User:Baylink/WGBH TVs Signoffs

The following lived, for some time, at WGBH-TV, but was eventually cut for not really being 'encyclopedic'. I agree, but I think it deserves to be somewhere other than in an HTML comment on a discussion page.

It does miss that for at least the David Ives years, if not for longer, the accompanying music was 'Rondo a Go-Go', by Andrew Arvin (/Adorian; we're not really sure), which is on the Sam Fox production library disc SF-1015.

Some helpful soul has posted a capture of a fairly mediocre home VHS recording of the David Ives version here

(Because of the unusual category in which this page lives, I don't, in fact, especially object to its being updated by people who have new information, even though it's a subpage of my userpage. I've reverted the recent changes back in, and thanked Mrschimpf for his notice to me; feel free to put in any other updates you might have, visitors.)

Sign-on and Sign-offs over the years for WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV

The Early Years - 1968 to 1975

Originally (from 1968 to 1972) WGBH-TV (not WGBX-TV) would sign-on after thirty minutes of test-pattern and tone and then run a pre-recorded mission statement/sign-on (in glorious color) with William Pierce as the voice. Originally, WGBH had a loose confederation of colleges and universities making up "The Lowell Institute Co-Operative Broadcasting Council." Pierce would give a brief history of the station and would eventually read the names of the Lowell Institute members with a harpsichord selection as the musical background and a colorful kaleidoscope of lights with the Lowell Institute logo inside of the lights. Both WGBH and WGBX switched to color in 1967 and ran this until 1972.

WGBX-TV would simply turn on the transmitter with a test tone with a moving clock. Eventually they would use colorful slides for minutes at a time. Channel 44 was the poor step-child of WGBH for many years. Only now over the past fifteen years have they done something to differentiate channel 44 from channel 2. Today it is known as "'GBH Select/44." Originally, Channel 44 was a commercial allocation (WJDW-TV). Channel 68 (well before WQTV) was the original non-commercial allocation.

They changed the sign-on/off in the summer of 1972 with David O. Ives (the boss at the time) reading the updated mission statement including the mention of WGBH-TV, WGBX-TV, WGBY-TV (Springfield), and WGBH-FM. This would be run until the late 1980s. The idea was to be able to use this recording on both WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV.

Here is how William Pierce signed-on WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV from 1969 to September 1971:

Good Morning! This is WGBH-TV Channel 2 or WGBX-TV, Channel 44 Boston, WGBH or WGBX is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to the WGBH Educational Foundation. Our transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts by arrangement with the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation. Our studios are located at 125 Western Avenue, Boston. Major capital contributions to WGBH or WGBX have been made by the Filene Family, The Fund for Adult Education, The Ford Foundation, The 20th Century Fund, and The Committee For The Permanant Charity Fund Incorporated.

This is Public Broadcasting in Massachusetts. Our legal name is the WGBH Educational Foundation. In Boston we are licensed by the FCC to operate WGBH-TV Channel 2, WGBX-TV Channel 44 and WGBH Radio, 89.7 FM. We offer programs that entertain, stimulate and inform. Our main purpose is help you cope better with world and in your own life. We are non-commercial. For the funds that keep us free we depend entirely upon grants and contributions, large and small. These come from viewers and foundations as well as from businesses, corporations and other agencies. We will always need your help.

Here is how William Pierce signed-off WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV from 1968 to September 1971 (before WGBY-TV in Springfield came along):

This is Public Broadcasting in Massachusetts. Our legal name is the WGBH Educational Foundation. In Boston we are licensed by the FCC to operate WGBH-TV Channel 2, WGBX-TV Channel 44 and WGBH Radio, 89.7 FM. We offer programs that entertain, stimulate and inform. Our main purpose is help you cope better with world and in your own life. We are non-commercial. For the funds that keep us free we depend entirely upon grants and contributions, large and small. These come from viewers and foundations as well as from businesses, corporations and other agencies. We will always need your help.

Afterwards, William Pierce said the following:

WGBH-TV Channel 2 or WGBX-TV, Channel 44 Boston is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to the WGBH Educational Foundation. Our transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts by arrangement with the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation. Our studios are located at 125 Western Avenue, Boston. Major capital contributions to WGBH or WGBX have been made by the Filene Family, The Fund for Adult Education, The Ford Foundation, The 20th Century Fund and The Committee For The Permanant Charity Fund Incorporated. On behalf of the staff and management of WGBH-TV or WGBX-TV, this is Wiliam Pierce saying Good Night.

Here is how William Pierce signed-on WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV from October 1971 to the summer of 1975:

"This is WGBH-TV Channel 2/WGBX-TV Channel 44 Boston signing on from our control room and studios at 125 Western Avenue. WGBH/WGBX-TV is a non-commercial educational television station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to the WGBH Educational Foundation. Our transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts by arrangement with the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation. WGBH-TV/WGBX-TV is operated with the advise of the Lower Institute Corporative Council. The members of the council of the Lower Institute, Boston College, the Boston S, Boston Universirty..."

Here is how David Ives signed-off WGBH-TV and WGBX-TV from October 1971 to 1975:

This is Public Broadcasting in Massachusetts. Our legal name is the WGBH Educational Foundation. In Boston we are licensed by the FCC to operate WGBH-TV Channel 2, WGBX-TV Channel 44 and WGBH Radio, 89.7 FM. In Springfield we operate WGBY-TV, Channel 57. We offer programs that entertain, stimulate and inform. Our main purpose is help you cope better with world and in your own life. We are non-commercial. For the funds that keep us free we depend entirely upon grants and contributions, large and small. These come from viewers and foundations as well as from businesses, corporations, and other agencies. We will always need your help.

After all that, William Pierce said the following:

WGBH-TV Channel 2 or WGBX-TV, Channel 44 Boston is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to the WGBH Educational Foundation. Our transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts by arrangement with the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation. Our studios are located at 125 Western Avenue, Boston. Major capital contributions to WGBH or WGBX have been made by the Filene Family, The Fund for Adult Education, The Ford Foundation, The 20th Century Fund and The Committee For The Permanant Charity Fund Incorporated. On behalf of the staff and management of WGBH-TV or WGBX-TV, this is Wiliam Pierce saying Good Night.

The Glory Years—1975 to 1988 sign-on/sign-off

The WGBH and WGBX sign-on and sign-off received a major makeover in the fall of 1975. The sign-on started with a scrolling sunrise of the downtown Boston skyline with a script read by William Pierce until 1984 and then by Tom Dunn from 1984-1992. Then there appeared a pixelation sequence with a music piece called "Variations of America" by Charles Ives with photos resolving together of PBS programs, and after that a credit roll showing WGBH/WGBX's institutional supporters. After that two-minute or so sequence, a spotlight would appear and then the three-dimensional "2" or "44" logo would come up to the screen. Rumors had it that the logo made a swishing noise and that it scared some children.

The sign-off was similar to the sign-off, but in reverse. After the last program, the pixelation sequence would start, then a different script with a sunrise "now a sunset," then the "2" or "44" logo would become large, then zoom out to the screen, then spotlight and snow.

Here's how the sign on went like:

This is WGBH-TV Channel 2/WGBX-TV, Channel 44 Boston signing on from our control room in studios at 125 Western Avenue, Boston. WGBH/WGBX is a non-commercial television station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to the WGBH Educational Foundation. Our transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts by arrangement with the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation. Major capital contributions to WGBH/WGBX have been made by the Filene Family, The Fund for Adult Education, The Ford Foundation, The 20th Century Fund and The Committee For The Permanant Charity Fund Incorporated.

Afterwards, David Ives would recite the mission statement.

This is Public Broadcasting in Massachusetts. Our legal name is the WGBH Educational Foundation. In Boston we are licensed by the FCC to operate WGBH-TV Channel 2, WGBX-TV Channel 44 and WGBH Radio, 89.7 FM. In Springfield we operate WGBY-TV, Channel 57. We offer programs that entertain, stimulate and inform. Our main purpose is help you cope better with world and in your own life. We are non-commercial. For the funds that keep us free we depend entirely upon grants and contributions, large and small. These come from viewers and foundations as well as from businesses, corporations and other agencies. We will always need your help.

Then a three-dimensional "2" or "44" would zoom in to the screen. In the sign off, David Ives recites the mission statement as in the opening. But at the end, the sign-off went like this.

WGBH-TV Channel 2/WGBX-TV, Channel 44 Boston is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to the WGBH Educational Foundation. Our transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts by arrangement with the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation. Our studios are located at 125 Western Avenue, Boston. Major capital contributions to WGBH/WGBX have been made by the Filene Family, The Fund for Adult Education, The Ford Foundation, The 20th Century Fund and The Committee For The Permanant Charity Fund Incorporated. On behalf of the staff and management of WGBH-TV/WGBX-TV, this is William Pierce/Tom Dunn saying Good Night.

Then the three-dimensional "2" or "44" logo would zoom out of the screen.

The William Pierce version of the sign-on/off script technically did end in 1984, but on rare occasions they would show that version even as late as 1988. Sometimes during the Tom Dunn era one could hear the William Pierce scripting while the Dunn speak was "recorded over" the Pierce.

The Modern Years—1988 to present sign-on/sign-off

In the fall of 1988, the WGBH and WGBX sign-on and sign-off was completely different. Many people didn't like the modern sign-off. The sign-on started with the zoom-in "2" and "44" logo first, next the script read by Tom Dunn, and then a new pixelation sequence, with PBS program photos by a gallery-like setting, with the credit Institution sequence set on moving clouds. The voiceover who did the mission statement was read by Christopher Lydon, chief reporter of the 10 o'clock news at the time. The sign-off sequence went like this.

"WGBH-TV Channel 2/WGBX-TV, Channel 44 Boston is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to the WGBH Educational Foundation. Our transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts by arrangement with the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation. Our studios are located at 125 Western Avenue, Boston. Major capital contributions to WGBH/WGBX have been made by the Filene Family, The Boston Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanites, and the Kresge Foundation. On behalf of the staff and management of WGBH-TV/WGBX-TV, this is Tom Dunn saying Good Night."