Worldvision Enterprises

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Background: Worldvision Enterprises Inc. was a television program and home video distributor established in 1973 as the successor of ABC Films after the former company spun-off because it was against the FCC regulations for a television network to distribute its programs under its own name. They primarily licensed programs from others, rather than producing their own content. When Worldvision was in operation for 10 years, the company had offices in very important cities around the world such as: NY, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, Munich, Mexico City, and Rome. In 1979, Worldvision was sold to Taft Broadcasting (later renamed as "Great American" in 1987 and "Citicasters" in 1993), and was later sold to Aaron Spelling in 1988 and became part of Spelling, Inc. The transaction was completed on March 11, 1989. On April 6, 1991, Spelling Entertainment Inc. was acquired by the Charter Company, an oil refining, insurance, and communications company. Spelling and Charter merged on October 5, 1992 and Charter was renamed as "Spelling Entertainment Group". On October 5, 1993, Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation acquired a 67% stake in the Spelling Entertainment Group and later merged with Viacom on September 29, 1994. In 1997, the production arm of Worldvision Enterprises was incorporated into Republic Pictures, and in 1999, Viacom (now "CBS Corporation") acquired the rest of the Spelling Entertainment Group, and folded the distribution arm of Worldvision into Paramount Domestic Television (now "CBS Television Distribution"). Currently, most of the Worldvision Enterprises library (the exceptions: most of the Hanna-Barbera library is owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment through Turner Broadcasting, Let's Make a Deal is now owned by FremantleMedia, and the TV movies produced by Fries Entertainment co-produced by Worldvision are owned by MGM Holdings Inc.) is owned by CBS Corporation through CBS Television Distribution and Spelling Television Inc. The movies that Worldvision syndicated, such as those from Carolco and Weintraub, are now syndicated by Trifecta Entertainment and Media, under license from Paramount Pictures.

1st Logo (January 8, 1973-January 10, 1976) Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1973)Worldvision Enterprises (1975)Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1975)Worldvision logo from "Let's Make a Deal"

Nicknames: "Radar Globe", "Radar W", "Worldvision W Globe"

Logo: On a yellow background, we see a black oval-shaped globe with longitudinal and latitudinal lines wiping in upward. At the same time, a navy blue "W" is wiping in downward. The "W" is stylized such that it blends with the spherical shape. The company name "WORLDVISION ENTERPRISES INC." in the style you see here appears below the globe.

Trivia: Their slogan was "The World's Leading Distributor for Independent Television Producers".

Variants:

A special superimposed in-credit variant with no animation was created to replace the ABC Films ID, with "A" placed above and "PRESENTATION" placed below. On the 1975 TV movie Hey, I'm Alive, the still logo is on an orange background. Based on film quality, one variant of this logo appears in Naples yellow.

FX/SFX: The globe drawing.

Music/Sounds: None. The in-credit variant has the end-title theme from Let's Make a Deal.

Availability: Rare. The in-credit scroll version was used on Let's Make a Deal. The still variant was recently sighted on the 1975 TV movie Hey, I'm Alive on Starz Encore Drama. Was also seen on Someone I Touched when it was on Netflix.

Editor's Note: A kinda simple, but decent logo, though the globe design is kind of ugly as the separation of lines on the globe aren't all equal distance.

2nd Logo (1974-August 1988) Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (B&W)Worldvision Enterprises (1974 A)Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1979)Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1981, B&W)Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1981) Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1981)Worldvision Enterprises (1981)Worldvision Enterprises (1977)Worldvision Enterprises (1986)Worldvision Enterprises (1986) Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1987)Worldvision Enterprises, Inc.Worldvision Enterprises (1988 A)Worldvision Enterpises (1977) Worldvision-LMAD: 1974Worldvision Entertprises Superimposed "Radar W-Globe" (1974)Worldvision Enterprises (1979)Worldvision Enterprises-The New Addams Family: 1977Worldvision-The Newlywed Game (1978, in-credit text)

Nicknames: "Radar Globe II", "Radar W II", "Worldvision W Globe II"

Logo: Same as before, but with a red background and a white logo and text. A print stamp for "World Vision International" appears below the company name from this point onward.

Trivia:

This logo was used on '70s-'80s prints of old TV shows originally aired on ABC among others. Also was the top distributor of most Hanna-Barbera TV shows from post-1979 when Taft acquired Worldvision. The print stamp on the bottom of this and the later Worldvision logos reads "Not affiliated with World Vision International, a religious and charitable organization". This was added after the charitable organization sued Worldvision Enterprises over use of the name in 1974, one of the reasons the first logo was replaced. The two parties settled, and Worldvision Enterprises was allowed to keep its name, provided that the aforementioned stamp was used in its logo.

Bylines: When Taft Broadcasting acquired Worldvision, these bylines would appear under the company name:

1979-1982: "A TAFT BROADCASTING COMPANY" 1981-1987: "A TAFT COMPANY" 1987-1988: (Bylineless; just a tiny "WVI" print stamp (Great American Broadcasting era)).

Variants:

A special superimposed in-credit variant with no animation was created to replace the ABC Films ID, with or without "A" placed above and "PRESENTATION" placed below with the print included. This was also used on co-produced TV movies. A variant of the first bylineless version exists, in which the radar lines are visible through the "W". This version has been sighted on A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story and Louis Armstrong: Chicago Style on Encore Drama. Another variant exists of the first, bylineless version, in which the "WVI" print stamp is smaller. This stamp has been sighted on the "translucent W" variant, on the aforementioned Encore Drama print of Louis Armstrong: Chicago Style. On the 1977 made-for-TV movie Night Terror, the logo is still. There is also a B&W variant. On the syndicated version of The Newlywed Game from 1977-1980, the text says "SYNDICATED BY WORLDVISION ENTERPRISES, INC.". On Throb season 1 episode "Wedding Bell Blue", after the logo forms, the globe and words are replaced with superimposed footage of the musician James Brown saying, "I feel good!".

FX/SFX: Same as above.

Music/Sounds: Same as above.

Music/Sounds Variants:

On the 1982 made-for-TV movie The Capture of Grizzly Addams, the logo had an ascending four-note jazzy Fender-Rhodes electric piano theme, which was the inspiration for the jingle to the 1988 Worldvision logo. On '80s international prints of classic H-B shows, a generic variant of this logo with the H-B "Box" logo theme was heard. In the 1978 made-for-TV movie Little Mo and the show Project U.F.O., the drum roll from the Mark VII Limited logo is extended to play over this logo. On an '80s print of an episode of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, part of the H-B "Swirling Star" theme plays over the logo. On season 9 episodes of The Love Boat on Pop, the music from the next logo is heard as a result of reverse plastering.

Availability: Rare.

It appears on some episodes of The Streets of San Francisco on Me-TV. The B&W version was last seen on few B&W episodes of Combat! on ALN (now Youtoo), and the color version is seen on the final season of Combat!, as well on current prints of classic TV movies and mini-series like Holocaust, followed by the CBS Television Distribution logo. The in-credit variant was last seen on GSN reruns of Let's Make a Deal. Check old tapes to find this on Hanna-Barbera shows as well. The first version (no byline) was recently sighted on A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story and Louis Armstrong: Chicago Style on Encore Drama. This was also even spotted on at least one episode of General Hospital from around 1980 or 1981 during SOAPnet's General Hospital: 50th Anniversary marathon. This was also spotted on a few recent final season Me-TV reruns of The Love Boat. It also made a surprise appearance on an episode of Hong Kong Phooey on the Saturday Morning Cartoons - 1970s, Volume 1 DVD set. It was also seen on Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince (except episodes 1, 11, and 12) where it is retained on DVD releases. When the infamous Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos was rerun on Adult Swim, this logo with the Taft byline was intact as well. Recently, this logo has been sighted on various episodes of Highway to Heaven on British TV channel True Movies.

Editor's Note: Same as the 1st logo, though the globe design has been improved on. However, the disclaimer at the bottom of the screen clutters the design somewhat.

3rd Logo (September 1988-May 26, 1999) Worldvision Enterprises (filmed) (1988)Worldvision Enterprises (1988)Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1989)Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1994)Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1994)Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1995)Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. (1996)

Nicknames: "Radar Globe III", "Radar W III", "Worldvision W Globe III", "Whoosh Globe"

Logo: It's only a warp-speed variant of the 1983 Worldvision Home Video logo, except the Worldvision text emerges from the front and both layer themselves into position as the background fades to black. "HOME VIDEO, INC." is replaced by the thin white text "ENTERPRISES INC." The radar globe then shines and the same "WVI" print stamp (in much smaller type) fades onto the bottom of the screen. The name then shines as well.

Trivia: This logo was used on 1990s prints of pre-1973 ABC shows, but also applied to the Hanna-Barbera (until the cartoon studio's sale to Turner Broadcasting in 1991), Republic Pictures Television (after 1996), Weintraub Entertainment Group, Carolco Pictures (the company distributed their films to TV as part of a syndication package) and Spelling Television libraries, among others. Also appeared on some first-run syndicated programs, such as the first 3 seasons of Judge Judy.

Bylines: When introduced in 1988, there was no byline present (like the chyroned version of the previous logo it replaced). After Great American Broadcasting (the former Taft Broadcasting Co.) sold Worldvision to Aaron Spelling the same year, these bylines would appear beginning in 1989:

1988-1990: (Bylineless; just the "WVI" print stamp) 1989-1995: "A UNIT OF SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT INC." Trademark symbol appears by the "Radar W" logo in 1991. 1994-1995: "A UNIT OF SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT INC., A BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY" 1995-1996: "A UNIT OF SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC., A BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY" 1996-1999: "A SUBSIDIARY OF SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC."

Variants:

There is a filmed variation of this logo. When Blockbuster Entertainment bought Spelling, their movie ticket logo unfolded below Worldvision's logo (it was briefly placed next to the globe after the Blockbuster purchase of Spelling), underneath Spelling's byline (itself having the "A Blockbuster Entertainment Company" byline underneath it). There is also a still variant of this logo. There is also a B&W variant. A stretched to 16:9 variant was strangely spotted on AMC's HD print of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

FX/SFX: The sped-up zoom-out, the layering FX on the company name, and the shining radar globe at the end of the sequence. Also, there was a quick shining wipe at the Worldvision text.

Music/Sounds:A shortened version of the Worldvision Home Video theme (the slowed-down version of "Moog Statement 14"), shortening and toning down the "WHOOSH" and cutting the jingle to the last 2 notes.

Music/Sounds Variants:

Two variants of this jingle exist: one has the theme in a lower pitch and the other has a higher-pitched theme. Both low and high tone versions can be found in numerous places: for example, the 1991 logo in both low and high tones are seen on some episodes of syndicated prints of Little House on the Prairie. The 1995 logo in low tone was sighted in a few season 2 episodes of Dallas in its S1&2 DVD release. A high pitch variant of the 1996 logo was seen on a M1 channel airing of some episodes of The Love Boat: The Next Wave. Sometimes, the closing theme was used (like on some parts of The Stand) or it's silent. On the Hallmark Channel Italy reruns of Dallas, a few season 2 episodes had the 1971 Lorimar music over the 1995 variant. This is due to a poor plaster job.

Availability: Common.

It was seen on syndicated prints of Little House on the Prairie (with the exception of the pilot movie from March 1974, which in recent airings, has the 1979 logo) when it was on the Hallmark Channel and TV Land, and is also on DVD releases (seasons 1-3 only with the NBC Enterprises and the NBC Universal Television Distribution logos following it), DVD releases and TNT airings of S1 episodes of Charmed, which is followed by the 1995 PDT logo (Though both logos were plastered by the CTD logo on its recent Blu-Ray release), Syfy and former Chiller airings of Tales from the Darkside, Hulu airings of season 1 of Beverly Hills 90210, which is followed by the 2003 PDT logo,and on some international prints of earlier episodes of 7th Heaven. Also seen on the mini-series The Stand on Syfy and Chiller and on most B&W prints of Combat! on Me-TV and H&I. Also seen on The Fugitive (1963 TV series), Sci-Fi Channel prints of Dark Shadows, TV broadcasts of Carolco films, such as Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Universal Soldier and Repossessed, among others, and syndicated prints of Weintraub films such as My Stepmother is an Alien and Troop Beverly Hills. Surprisingly, it recently appeared on Trifecta's print of Basic Instinct before the Trifecta logo, and was preserved on a print of Three For the Road, with the 1995 Paramount logo and Trifecta logo appearing afterwards. The filmed variant was spotted on early video releases of the Twin Peaks pilot episode from Warner Home Video, and on some international prints of The Love Boat. A handful of episodes from the second season of Dallas retain this logo on the Warner Home Video DVD release of S1/S2, and it was also retained on some 1987-91 syndicated prints (followed by the 2003 WBTV logo) of the series.These are easy to catch because they are sourced from PAL transfers and run 4% faster than an NTSC standard print; Worldvision distributed the series internationally until the 1990s, when the rights reverted back to Warner Bros. On Netflix, it can be seen on a couple of S1 episodes of Melrose Place; it was also seen when MP reran on the Style network as well when it was reran on SoapNet (now Disney Junior) though it's plastered on the pilot by the 2003 Paramount Domestic Television logo. Recently spotted on some episodes of Bonanza on its German DVD release and also appears on some episodes of said show on Me-TV. Also seen on The Rebel and some episodes of The Love Boat on Me-TV. It also made surprise appearances on the Warner Home Video DVD release of The Greatest Adventures Stories from the Bible - The Miracles of Jesus and one iTunes print of an episode of Hong Kong Phooey. It is unknown if this was seen on late 1980s/early-to-mid 1990s prints of One Step Beyond, The Doris Day Show, Barnaby Jones, Ben Casey, and Car 54, Where Are You?, among other Worldvision/Republic-distributed shows. DVD prints of The Key to Rebecca kept this logo (with the Blockbuster byline) intact followed by the CTD logo. It is also intact on the seasons 3-5 DVDs of The Mod Squad. Recently, all variants of the logo has been sighted on various episodes of Highway to Heaven on British TV channel True Movies. The 1996 version has also been spotted on a Starz Encore Westerns airing of The Last Command with the 2012 Paramount Pictures logo following afterwards. It was also seen on at least one episode of That Girl on Antenna TV, followed by the Paul Brownstein and Stadium Media logos afterwards.

Editor's Note: The logo is the truncated 1983 Worldvision Home Video logo, but with crisper and smoother animation (at least on the videotaped variant). Like with the home video logo, it's also known by some for being eerie, but it's still a favorite for those who can appreciate it.