Duration: 0:59

Views: 1184

By: fuzzymemories

Description: Here is the updated animated Field Communications ID, created to replace the earlier static version seen at the beginning of this clip here. (We even have a San Francisco version of the old-style ID)

This ID was seen on all of the Field stations, often accompanied by a voiceover (by Darwin Gillette) denoting the particular city it was being aired in: WFLD Channel 32 (Chicago), WKBD Channel 50 (Detroit), WLVI Channel 56 (Boston), WKBS Channel 48 (Philadelphia), and KBHK Channel 44 (San Francisco).

We even have a version that includes a copyright date of 1979, for the Field-produced program that preceded it.

Lastly, we must also make note of this lovingly crafted reproduction. :-)

The animation and graphics seen here used Scanimate, the popular analogue video effects process that was often employed in the 1970s.

It would be interesting if we could track the first usages of this new ID, and to see if there was any overlap period where both the static original ID and the new animated one were used. Unfortunately, recordings made in the 1970s on any of the Field stations have proven to be too rare of a find to create a complete history. (so far!)

Nevertheless, this animated version of the ID seems to have been created in 1978 and likely first used then, at least part of the time, although continued used of the old ID version has been seen as late as mid-January 1979. (seen at 1:22 into the linked clip)

Other than the timeline mystery the only other question is who did the voiceover for the original Field IDs? Darwin Gillette did the VOs for the animated Field IDs but it's clearly not him in the original ones. Anyone know?