TF1 (France)

Radio-PTT Vision
Background : Radio-PTT Vision began operations on 26 April 1935 as the first television station in France, using a 30-line mechanical television system based on the Nipkow disk. It was operated by the French PTT agency with a transmitter located atop the Eiffel Tower, and was on air three days a week from 11 am to 11:30 am and 8 pm to 8:30 pm and on Sundays from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. On 4 January 1937 the broadcasting hours were changed such that television programmes were aired from 5 pm until 10 pm Wednesdays to Fridays, and from 4 pm to 8:30 pm or 9 pm Saturdays to Tuesdays.

(1935-1937) Logo : A circle is inside in the black square, in the left and the right there are lightining bolts. Inside the circle there are the words "PTT". Below it, there are the words "RADIO" (up) and "VISION" (down).

Radiodiffusion nationale Télévision
Background : Following successful trials of a "high-definition" 455-line electronic television system designed by Thomson-Houston which improved on the 405-line system originally designed by EMI-Marconi, Radio-PTT Vision renamed itself as Radiodiffusion nationale Télévision (RN Télévision) in July 1937. However, broadcasts using the Nipkow disk system continued alongside the new electronic system until 10 April 1938. In July 1938, a decree of the French PTT agency fixed the French broadcast television standard as transmitting on 455 lines VHF (46 MHz, positive modulation, 25 frames per second), to be adopted throughout France within three years. The adoption of the electronic standard marked the end of mechanical television in France, and the advent of electronic television to obtain much better image quality. RN Télévision abruptly stopped broadcasts on 3 September 1939 following the entry of France into the Second World War.

(1937-1939) Logo : A woman is performing a dance in her dance dress. A man is holding a movie camera. In the top there are words "RADIODIFFUSION NATIONALE" and in the bottom there is "TÉLÉVISION".

Fernsehsender Paris
Background : Television broadcasts resumed in occupied France on 7 May 1943 as Fernsehsender Paris, under the control of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht. It was on air in German and French four days a week from 10 am to noon, three days a week from 3 pm to 8 pm and every evening from 8:30 pm to 10 pm. Fernsehsender Paris stopped broadcasts on 12 August 1944, one week before the liberation of Paris.

(1943-1944) Logo : An outline of Eiffel Tower is seen with one of the outline circle behind it. "FERNSEHSENDER" is in front of the Eiffel Tower, and "PARIS" is in the bottom of it.

RDF Télévision française
Background : Television broadcasts in France resumed on 1 October 1944 under the name Télévision française, and following the creation of Radiodiffusion française on 23 March 1945 the television service was renamed as RDF Télévision française. Following the return of the Eiffel Tower to the French after being in American administration following the liberation of Paris, on 1 October 1945 the official resumption of television broadcasts took place with one hour of programming each day. On 20 November 1948, the Secretary of State for Information, François Mitterrand decreed the adoption of the 819-line high-definition VHF standard, which was in use from 1949 until 1981.

(1944-1949) Logo : A map of France (except Corse is not here) is seen with a dot, "TELEVISION FRANCAISE" in a CinemaScope-like font and a 3-numbered lines.

RTF Télévision
Background : Radiodiffusion française was renamed as Radiodiffusion-télévision française (RTF) on 9 February 1949, and thus began the growth of television as an accepted mass medium in France. On 29 May 1949 the first news programme aired on RTF TV, and on 30 July 1949 a television licence fee was introduced. Residents living outside of Paris could view RTF TV for the first time in February 1952 when Télé Lille (now known as France 3 Nord-Pas-de-Calais), a regional broadcaster operating since 10 April 1950 was co-opted into the RTF TV network and became RTF's first relay outside of Paris.

1st (Print) Logo

(1949-1959) Logo : The letters "RTF" in a stylized font are seen with "RADIODIFUSSION-TELEVISION FRANCAISE".

2nd Logo

(1959-1964) Nicknames : "French ITC", "ITC's Less Scarier French Cousin", "Spinning Diamonds: French Way"

Logo : On a black background, we see those ovals forming together each other. As they stop forming each other, the oval turns into a line slowly. Multiple of lines come out of it. The lines spin around like a top, a la the 4th ITC logo. The lines spin around in reverse, morphing the original oval. Two ovals rotate slowly. "RTF" appears and zooms in. "RTF" stops zooming in. "Télévision" in a curvise font appears, forming the logo. The logo then fades out.

FX/SFX : Everything in 2D animation.

Cheesy Factor: The animation is retitive.

Music/Sounds : A happy-sounding bombastic fanfare.

Availability : Extinct outside YouTube. Seen on some programmings from 1959 to 1964.

Scare Factor : Low. The whole music is too bombastic to scare people. However, it's not scary as the 4th ITC logo.

Première chaîne de l'ORTF
Background : Following the creation of RTF Télévision 2 (now France 2) in 1963, the first channel was renamed as Première chaîne de la RTF (First Channel of the RTF), which was renamed as Première chaîne de l'ORTF (First Channel of the ORTF) when the ORTF was created on 25 July 1964. This period marked the introduction of commercial advertising on Première chaîne de l'ORTF which began on 1 October 1968. On 8 January 1969, the ORTF created a subsidiary company called Régie française de publicité (RFP) to handle all advertising on the ORTF channels.

(1964-1975) Logo : Same as the 2nd RTF Télévision logo, but this time the black background is replaced by a space background. "T" is inside "O".

Variant : There's a closedown variant where the logo plays in reverse.

FX/SFX : Same as the 2nd RTF Télévision logo.

Cheesy Factor: Same as the 2nd RTF television logo.

Music/Sounds : A bombastic French-like fanfare.

Availability : Like the last logo, it's extinct.

Scare Factor : Medium to high. The in-your-face animation and loud music will scare some people.

TF1
Background : TF1 (which originally stood for Télévision Française 1 (French Television 1)), was created on 1 January 1975 when law no 74-696 7 August 1974 (which split the ORTF into 7 organisations) came into effect, and the rebranding from Première chaîne de l'ORTF to TF1 came into effect on 6 January 1975. Colour television were first introduced to TF1 on 1 September 1975 when FR3 (now France 3) agreed to supply some of its colour programming to TF1, and the conversion to colour was completed on 20 December 1975 when the first colour news programme on TF1 aired. Since TF1's privatisation in 1987, the abbreviation is no longer expanded, so as to avoid confusion with the government-owned television broadcaster France Télévisions.

1st Logo

(1975-1976) Nicknames : "tf1", "TÉLÉVISION FRANÇAISE 1", "Early TF1"

Logo : On a white background, we see a red letter "T" a white letter "F" and a blue number "1". The logo shrinks to the bottom left with a blue purple and pink eye with a blue number "1" in a blue circle. Then the eye spilt and the 1 changes back into the logo.

Trivia : This logo was created by Catherine Chaillet, the director of Les Tifins.

Variant : FX/SFX : Cartoon animation.
 * There's a closedown variant in which the logo plays in reverse.
 * A B&W version exists.

Music/Sounds : A fanfare made by trumpets, xylophones, flutes and drums.

Availability : Extremely rare. Seen on some programming announcements from 1975 to 1976.

Scare Factor : Minimal.

2nd Logo

(1976-1985) Nicknames : "tf1 II", "TÉLÉVISION FRANÇAISE 1 II", "Early TF1 II", "CGI TF1"

Logo : On a sunset background, there is a blue eye zooming into a sky background. two rainbow strips fly making a letter "T" and upside down "F". The "F" becomes normal and a number "1" comes up flying to the right. And multiple TF1 logos are seen flying at once. Then they line up in a group making it rainbow-ish. Then a orange eye with a number "1" comes up with a camera zooming out. And The TF1 logo comes out with the letter "T" in blue. The letter "F" In purple. And the number "1" in pink.

Variant : There's a closedown variant which is in the space background.

FX/SFX : Early CGI.

Music/Sounds : A much more bombastic version of the 1st logo with a synth zap-like sounds.

Music/Sounds Variant : A synth version of the 1st logo for the closedown variant.

Availability : Very rare. Was used for programming announcements.

Scare Factor : 3rd Logo
 * Original variant : None. It's a clean and professional logo.
 * Closedown variant : Minimal to low. The music sounds a bit ominous, but it's a harmless logo.

(1984-1987) Nicknames : "tf1 III", "Early TF1 III", "TF1 in Space", "80's TF1", "TF1 In The 80's"

Logo : On a space background, we see "TF1" from before in blue rising. The "TF1" in multicolored appear and move each other. TF1 rotates as multicolored TF1's move from left to right. While multicolored TF1's move each other, TF1 rises before the logo freezes.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor : Simple 3D animation.

Music/Sounds : An 80's funky music with the female singers singing the name in French.

Availability : Ultra rare.

Scare Factor : Low; the darkness may get to some.

4th Logo

(1985-1990) Logo: On a sky background, we zoom past pillars into a temple-like structure. Rings form on the top and bottom as several "1" shapes fly around. A cube made of these holding a sphere fly out of the pillars, causing silhouettes of different people on squares to slide down. A large blue sphere with 1's comes into view and we go inside it. The sphere of 1's come inside and several clips then play, with the sphere having a ring of them. The sphere then ejects the camera and flies past a sculpture of a women's body. The temple then comes into view, as well as 2 of the cubes from before. The temple and cubes zoom away as a blue object comes in, revealing it's a version of the previous logo. It rotates into an angle as line form onto the front. A rectangle iris out then happens.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: Nice CGI for the time, but very blocky and the logo is also hard to see due to it being at a angle made of lines. The camera movements could also use work.

Music/Sounds: A funky synth theme.

Availability: Extinct.

Scare Factor: None. It's pretty funky.

More TF1 logos coming soon!