CBS Television Distribution

Credits

Descriptions by
Silversword55

Captures by
AsdfTheRevival, Eric S., Bob Fish, Shadeed A. Kelly, Dean Stewart Rumsey, Derrick Anderson, ClosingLogosHD, and SloshedMail

Editions by
MJ2003, Bob Fish, V of Doom, SilverSword55, Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, Donny Pearson, bmasters9, indycar, Unnepad, Hifi/Sara900seven and Michael Kenchington

Video captures courtesy of
Broken Saw, SloshedMail, JohnnyL80, and MaillupTtirb

Background

CBS Television Distribution was the syndication division of CBS Studios established on September 26, 2006 as a distribution subsidiary, after CBS Corporation merged CBS Paramount Domestic Television with King World Productions, CBS Paramount International Television (spun-off as "CBS Studios International", later "ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group", now "Paramount Global Content Distribution"), and CBS Home Entertainment. The merger wouldn't take effect on screen until September 2007, when the King World and CBS Paramount Domestic Television logos were retired in favor of this company's logo. However, Merv Griffin's Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune began using the logo in October 2007. It was renamed to CBS Media Ventures in 2021.

Logo (August 20, 2007-January 11, 2021)

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Visuals: In a studio with blue lights all over, there are the words "CBS TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION" with "CBS" in the trademark Didot font and the Eyemark on its left side, "TELEVISION" and "DISTRIBUTION" in Helvetica next to it, and "DISTRIBUTION" below "TELEVISION", floating above a reflective ground (which ripples at the beginning, like water) in front of a wall with clouds projected on it. The camera zooms away from the logo until it's over.

Trivia: On first-run series from the company, the logo is animated at 30fps. However, when it plasters older logos on syndicated reruns and DVD releases of some older shows, it is animated at 24fps.

Variants:

• The longer variant shows the camera zooming away from the CBS Eyemark at the beginning, "TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION" zooms back in place, and then the camera moves away from the logo until it stops behind some black girders. As it zooms out, the "S" in "CBS" briefly shines. It was seen on the company's official website prior to the rebrand to CBS Media Ventures.
• A B&W variant of the logo exists, which is used on B&W shows.
• 2010-: Another variant starts off with the animation from the extended version, but is in warp speed.
• On some first-run shows such as The Insider and Entertainment Tonight, the final scene or the end credits crossfade to the logo (sometimes its the longer variant).
• On the 2013 revival of The Arsenio Hall Show, a copyright stamp for Eye Productions, Inc. appears below.
• On a recent print of the second part of the two-part TV movie The Key to Rebecca, the logo is strangely squished.
• On a MeTV print of a Star Trek episode, there is a 1967 copyright at the bottom. Other Star Trek variants feature a 1968 Paramount/Norway copyright or a 1978 Paramount copyright.
• Widescreen and scope variants exist.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A seven-note string sounder derived from the first CBS Paramount Television logo's music, which sounds like a re-orchestration (and slight rearrangement) of that. The fourth note is accompanied by a beat, which is actually part of a timpani roll accompanying notes 1-4. This fanfare's composed by Gregory Smith. Sometimes, the last note of the end credit theme plays over the logo. The following versions are commonly used:

• There is a short version with a faster pace.
• Sometimes, the theme would have either six (minus the first note) or all seven notes. For the full seven-note version, the first note may be cut in half (on some first-run shows) or be heard in full (often heard on syndicated prints of shows produced by CBS Productions, CBS Paramount Television, and CBS Television Studios).
• A longer version of the theme exists, where there is a gap between the last two notes. This version also has a cymbal on the fourth and sixth notes; the first one plays when the timpani stops.
• An extended version of the theme also exists, which has a brief brass/synth stinger before the longer version of the theme plays.
• On the revival of The Arsenio Hall Show, the last three notes are used.

Audio Variants:

• On Jeopardy!, part of the 1999 King World thunderclap sound effect can be heard before the theme is playing, probably due to a plaster error. However, on the first few episodes under this logo, the short 1999 King World thunderclap, and the first part of the long version of the 2002 Sony Pictures Television logo music played, which continues to the short version of said logo.
• On MeTV's print (same as the DVD print) of the Hawaii Five-O episode "Wednesday, Ladies Free," the 1987 Paramount Television music is used. This also happened again on Russian prints of various episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the "Sins of the Father" episode on The Next Level Blu-ray, as well as the Friday the 13th: The Series episode "Hate on Your Dial" on the Season 3 DVD (as the German print), and the 1988 series of the Mission: Impossible episode "The Fixer". Either occurrence is most likely due to a plastering error.
• A "high-tone" version of the short version jingle exists, which is found on Acorn Media's DVD release of the mini-series Washington: Behind Closed Doors and on all PAL prints of shows.
• A double high-tone (very high-pitched) and slightly faster version of the short version jingle also exists, which is found on a recent print of the two-part TV movie The Key to Rebecca.
• A silent variant exists:
  • On season 7 of Wings on DVD, the logo is silent.
  • It was also silent on a 2013 episode of Dr. Phil, because it followed a memorial segment for a consultant for the show, who had recently died.
  • This also happened on the September 11th episode of the 2013 version of The Arsenio Hall Show, due to a moment of silence held for those who died on that day twelve years before.
  • The other logos seen before this one were in silence as well.
  • This can also be seen on the episodes of Season 6 of Have Gun, Will Travel on DVD.
• One episode of The Love Boat had the 1988 Worldvision "Whoosh Globe" music playing over it instead due to a plaster error.
• A Spanish print of The Love Boat S2 episode "Love Me, Love My Dog/Poor Little Rich Girl/The Decision" has the 1988 Worldvision Enterprises theme in low-tone playing over this.
• One episode of Gomer Pyle-USMC on MeTV and a Season 10 episode of Judge Joe Brown on The Roku Channel had the 2006 CBS Paramount Domestic Television music play over it instead due to a plaster error.
• A Russian print of Father Dowling Mysteries S1 episode "The What Do You Call a Call Girl Mystery" has the Viacom 1990 "Wigga-Wigga" theme over this, continuing from the warp speed variant of the 1986 "V of Steel" logo; it's presumably due to the audio track being from a different source.
• On a French print of the TV movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam, the warp-speed 1986 "V of Steel" theme plays over the logo due to a plastering error.
• On a June 3, 2010 Encore Westerns airing of one episode of Rawhide, the 1990 Viacom "Wigga-Wigga" short music is heard due to bad plastering.
• On an H&I print of one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 2007 theme is low toned.
• On a MeTV airing of an episode of Laverne and Shirley, the 1975 Paramount Television "Blue Mountain" logo music can be faintly heard in the background due to a plastering error.
• On the format sales presentations to The Brady Bunch and Becker, a triumphant, extended version of the 2nd CBS Paramount Television logo's theme is heard. Plus, the first five notes of the music can also be heard as it was originated. Also, the short version of the aforementioned logo's theme can be heard on a Russian-dubbed print of the third part of Hollywood Wives.
• On a GetTV airing of Dan August, the CBS Television Studios/CBS Studios International logo music plays due to a plastering error.
• On a Russian airing of Early Edition, the 3rd Sony Pictures Television International music was used in an attempt to plaster the 2003 SPTI logo.
• On a September 27, 2007 episode of Wheel of Fortune, the 2006 King World logo music plays due to a plastering error.

Availability: Seen on many programs in their lifetime from the time-period until 2021.

• It was seen until 2021 on new episodes of Judge Judy, Dr. Phil, Entertainment Tonight, Hot Bench, The Drew Barrymore Show, and The Doctors, among other national syndicated TV shows.
• It was also seen on ex-King World distributed shows Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and Rachael Ray.
  • However, this logo wasn't used this much on Inside Edition, as they usually fade to black after the host wraps up.
• It can also be seen on local reruns of Half & Half, One on One, and Maximum Exposure (the latter title to have followed after the Paramount Domestic Television logo of the time).
• This logo is also seen on Everybody Loves Raymond in local syndication, which plasters over the King World logo.
  • However, it was preceded by the 2006 King World logo on some TV Land reruns.
• It is also seen on the remastered version of Star Trek: The Original Series.
• The extended version was seen on their website (without music) and on the final two seasons of Montel.
• This logo can also be seen with its network television counterpart's then-current "Wallpaper" logo before it on syndicated reruns of the CSI franchise.
• The short version should be found on every remaining release of the original "Five-O," from #4 to the end, along with most DVD releases of older CBS-owned programming from late April 2008 onward.
  • Also seen until September 2011 on syndicated reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation in which this logo replaced the 1987 Paramount Television logo.
  • This logo is also seen on the latter show's HD remaster, and thus appears on most current prints of Star Trek: The Next Generation (including the 2012-14 Blu-ray releases thereof).
• This logo can also be seen with the 1998 King World logo before it on some reruns of Early Edition on Syfy.
• This logo can also be seen with the 2003 Paramount Network Television logo before it on syndicated reruns of the first two seasons of NUMB3RS and syndicated reruns of the first season of Everybody Hates Chris.
• This logo also plasters over Viacom logos on Viacom-produced shows on DVD, including seasons 2-9 of Matlock, the Acorn Media DVD release of the 1981 miniseries East of Eden, seasons 1-2 of Cannon, seasons 4-7 of Sabrina The Teenage Witch (intact on Paramount+), seasons 1-2 of Jake & The Fatman, four out of five films on the VEI DVD release of The Diagnosis Murder Movie Collection, the made-for-TV Perry Mason movies, and the Kino Lorber DVD releases of The Master among others.
• CBS Drama (UK) airings of Matlock also use this logo, as did a November 2017 MeTV airing (and possibly DVD and Blu-ray releases) of Return to Mayberry.
  • However, this follows the 1986 "V of Steel" and 1990 "Wigga-Wigga" logos on the Father Dowling Mysteries DVD releases and Decades airings, the "Gold V of Happiness" and 1990 "Wigga-Wigga" logos on the Kino Lorber DVD release of Really Weird Tales, and the 1976 "V of Doom" and 1990 "Wigga-Wigga" on seasons 3-5 DVD releases of Cannon, and also follows the Children's Video Library logo on Hulu's print of Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz (which is the same as the DVD print).
• This logo is also shown at the end of TV airings of the CBS Films library on networks such as Showtime and Syfy.
• This logo also plasters the Rysher Entertainment logo on Nash Bridges: The Fourth Season on DVD and on H&I airings.
• This logo is also seen on a 2019 reissue of the pilot movie of Walker, Texas Ranger on DVD.
• The second season of Dave's World on DVD, the first and second seasons of Caroline in the City on DVD, getTV airings of The Kid Who Loved Christmas (with the 1989 Paramount Television logo before this logo), Start TV airings of the first two seasons of Early Edition, Decades airings of Matt Houston (with the 1984 Warner Bros. Television Distribution logo before or after this logo) Brooklyn Bridge (with the 1990 Paramount Television logo after this logo), MeTV, Pluto TV, and Paramount+ airings of Touched by an Angel and The (New) Twilight Zone, and all four seasons of Duckman on DVD, also used this logo.
• This also made an unusual (for a television logo) theatrical appearance during Fathom Events' The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration, a limited theatrical screening of six Twilight Zone episodes, which took place on November 14, 2019. This was due to using regular television prints for the screening.
• This logo is also seen on UK airings of the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Cold Front" on Pick, plastering the 1995 Paramount Television logo.

Legacy: This logo was praised for its animation, graphics, and music; its large-scale plastering earned this logo some despise, however.

◄ King World Productions CBS Paramount Domestic Television

CBS Television Distribution

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