CBS National IDs

1st ID (1947-October 19, 1951)
Nickname: "Spotlight"

ID: The blocky letters "CBS" are illuminated by a spotlight against a dark background.

Variant: A version with an overlay featuring some farm plants and a house exists. There are also different variants, where they are farther or closer to the text.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None of the ending theme of the show, which may be coupled with an announcer saying "This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System".

Availability: This is long extinct on TV. A water-damaged 16mm filmstrip of this logo turned up on eBay once. It may be found on kinescope recordings of period CBS programming, or archives of it on home media. The variant was featured on an episode of "Inside USA" from November 24, 1949, and was likely used because it aired during the Fall of 1949. It's unknown if this version appears has different seasons or appearances. Preserved on Fremantle's kinescope of the February 2, 1950 premiere of What's My Line?

Editor's Note: This is one of the few CBS IDs to lack the famous Eyemark.

2nd ID (October 20, 1951-1960?)
Nickname: "Eye in the Sky"

ID: The familiar CBS "Eyemark" is presented against a cloudy sky. Inside the center of the eye are the words "CBS TELEVISION NETWORK", with "CBS" in a tall font.

Variants:
 * Sometimes, the clouds in the background move from left to right.
 * Usually, the logo is completely still.
 * On rare occasions, a shutter may open up in the center to reveal the text, like the other ID CBS used at the time.
 * There is a sepia-toned variant.

FX/SFX: Depends on the specific variant (the shutter opening, the clouds moving, or nothing whatsoever).

Music/Sounds: Maybe silent or accompanied by the ending theme of the program. However, most of the time, it is accompanied by an announcer, either identifying CBS ("This is the CBS Television Network") or giving information on upcoming programming (e.g. "Stay tuned for Toast of the Town on the CBS Television Network"). Sometimes someone will tell you to "Keep your eye on this eye"

Availability: Extinct. As this was mainly used as an ID, it's unlikely to see this on prints distributed by CBS. However, it is possible to find it on prints that are either not distributed or owned by CBS. Some examples include a public domain VHS of The Jack Benny Show and some mid-2000's DVDs of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. Currently, the latest known use of this logo is on a 1960 episode of GE College Bowl.

Editor's Note: Nowhere near as well known as the other CBS card of the time due to its scarcity.

3rd ID (Late 1950s)
Nickname: "Sun-Eye"

ID: In a white background, we see a blue CBS eyemark with a ring of red and blue circles inside. In the ring, there's a "sun-like" shape with the following text in the middle:

Impact

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: An announcer saying "This is the CBS Television Network."

Availability: Extinct.

4th ID (1950s-1960s)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA

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5th ID (1965-Early 1970s)
Nickname: "CBS in Color", "CBS Presents this Program in Color"

ID: On a black background, we see a "Serif" dropping from the bottom of the screen. Then a "Serif" drops from the top of the screen, and then an "Serif" drops from the top of the screen. All the letters form "Serif" in its corporate font, and are all white. Afterwards, a gold CBS eye logo goes through "CBS", changing the letters from white to for "Serif",  for Serif, and  for Serif, before stopping next to them.

Trivia: According to a July 8, 1965 CBS memo, development of this open was spearheaded by George Bristol, CBS's Director of Advertising and Sales Promotion.

Variants:
 * Some B&W copies of this logo exist, due to B&W kinescopes still being in common use at the time.
 * An abridged version used on The Price Is Right from 1997-2000 exists. The 2nd note at the beginning gets cut off before it fades out, and the announcer (Hal Simms) talks over the warbling synth and fanfare instead of having silence while speaking.

FX/SFX: Simple, but effective 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: A 3-note synth tune by Eric Siday (who also wrote the Screen Gems "S From Hell" music) as the letters drop, followed by synth warbling as the CBS eye spins through the letters, and finally a 3-note fanfare. An announcer will say, "CBS presents this program in color!". This announcer is usually attributed to Hal Simms, but sometimes is done by a different announcer (which usually appears on live programs, rather than prerecorded ones)

Availability: Rare to find regularly, as most new airings of older shows with this are cut off as these were mostly only used during broadcasting on CBS itself. This was seen on programs from this era when CBS started going into color broadcasting regularly. This logo can be found on Hogan's Heroes and The Carol Burnett Show on DVD. Due to how iconic this logo is to CBS, this logo has made special reappearances from time to time. This made a short comeback during episodes of The Price is Right and Kids Say the Darndest Things during their original airings from 1997-2000. Since 2016, this has also been seen on special colorized airings of The Dick Van Dyke Show during December on CBS. This appears at the beginning of episodes of The Carol Burnett Show and The Red Skeleton Show on Amazon Prime Video.

Editor's Note: This logo, while not as popular as the NBC Peacock ID's, is still recognized from time to time, both within and outside the logo community.

6th ID (Late 1960s)
ID: In a blue background, the CBS eye mark is seen, along with a yellow "CBS" in the middle.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: An announcer saying "This is CBS.".

Availability: Extinct on TV.

7th ID (1970-1971)
ID: In a black background,we see a white CBS eye. In the middle, we see a red "CBS" in a stylish font.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: Likely an announcer saying "This is CBS."

Availability: Extinct on TV.

8th ID (1971-1972)
Nickname: TBA

ID: In a black background, we see a dark green CBS eye. In the middle, we see a white "CBS".

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: An announcer (Harry Kramer) saying "This is CBS."

Availability: Extinct on TV.

9th ID (1972-1973)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

10th ID (1972)
ID: On a blue background, we see a bunch of lines moving. They morph into a circle, and the letters "CBS" in black zoom in.

FX/SFX: All of the animation in the logo was done by Computer Animation Industries using Scanimate.

Music/Sounds: A calming 12-note guitar theme, with a UFO sound that ascends when the letters "CBS" zoom in, then a synthesized chime.

Availability: This logo was never used. It was found on a demo reel for Computer Animation Industries.

Editor's Note: This logo features good animation for 1972, although the Eyemark is not seen here.

11th ID (1972-1980)
ID: Just a still of the CBS eye (in green, blue, orange, or red) with "CBS" in the middle of it.

Variant: An animated version exists, where in a black background, we see an outline of the CBS eye in blue. A flash of lightning strikes on the logo, then the whole eye slowly turns blue. The letters "CBS" appear in white.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The announcer saying, "This is CBS."

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * The announcer might vary, but they say the same thing.
 * The animated variant has a catastrophic theme's ending playing, we hear a thunderclap and an announcer saying " *insert show* is next on CBS."

Availability: Extinct on TV, however later uses of this logo could be a little more common due to home media kicking off to the consumer crowd.

12th ID (1973-1974)
Nickname: "Easy On The Eyes"

ID: In a black background, we see the CBS Eyemark in red and a white circle bouncing to the theme. The circle bounces on the last three notes of the music left to right, revealing the letters "CBS" in white.

Variant: A different version was used, where in a black background, we see the white circle revealing the letters "CBS" in blue. There is no eyemark in this variant.

FX/SFX: The bouncing circle.

Music/Sounds: The end of the promo.

Availability: Extinct on TV.

13th ID (1974-1975)
ID: In a black background, we see a white CBS eyemark, with the letters "Courier" in orange in the middle.

Variants:
 * The font and color of the text might vary.
 * An animated variant exists, where in a starry background, the text "CATCH THE BRIGHTEST STARS" in a white glowing font zooms away from a distance then stops. The other letters disappear except "C B S". They come together, making the starry background disappear. When the letters "CBS" have formed, a bright glow appears for a second then fades out, revealing the eyemark.
 * Another animated variant exists, we see a spark drawing the circle of the CBS eye. As the spark has drawn 1/4 of the circle, another line is drawing up, drawing the eye. When the line that draws the eyes has drawn 3/4 of the eye, a smaller circle is drawn, representing the pupil. The eye is now finished, but the lines go a second lap. The letters "CBS" suddenly spark up from nowhere.

FX/SFX: None for the regular variant. For the "CATCH THE BRIGHTEST STARS" variant, the glowing text is moving. The second animated variant has the sparks drawing the logo.

Music/Sounds: An announcer says "This is CBS."

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * The announcer may say: ".. on CBS."
 * The "CATCH THE BRIGHTEST STARS" variant has a loud flute that goes away when the letters merge. We hear an announcer that says "Try and reach the Seven Central on CBS!". We also hear windy sounds when the letters "CBS" merge.
 * The second animated variant has a sparky sound accompanied with an announcer saying "Tomorrow, starting at 9 at central on CBS."

Availability: Extinct on TV.

14th ID (1979)
ID: In a blue background, we see the CBS eyemark outlined in gold. In the middle, we can see "CBS" in gold in the middle of the eye.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The announcer says: "This is CBS."

Availability: Extinct, as this logo was only seen during CBS's 50th year of broadcasting. If you have CBS recordings from 1979, there is a chance this logo might pop up.

15th ID (1979-1980)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

16th ID (1980-1981)
Nickname: TBA

ID: Just like before, only the gold colors aren't as shiny and "CBS" is in a different font.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Same as before.

17th ID (1980-1982)
ID: In a blue-black gradient background, we see the CBS eyemark with a blue outline, along with a white "CBS" in the middle.

Variant: In a red-black gradient background, we see a silver ring with the text "Times New Roman" on it and a stylized USA flag inside it. After a few seconds, a few flares fly up from the bottom of the screen, transforming the ring into the CBS eyemark in blue.

FX/SFX: None for the regular variant. The "REACH FOR THE STARS" variant has the flag-waving, the stars (dots) and the ring zooming out, and the transformation to the CBS eye mark.

Music/Sounds: In the regular variant, an announcer says "This is CBS.".

Music/Sounds Variant: The "REACH FOR THE STARS" variant has the end of the promo's theme.

Availability: Extinct on current TV, older TV broadcasts or recordings from the early 1980s are likely to have this logo.

18th ID (1982-1983)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

19th ID (1983-1984)
Nickname: "We've Got The Touch"

ID: There are 2 variants, both of which have different footage of people doing everyday things. Then, it ends with 5 bands waving, in the following colors: yellow, blue, red, blue, and yellow. Then, the text "WE'VE GOT THE TOUCH" and the CBS eye, both in bronze, zoom out and shine.

FX/SFX: The live-action and CGI, which isn't bad.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Extinct.

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20th ID (1984-1985)
Nickname: TBA

ID: On a blue background, we see a yellow outline of the Eyemark with "Times New Roman" in its familiar font in the center, in white.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: An announcer says "This is CBS".

Availability: Extinct.

21st ID (1985-1986)
ID: Same as before but the background is now solid blue with lines running horizontally.

Variants: TBA

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: Just an announcer saying "This is CBS".

Availability: Extinct on TV. By this point, VCRs and other forms of recording media became popular with the consumer market. Due to this, this logo as well as the ones after it is more common to find if you know where to look.

22nd ID (1986-1987)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

23rd ID (1987-August 1988)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

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24th ID (August 1988-November 16, 1989)
ID: On a black background, we see a metallic blue Eyemark with "Times New Roman" in its pupil. The Eyemark shines.

FX/SFX: The shining.

Music/Sounds: As with all CBS logos, an announcer says "This is CBS."

Availability: Same as the previous logos and the next few.

25th ID (November 17, 1989-1990)
ID: We see a gray and pink-tinted rendition of the CBS Eye with "Times New Roman" in a tall, thick serif font on a blue gradient background. Streaks of light pass by on the background as the logo shines.

FX/SFX: The shining and streaks moving in the background.

Music/Sounds: An announcer saying "This is CBS," as usual.

Availability: Extinct outside of period off-air recordings.

26th ID (1990-1992)
Nickname: TBA

ID: On a white background, we see the Eyemark in front of rotating cyan/yellow/purple shapes. A yellow streak wipes in "C B S".

FX/SFX: The background moving and the streak.

Music/Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Same as before.

27th ID (1992-1995)
Nicknames: "Aurora CBS", "The Aurora Lights"

ID: A lavender CBS eye zooms out, from an extreme close up and at an angle, over a black background filled with colorful Aurora lights. It gets a comfortable distance away from the screen, and a gray "C B S" in Helvetica Neue appears below. A lens flare brightens everything up, turning the CBS eye sky blue and the text white.

Variants:
 * On the night of August 30, 1993, this ID played as normal, except David Letterman did the V/O spiel. Dave faded in midway through the animation and shrugged. Dave fades out by the end of the ID.
 * A special variant aired in November 1994 to promote the miniseries Scarlett. The Eyemark is now colored gold, and "SCARLETT" flies over the logo=.

Trivia: A picture of this logo is seen in Scott Pelley's office on the CBS Evening News.

FX/SFX: Pretty nice CGI, from Pittard Sullivan.

Music/Sounds: A four-note jingle, with a delay between the first two notes (which is filled with what sounds like a harp), followed by twinkling sounds (the network usually cut away by this point) This is coupled with an announcer (there were two different ones) saying "This is CBS.". The four-note jingle has since served as the network's musical logo, akin to the NBC chimes.

Availability: Extinct on TV.

28th ID (1994-1995)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

29th ID (January 2, 1995)
ID: On a black background, the CBS eye swirls towards the viewer. When it gets a moderate distance away, it stops, and "CBS" (fashioned like the network ID of the era) wipes in below.

FX/SFX: TBA.

Music/Sounds: A rising note (like in the Nelson Entertainment logo), followed by a "ding". It's also the same jingle heard in the early '90s WPBT logo.

Availability: Extinct. Its only known appearance was in the early hours of January 2, 1995, used to denote that Baltimore's WJZ had switched to CBS.

30th ID (1995-1996)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

31st ID (1996-1998)
ID: On a white background, we see a black CBS eyemark logo. It turns yellow as the text "Serif" in a Didot font zooms out letter-by-letter on the eye before fading out, which each letter appearing next to it. After "Serif" disappears, "Serif" appears below.

Trivia: This slogan was also used by Australia's Nine Network from 27 September, 2009–23 December, 2017.

FX/SFX: 2D computer animation from Pittard Sullivan.

Music/Sounds: A jazzy rendition of the CBS jingle, with an announcer saying "CBS. Welcome home."

Availability: Extinct on TV.

32nd ID (1998-1999)
ID: There are 2 variants:
 * Variant 1: TBA.
 * Variant 2: Over a blue background with several lines and curves, we see numerous glass CBS eyes swirling towards the center. Then, the CBS eye appears in the center before flashing. Then, the text "welcome home" appears below.

FX/SFX: Pretty nice and modern 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: A majestic fanfare, with an announcer (Don LaFontaine) saying "The address is CBS. Welcome home."

Availability: Extinct.

33rd ID (1999-2000)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

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34th ID (2000-2001)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

35th ID (2001-2002)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

36th ID (2002-2003)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

37th ID (2003-2004)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

38th ID (2004-2005)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

39th ID (2005-2006)
Nickname: "Everybody's Watching

ID: On an dark orange or light blue background, we see the distorted lines that say "Everybody's Watching" as it reveals the rotating CBS eyemark, then shifts to the CBS wordmark. Then, the wordmark zooms in from the "S" in "CBS" and it reveals mini CBS eyeballs forming a distorted line on the very bottom, with the words "Everybody's Watching" on the top, the signature CBS eye in the middle, and it's wordmark on the bottom of the eye.

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

40th ID (2006-2007)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

41st ID (2007-2008)
Nickname: TBA

ID: On an orange background that changes to an orange-purple gradient, or a sky blue background, we see several lines of light come together to form the CBS logo, with "CBS" in a custom font used until 2009. The Eyemark pulsates rays of light to the tune of the 3-note CBS jingle.

FX/SFX: Nice CGI.

Music/Sounds: A different rock rendition of the CBS jingle, with Don LaFontaine saying "You're watching CBS."

Availability: Extinct. Was most often seen at the start of the KOL Secret Slumber Party and Kewlopolis blocks.

42nd ID (2008-2009)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

43rd ID (2009-2010)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

44th ID (2010-2011)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

45th ID (2011-2012)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

46th ID (2012-2013)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

47th ID (2013-2014)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

48th ID (2014-2015)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

49th ID (2015-2016)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

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50th ID (2016-2018)
Nickname: TBA

ID: TBA

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: TBA.

51st ID (2018-2020)
Nicknames: "War Footage", "Depression CBS"

ID: On a white background, we see the CBS Eyemark shining, and then cutting to smaller view as the "CBS" text zooms into place.

Variant: In 2019, pictures of incidents from the CBS stars (Tom Selleck works as the New York City Police Commissioner, Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku on the bus, Allison Janney talks to Anna Faris in the kitchen, etc.) were seen.

FX/SFX: Simple animation by Sibling Rivalry.

Music/Sounds: A piano tune with an orchestral piece in the key of B-flat major, before transgressing into D major, ending with a calm version of the 3-note CBS jingle. A man's voice says that you're watching CBS.

Music/Sounds Variants: In 2019, the man tells you what you're watching with more energy.

Availability: Extinct, was seen before the start of programming on CBS until 2020.

52nd ID (2020-)
Nicknames: "Modern CBS Eyemark", "This is CBS"

ID: On a dark blue background, we see 2 blue circles overlap each other with an outlined circle, also in blue, zooming towards the center, form an eye. The 3 circles zoom in as the CBS Eyemark logo, also in blue, zooms out. The eye moves to the left, and then the letters "CBS" appear, in sync with the last three notes of the "This is CBS" jingle by Antfood.

Variants:
 * 5-second, 6-second and 3-second versions of this ID exist.
 * On the 3-second short version, the animation of the overlapping circles is sped-up. This is seen on programming that starts after the first program in that night's lineup ends.
 * On the reveal, the letters that are in sync with the jingle are slower.
 * The app version starts when the Eyemark zooms out. This can be viewed in portrait and landscape views.
 * At the end of CBS' "This is Together" promo during Super Bowl LV, the tagline "LIVE + ON DEMAND + STREAMING" appear one at a time alongside with the letters in sync with the last three notes of the jingle.
 * The On Demand version shows parts of the deformed Eyemark after the ID, in which shows the disclaimer "WHILE WATCHING THE SHOW, FAST FORWARD AND OTHER FUNCTIONS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE.", just like in previous CBS On Demand versions.

FX/SFX: The overlapping/zooming in of the circles, the CBS Eyemark zooming out, and the letters appearing. Designed by Gretel.

Music/Sounds: A new, modern arrangement of the 5-note "This is CBS" jingle, with reverse reverb applied to the beginning.

Music/Sounds Trivia: According to Antfood's case study, they want to unify the CBS brand by creating a five note melody based on the classic "This is CBS" voiceover. They used CBS manufactured instruments including a Rhodes piano and Fender guitars. This can be seen here.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On the 3-second short version, there is less reverb at the beginning.
 * On the 6-second version, the reverse reverb as slightly different and the last note has an echo.
 * On the reveal, the jingle is slower.
 * It is silent in the app variant.

Availability: Current. Seen before the start of programming on CBS and as a pre-roll on streaming and on demand prints of CBS shows.

Editor's Note: This ID will later serve as a template to the CBS Studios and CBS Media Ventures logos.