RTÉ

Background
RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann) is the state broadcaster of the Republic of Ireland. It began transmission on December 31, 1961 and is dependent on both license fees and advertising for revenue. The company currently runs 2 main channels: RTÉ One and RTÉ2. The former channel used logos from this page until 1980 at least.

1st Logo (December 31, 1961-July 31, 1966)
Logo: On a black background, a stark image of a St. Brigid's cross (a cross consisting of a square with 4 long arms on each end, usually being made of dried rushes) with the words "TELEFÍS" ("TELEVISION" in Irish) and "ÉIREANN" ("IRELAND" in Irish) on the top left and bottom right sides of it respectively.

Trivia: The design of Brigid's cross was created by Édith Cusack, the Head of Women's Programming, while the later variant was made by Dick Butterworth.

Later Variant: Starting in 1963, because of issues with strobing due to the complicated photograph of the cross, the logo was simplified by having the cross represented by 4 polygons, and the entire thing made larger overall.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: Silent with an announcer.

Availability: Extinct. It was seen on RTÉ's inaugural 1961 broadcast and used as a ident in-between programming and the news. The later variant is seen on Reeling in the Years.

Legacy: The rugged look of the cross cross may unnerve some. The cross would also be part of RTE's logos until 1995, as well as RTE One's logos until 2003.

2nd Logo (July 31, 1966-September 30, 1969)
Logo: On a gray background, a dark gray stripe is in the middle. In the stripe, there are four white squares, containing an flipped St. Brigid's cross made up of four triangles and the bold letters "RTE" respectively.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Extinct.

3rd Logo (October 1, 1969-1980)
Logo: Appearing on a grey background, the new RTE logo is seen in white, being "RTE" formed from a single, interconnected line with a pair of them bordered everything but the ends. The left side of the "R" is also adorned with an abstract recreation of the Brigid's cross, which is diagonally cut on 3 of its ends.

Variant: Starting in 1972, the logo would be presented on a colored background, usually light blue.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Same as before.

Final Note: With the launch of RTE2 in 1978, the logo would be retired in favor for unique logos for RTE1. RTE's logo would still appear in productions