WHUT

Credits

Captures by
Doctorine Dark

Video captures courtesy of
The PBS-ST Archive, PolyesterMoustache, Alden's Vintage PBS Archive and 17-Bảo Nguyên

Background

WHUT-TV is a secondary PBS outlet for Washington, D.C., It was signed on as WHMM in 1980, then changed a call letters to WHUT-TV in 1998. The station was an African-American network in the Washington, D.C. (after WETA-TV) which is signed on in 1961, but the station is owned by Howard University.

WHMM-TV

1st Logo (1980-1982?)

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Visuals: On a neon blue background, there are the words "WHMM TV" in a italic font, but with a letters WHMM in red/orange and with a neon glow on it, and the TV is in a italic, blue glowing font with a pink/magenta line underneath, with "WASHINGTON, D.C." in a purple , weird glowing font, which is written with neon colors. The number "32" is in a weird, futuristic font, which is in blue, also with glow.

Technique: None. The logo concept is looks like the America TV logo from Argentina.

Audio: An annoucer says: "WHMM, TV 32 in Washington, D.C."

Availability: Used as a local ID for the first use.

2nd Logo (1980-1997?)

Visuals: On a black screen, the grid comes out from the screen, which opens a silhouette of the Washington, D.C. skyline, there is a yellow/orange "W" sliding from the left, followed by "H", "M" and "M", which then flashes the logo, the skyline then disappear out, and the grid became a line stacked with the words "Washington, D.C." in a fuschia font, which then flashes and shines.

Variants:

• Sometimes, there's a shorter version that cuts the first 3 seconds of the logo.
• On a WQED airing of a WHMM program (that's unknown), the logo is still and stays there for 3 seconds before fades in to black.
• There's also a newly discovered 1994 version which instead of the silhouette Washington D.C. skyline and the sliding of the "W", "H", "M", "M" letters, this one shows us the United States Capitol in a purple background. Then, it stays still more than 2 seconds later, before the word "WHMM-TV" in an italiced font and white color, with the word "Washington, D.C." that's also in white, zooms in from the top of the capitol to the bottom of the screen.

Technique: All versions were animated in 2D by computer.

Audio: A catchy 80s-synth disco outbeat fanfare, with the 3-notes tune held at the end. And it was heard in the normal and shorter version.

Audio Variants:

• The Alternate Music: This version is instead a news theme that consists of a synth tune, some drum beats, and a 3-triumphant/saxophone note at the end. And it is not fit with the logo itself.
• The Still Version: The last 3 seconds of the normal music.

Availability:

• The Normal, Shorter and Still Version: Possibly seen on some programming of the time, as well as African-American shows like African-American in the North and Cinema Answer. These shows are long gone, though it might be appearing or plastering on some old prints. The shorter version can be seen on KYVE (The station that was merged with KCTS in 1994 and is still a semi-satellite of it) airing of "Personal Conversations with Dennis Wholey". This was also used as a local ID.
• The Shorter Version with The Alternate Music: This version was just found only once and it can be seen on an episode of "Good Intentions" in 1986.
• The 1994 Version: Unknown. This version was just found only once on "Pioneer of Color: A Conversation with Dorothy Height".

Legacy: This logo has become a favourite to many mainly because of its catchy music and extremre rarity.

WHUT-TV

1st Logo (1998?-1999?)

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Visuals: On a dark blue background that has an image of the Howard University on it (presumably so), there is a blue rectangle flies out from the bottom left of the screen, while a small white line flies out from the top left of the screen. Then, the words "HOWARD", "UNIVERSITY", "TELEVISION", "WHUT-TV", and "WASHINGTON, D.C." all come out from the top or the right of the screen, and fly to the surface of the rectangle. While at the same time, the rectangle rotates and moves to the middle, and the white line flies out of the screen for 1 seconds, then appears again and flies to the rectangle's surface, sandwiched between the word "TELEVISION" and the word "WHUT-TV". Finally, when the logo is finally done with its animation, there is a red silthouette of the Howard University's tower on the left of the rectangle, and the logo stays still for 7 seconds before it fades in.

Technique: Analog computer animation.

Audio: A majestic triumphant fanfare that plays like something you hear in an university.

Availability: ^[Examples?]

2nd Logo (2012-2017?)

Visuals: On a white wall/floor background, while the screen rotates to make the logo is in front of the it, there is a pieces of WHUT logo falling down outside wall, which then forms into a blue "W", and then a connected "HU", and it then falls down to form a "T" and then forms entire logo, with the PBS "P Head" logo in blue next to WHUT, and the text "HOWARD UNIVERSITY TELEVISION" appears below.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A relaxing and airy synth fanfare.

Availability: Seen on some programming produced by WHUT from the 2010s.

3rd Logo (2017?-?)

Visuals: On a colored red/orange/yellow gradient background with a Washington, D.C. skyline, there is a rectangle which then zooms in, and then rotates to 30-60 degrees, then a "W" and "T" slides in, and the words "HU" appears below, and then connect into the rectangle box, forming the current WHUT logo. The "HOWARD UNIVERSITY TELEVISION" appears below.

Technique: Flash animation.

Audio: A whooshes, then a two "click" sound when the logo forming.

Availability: Seen on some WHUT productions of the time. ^[Examples?]