The PBS Article

Introduction​

This article focuses on the history and trivia surrounding the TV network the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS for short).

PBS Ident History

• PBS Ident #1 (October 5, 1970 – October 3, 1971)
• PBS Ident #2 (October 4, 1971 – September 30, 1990; September 6, 2010 – present)
• PBS Ident #3 (October 1, 1990 – September 8, 1991)
• PBS Ident #4 (September 9, 1991 – August 28, 1994)
• PBS Ident #5 (August 29, 1994 – September 1, 1996)
• PBS Ident #6 (September 2, 1996 – November 1, 1998)
• PBS Ident #7 (November 2, 1998 – September 1, 2002)
• PBS Ident #8 (September 2, 2002 – September 27, 2009)
• PBS Ident #9 (September 28, 2009 – September 5, 2010)

PBS Kids Ident History​

• PBS Kids Ident #1 (same as PBS Ident #1) (October 5, 1970 – October 3, 1971)
• PBS Kids Ident #2 (same as PBS Ident #2) (October 4, 1971 – September 30, 1990)
• PBS Kids Ident #3 (same as PBS Ident #3) (October 1, 1990 – September 8, 1991)
• PBS Kids Ident #4 (same as PBS Ident #4) (September 9, 1991 – August 28, 1994)
• PBS Kids Ident #5 (August 29, 1994 – September 26, 1999)
• PBS Kids Ident #6 (September 27, 1999 – August 31, 2008)
• PBS Kids Ident #7 (September 1, 2008 – September 5, 2010)
• PBS Kids Ident #8 (same as PBS Ident #2) (September 6, 2010 – present)

Notes on PBS Ident #2​

Brief History​

Known as the "Everyman P-Heads" ident, PBS' second ident debuted as a sign-off for PBS programming on October 4, 1971. Broadcasting in its first run for 19 years, it is the network’s longest running and most popular ident of all time, not being replaced until October 1, 1990. From then until November 1991, the ident could still be seen on new episodes of certain PBS programs on some PBS affiliates. It remained airing on PBS, attached to the end of reruns of shows from before October 1990, until November 1992, when it was completely removed from the main network. But on September 6, 2010, the second ident was restored to PBS for use in all scheduled programs there and on PBS sister stations. Such a move was due to popular demand fueled by my purchasing of the Cartoon Network on June 26, 2009, and its aftermath in which the network returned to its roots in airing a lot of classic animation. I asked PBS executives to restore the ident as well.

Note​

• The date of my purchase of the Cartoon Network and its vast library of animation will coincide with my 24th birthday of the next version of history. I'm thinking the purchase will be made possible by a fortune of up to billions of dollars amassed through raising money with any practical means possible, such as a popular website like GoFundMe. The Cartoon Network will be featured in a future alternate history article.

Reception​

Since the ident began broadcasting in 1971, it has received generally positive reviews from PBS viewers, noting its "soothing" music sequence played on a Moog synthesizer, and a "beautiful" and "colorful" design of the PBS acronym (in the form of the P-heads) above the text in white lettering it stands for. For most people who remember watching it during its first broadcasting run, it is a "trip down memory lane".

Note​

• For whatever reasons, although odd, the ident has been described by some as being scary, creepy, or eerie. It has also been reported, although perhaps falsely, to cause young children to have nightmares. Now don't get me wrong, there were numerous things that scared me as a young child. But happily, this ident wasn't one of them. My quest to change history will likely involve purging reactions of being scared or frightened from ever occurring in a certain amount of people. This ought to dwindle the amount down to an infinitesimal minority in comparison to the millions of people who have ever witnessed the ident.

Sesame Street​

History​

Sesame Street is a popular American children’s television series. From its debut in November 1969 to November 1992, few major changes were made to the show. These occurred most noticeably in the funding credits roll. From 1969 to 1972, the funding credits were displayed without any background music. The background music with the name “Funky Chimes” was added to the funding credits starting with the fourth season beginning in November 1972. It was very popular and lasted until Season 23 ended in 1992. For Season 22, which premiered in November 1990, the black background displayed in the funding credits was replaced by a dark blue background. Another change was made for Season 23, which began in November 1991; the 1972 style funding credits were replaced by a new design, with a voiceover announcing sponsors added.

The first drastic changes to the show occurred when Season 24 began in November 1992. The opening and closing themes were both significantly altered, and the “Funky Chimes” theme of the funding credits was gone and replaced by a version of the altered theme music. As a result, many longtime fans bashed the show for these changes, and many older children lost interest in the show and began tuning in to Nickelodeon and/or the then recently established Cartoon Network, and Sesame Street lost much of its popularity. Despite the major ratings loss, other children, especially aged infant to 3, continued to enjoy watching Sesame Street for educational purposes in addition to watching programs on Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network.

The opening, closing, and funding sequences from 1992 lasted only until 1995, when drastic changes were made to the sequences for the second time. When Season 27 began with the changes in November 1995, the show experienced a fairly major increase in popularity, eventually resulting in a craze over the Tickle-Me-Elmo doll two years later. The sequences from 1995 lasted until 1998. Further revamps of the sequences occurred in 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2009. In September 2010, the show’s 1969 opening and closing themes and 1972 funding credits format (complete with “Funky Chimes” and visually enhanced text) would be restored to Sesame Street, immediately resulting in a complete recovery of the show’s popularity lost between 1992 and 1995.

Note on History​

• What makes this history a revised history has to do mostly with Sesame Street's closing theme in current history. While the show's opening theme and funding credits have constantly evolved over time, the closing theme from 1992 was in many ways unchanged until 2007! There were some noticeable changes, but not a whole lot of them between 1992 and 2007.
• Also, the exodus of viewers from Sesame Street to shows on Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network discussed in this revised history I don't think quite happened in that manner in the current version of history.