are watching PBS" variant also appears at the end of Digital TV: A Cringely Crash Course.

Editor's Note : The many variations of this logo marked the beginning of a trend for PBS idents that continues to this very day. The legacy of Bacall herself, who announced the classic ID, continues as well.

===9th Logo (Summer 2000-2002)=== Nickname: "Stay Curious"

Logo: Against an <span style="color:rgb(255,165,0);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">orange  background, we see the PBS circle in a <span style="color:rgb(255,255,0);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">light yellow  color with the P head being the same <span style="color:rgb(255,165,0);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">orange  color as the background. The "P" Circle slowly eases back and fades out as four <span style="color:rgb(0,255,0);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">green  circles appear and spread around the screen revealing smaller <span style="color:rgb(255,255,0);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">light yellow  circles inside. Four more circles appear and the outer circles merge with the other circles before they begin spreading out. The PBS "P" Circle now in the standard black and white colors appears with a blur effect. Small circles form "pbs.org" below in a white calibri font.

Variants:
 * A version with a blue color scheme was used between programs. Instead of the URL, the text below the PBS circle read "Stay curious. PBS".
 * An extended variant begins on a blue background with a darker blue P head. The camera zooms into the pupil and the normal animation begins. The logo also has a green tint to it.

FX/SFX: Typical early 00's animation.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A three-note ascending tune (D, E, A), and a voiceover saying "This is PBS."

Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants: On the blue variant, one of two tunes was used:
 * Usually, the tune was played in the key of D (G, A, D) on a celesta, followed by a new age rhythmic tune played on a celesta and acoustic guitar.
 * A slightly longer version of the blue variant, usually shown before the 7PM broadcast of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, uses the second half of the CPB/Viewers Like You music of the era.

Availability: Extinct.
 * This appears to have been used only briefly, and even then as an alternate logo, during PBS's "Stay Curious" campaign. It ended up being retired quickly and the previous logo continued to be used for another year. Being the national station ID shown on the satellite feed, the blue logo remained in use for a while longer.
 * One program on which this logo appeared was American High. Unlike other logos, it's not known to have ever plastered an earlier logo.

Editor's Note: Very simple compared to the rest of the logos on here, but some may like its vaguely '60s-ish vibe.

10th Logo (September 23, 2002-September 27, 2009)
Nicknames : "Be More II", "Be More, PBS", "PBS P-Head IX", "Circle PBS P-Head IV"

Logo : We see a video of a person or people having activities. Suddenly, the PBS logo appears with "Be More" on the left and "PBS" on the right. The word "PBS" then changes to the URL "pbs.org". A voice-over says "Be More, PBS." as the logo animates.

Variants :
 * Rubik's Cube: A man is walking in a street when he encounters a gigantic exotic Pine Green object that looks like a Rubik's-Cube slanted on its corner, which twirls around quite to the man's amusement. The music is played on percussion, electric piano and celesta.
 * Spacesuit: An Ecru-clad woman and her son are in a mall. The kid looks through an astronaut helmet. The music is played on an electric piano.
 * Doodling Pad: A boy in a forest-green jacket is walking in a shallow lake with his doodling pad. The music is played on a harp and concertina.
 * Stargazing: A family is looking through a telescope at the stars in the sky. The music is played on a piano and cellos.
 * Guitarist: Calvin Keys is playing the tune on his guitar while someone films it on camcorder.
 * Generations: A man and his grandson are looking at old pictures of their African ancestors in a scrapbook. The music is played on drums, piano, and electric guitar.
 * Orchestra: A symphony orchestra performs the tune. The camera sees the violin, bass clarinet, marimba, cymbal and tuba.
 * Supermarket: TBA. The music has the CPB logo's music playing as a backing track, albeit either a bit muffled or in a slightly different arrangement, and the main melody is played on woodwinds.
 * Generic: Sometimes, there is no live action footage; instead the logo is placed on a custom background with bubbles. The background is used in four different colors: <span style="color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">blue, <span style="color:rgb(0,255,0);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">green , <span style="color:rgb(255,165,0);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">orange , and <span style="color:rgb(251,0,255);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">magenta . Most often, the blue or magenta versions are used at the end of broadcasts which use this. On some shows, an announcer says, "You're watching PBS". The music is orchestrated either with the standard strings-and-keyboard arrangement (for the blue version) or with a harp (for the magenta version).
 * Masterpiece: A variant appears on episodes of Masterpiece. Clips from episodes of the anthology series are shown over the blue background before the PBS logo appears as usual. The voiceover says, "Masterpiece, only on PBS." The music is played on strings and keyboards.
 * Antiques Roadshow: A variant appears on episodes of Antiques Roadshow. Clips from episodes are shown together over the amber background before the PBS logo appears as usual. The voiceover says, "Antiques Roadshow, only on PBS." The music is played on keyboards and guitar.
 * Public Affairs: A variant appears on episodes of Frontline and Washington Week, as well as on the special America After Charleston. Depicted over the blue background, in chronological order, are the late (and great) Gwen Ifill, Judy Woodruff, Hari Sreenivasan, and Charlie Rose, before the PBS logo appears as usual. The voiceover is the same as on the generic variants. The music is orchestrated in a hard rock version.
 * Generic (We'll Be Right Back): As with the previous logo, the generic logo (often using the blue or green version) is sometimes shown at the start of program breaks, with a voiceover saying, "This PBS program will return in a moment." The music is played either on strings and keyboards (for the green version) or in an electronic arrangement (for the blue version).

Effects : Same as the 8th logo.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over : A 5-note tune, created by music company Expansion Team. Like the eighth logo, the same tune is always used, but is rearranged for some variants and has a different voice-over.

Availability : Currently in use on most PBS first-run shows. The variants are used randomly, as with the previous logos, on many programs, including Nova and This Old House; however, on certain programs you can always expect to see the following variants:
 * Rubik's Cube: Seen at the end of American Masters and in rotation at the end of Vicious.
 * Spacesuit: Seen at the end of Charlie Rose: The Week and The Brain with David Eagleman.
 * Doodling Pad: Seen at the end of Earth's Natural Wonders.
 * Stargazing: Seen at the end of Hometime.
 * Guitarist: Seen at the end of Washington Week (until July 24, 2015), To the Contrary, most episodes of Austin City Limits, and Bluegrass Underground. Also seen at the end of concerts broadcast on PBS.
 * Generations: Seen at the end of Tavis Smiley and The Civil War.
 * Orchestra: Seen at the end of some current episodes of Austin City Limits.
 * Supermarket: Seen at the end of A Chef's Life and The Great British Baking Show.
 * Generic (Blue): Seen at the end of PBS NewsHour and in rotation at the end of Vicious.
 * Generic (Magenta): Seen at the end of Charlie Rose following the 2012 election and in rotation at the end of Vicious.

Editor's Note : While this logo is almost a decade old, its many variants over the years have kept it fresh.

Nickname: "21st Century PBS", "50 Years of PBS"

12th Logo (November 4, 2019-October 3, 2021)
Logo:
 * Selfies: A man and his girlfriend take a selfie together and walk down a wooded path. Debuted on November 4, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET


 * Nature Walk: A woman is in a forest. She grabs onto a leaf on a tree, lets go of it and stares at it in awe. It cuts to another shot of her opening a notebook with a sketch of a leaf. Then it fades to another shot of the woman sitting down while the PBS logo and the letters come out from left side of the logo and shifts to the right. Debuted on November 4, 2019, at 10:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 6, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET.


 * Backyard Party: TBA. Debuted on November 5, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 6, 2019, at 9:56 PM ET.


 * Kayaking: TBA. Debuted on November 6, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 7, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET.


 * All-American Memories: TBA. Debuted on November 12, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 6, 2019, at 9:56 PM ET.


 * Guitar Lesson: TBA. Debuted on November 9, 2019, at 11:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 8, 2019, at 11:56 PM ET.


 * Cooking: TBA. Debuted on November 9, 2019, at 4:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on November 10, 2019, at 11:00 PM ET.


 * Gaming: TBA. Debuted on November 30, 2019, at 1:56 PM ET.


 * Family Dinner: TBA. Debuted on December 13, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET.


 * Planetarium: TBA. Debuted on December 22, 2019, at 8:56 PM ET; extended version debuted on January 6, 2020, at 1:56 AM ET.


 * Dancing: A hip hop dance troupe performs at a small-town auditorium, to great applause. Debuted on January 1, 2020, at 5:56 AM ET.


 * Generic: The P-Head circle zooms out against a PBS blue background and slides to the left, with PBS appearing in white, in the PBS Sans font, to the right. Debuted on November 9, 2019, at 6:26 PM ET.

Opening Variant: Same as the generic variant, except somewhat quicker. On some programs, the logo will animate in reverse, with the opening shot of the program fading in within the P-head's eye.

Trivia: This logo incorporates elements of the 1971, 1992, 2002, and 2009 logos, with emphasis on blues, live-action variants, and a quick zoom-out through the eye of the P-head.

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds/Voiceover:
 * Selfies: An upbeat piano rendition of the 2009 logo's theme. A male voice says, "You're watching PBS."


 * Nature Walk: A piano piece followed by a guitar rendition of the 2009 logo's theme. A male voice says, "You're watching PBS."


 * Backyard Party: Same as Nature Walk. The extended version has the sound of a dog barking at the start.


 * Kayaking: Same as Nature Walk.


 * All-American Memories: A held synth chord followed by a synth rendition of the 2009 logo's theme. A male voice says, "You're watching PBS."


 * Guitar Lesson: Same as Nature Walk.


 * Cooking: Same as Nature Walk.


 * Gaming: Same as Selfies.


 * Family Dinner: Same as Selfies.


 * Planetarium: An orchestrated version of the Selfies/Gaming/Family Dinner variant with violins and brass instruments. A male voice says, "You're watching PBS."


 * Dancing: Same as Selfies, but with the sound of applause at the end.

Opening Variant : Just the modified 2009 theme (C-D-G-F#-power chord D).
 * Generic: Same as Planetarium, but extended at the start with the first six notes of the Selfies/Gaming/Family Dinner variant. When used for intermissions, the voice instead says, "This PBS program will return in a moment." This intermission variant debuted on November 14, 2019.

Availability : Brand new. Formally announced on November 4, 2019, it debuted later that night on Antiques Roadshow's Extraordinary Finds and is expected to replace the 2009 PBS logo over the coming year. The opening variant debuted on Independent Lens, and the intermission variant debuted between the This Old House episode "Westerly: The Doors" and the Ask This Old House episode "Switch, Affordable Geothermal" as part of the November 14, 2019 edition of The This Old House Hour. Don't expect this on the 2020 rebroadcast of The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, as it uses the previous logo, though the extended bumpers appear among the post-episode content.

Editor's Note : A new modernization of the PBS logo for the digital age, and the first since the 1971 logo to not use serifs in its identity. However, the corporate brand unification the company has been pushing with this logo and the design itself seems to be garnering less favorable (initial) reactions compared to previous logos. Time will only tell if the community will warm up to this logo.

---

(1988)
Logo : TBA

Effects : TBA

Music/Sounds : A new orchestral tune similar to Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA jingle.

Availability: Extinct. Seen on programming centering around the 88 Presidential election It's appeared seen only Ken Burns documentary.

====1st logo (1992)====

Logo : We see American flag layers waving. A blue background with a circular hole fades in as it zooms out, revealing itself to be a P-Head. As it continues to zoom out, it starts to move to the left as the number 9 appears to the right from behind. The word "ELECTION", in a gold serif font, starts appearing from the center between the P-Head and 9 as the flag stripes move in both vertical directions to reveal a light blue/yellow gradient background, and then two of the stripes move back up, zooming out as the bottom stripe turns blue. Finally, a red split emerges from behind the P-Head, and a red 2 from behind 9, both from the right.

Effects : The flag stripes and zoom-outs, as well as the slides.

Music/Sounds : A brass/strings fanfare that wouldn't sound out of place on a news program.

Availability : Extinct. Seen on programming centering around the '92 Presidential election.

====2nd logo (1996)==== TBA

====3rd logo (2000)==== TBA

====4th logo (2004)====

Nickname : "By the People"

Logo : TBA

Effects : TBA

Music/Sounds : The standard music for the 8th regular logo, with a male announcer saying, "This is PBS."

Availability : Extinct. Seen on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, among other programs which covered the '04 Presidential election and 2004 episodes Frontline on WNED-TV

====5th logo (2008)==== TBA

====6th logo (2012)====

Logo : TBA

Effects : TBA

Music/Sounds : TBA

Availability : Extinct. Seen on Charlie Rose, among other programs which covered the '16 Presidential election.

PBS Arts
====1st logo (2011-December 12, 2014)====

Logo : Against a <span style="color:rgb(135,0,252);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">purple /<span style="color:rgb(255,0,251);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">magenta  background, an <span style="color:rgb(255,165,0);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">orange  circle forms itself in watercolor in the center of the screen, followed by a <span style="color:rgb(255,150,229);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">pink  circle to its left and a <span style="color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">blue  circle to its right. "PBS arts", with PBS in magenta, fades in within the orange circle, and the Circle P-Head forms itself to the left. The URL "pbs.org/arts" fades in below.

FX/SFX : The circles forming themselves.

Music/Sounds : A guitar piece.

Availability : Seen on old PBS Arts programs. Its last known sighting was on the Live from Lincoln Center episode "Curtain Up: The School of American Ballet Workshop", first broadcast on December 12, 2014.

====2nd logo (2013-2014)====

Logo : TBA

Effects : TBA

Music/Sounds : A brass fanfare.

Availability : Seen on Pennsylvania Ballet Celebrates 50 Years.

====3rd logo (2014-October 2, 2015)====

Logo : Against a white background, objects resembling glass curtains part, revealing the Circle P-Head with "PBS | ARTS" to the right. PBS is in the usual font. Below is the URL "pbs.org/arts" and, to the right, the Twitter hashtag "#PBSarts".

FX/SFX : The glass curtains parting.

Music/Sounds : A brass fanfare.

Availability : Seen during the 2014-2015 PBS Arts season. It last appeared on a rebroadcast of In Performance at the White House honoring songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

====4th logo (October 9, 2015-present)====

Logo : The camera tracks through a colorful environment full of decorations and 2D sculptures of various performers. At the end, the PBS Arts logo is revealed.

Variant : An abbreviated version appears at the end of programs.

Effects : Just the decorations and their minimal movements.

Music/Sounds : A Latino-flavored fanfare with a choir and strings.

Availability : Seen on current PBS Arts programs.

===PBS Indies (2014-present)===

Logo : TBA

Effects : TBA

Music/Sounds/Voiceovers : An abridged version of the 2010 CPB music. At the end of programs, a voiceover says, "PBS, your home for independent film."

Availability : Seen on current episodes of Independent Lens and POV.

===PBS Stories of Service (2014-present)===

Logo : TBA

Effects : TBA

Music/Sounds/Voiceovers : A solemn yet uplifting brass fanfare which sounds like the first notes of "Taps". At the end of programs, a voiceover says, "This is PBS."

Availability : Seen on military-themed programming on PBS. Oddly enough, the opening and closing variants switch places on Debt of Honor: Disabled Veterans in American History.

===Think Wednesday (201?-present)===

Logo : TBA

Effects : TBA

Music/Sounds/Voiceovers : A new-age rock tune. A voiceover says, "Think Wednesday, think PBS."

Availability : Seen at the end of The Mystery of Matter, as well as first-run episodes of Earth's Natural Wonders, Nova, and The Brain with David Eagleman.

(2001-2003)
Logo :TBA

Effects : TBA

Music/Sounds/Voiceovers: A inspirational orchestral tune. A voiceover says, This is Veterans Day only on PBS. Also the variant saying You're watching Veterans Day on PBS.

Availability: Seen at the end PBS documentaries.