Trident Television Associates

Not to be confused with Trident Television, a company formed by a brief merger between Yorkshire Television and Tyne Tees Television in the 1970s.

(1980-1983)
Nickname: "The Gold Trail"

Logo: On a black background, the text "Times New Roman" in a Times New Roman-esque font appears at the top of the screen, then multiplies downward until there are six copies of the text, in progressively darker shades of gold. A yellow line underlines the bottom copy from right to left, then the top copy starts to slowly travel downwards in a slow trailing effect, absorbing the other copies into its trail. Once the trail copy reaches the bottom copy, it glows as the rest of the trail merges into it. After a second, the underline disappears under the word "Times New Roman", and the " Times New Roman " text flies backward towards the center of the screen and disappears, while the word "Times New Roman" flies upwards and approximately triples in size. The "Times New Roman" settles in the middle of the top half of the screen, and shines around the edges twice.

FX/SFX: The glowing and shining. Possibly Scanimate.

Music/Sounds: A six-note descending tune (for the multiplying copies) on what sounds like an electric piano, followed by a rapidly descending "warbling" noise as the trail moves downward. A single synth note plays when the bottom copy glows, followed by a higher one when the text separates. The "Television Associates, Inc." makes an audible noise when flying, sounding like a synthesized rendition of a spaceship taking off. A synth fanfare plays as the "Trident" shines, which abruptly ends on a messed-up, trippy high note.

Availability: Extinct. Originally seen on early-1980s syndie prints of classic CBS made-for-TV movies from the era, such as The Horror at 37,000 Feet, I Want To Keep My Baby!, Mongo's Back In Town, and Relentless, among others.

Legacy: For being a TV logo, the eleven-second length is questionable; however, the boring animation and how the "Television Associates, Inc." leaving makes it look a branding transition (like Cingular and AT&T) are much more questionable.