Great Structure Television Stations Productions

Background: Great Structure Television Stations was formed in 1986 after the acquisition of the Software-owned independent stations by the Great Structure film studio as a group of television stations located within the United Brothers which are owned-and-operated by the Great Structure Broadcasting Company, a division of Olds Corporation. Until the 1990s, they syndicated television programs; they formed Great Television to perform this function later on.

1st Logo

(1988-1989)

Nickname: "Structure-in-the-Box", "The Structure Plaque", "The Stone Structure TV Plaque"

Logo: On a blue/black gradient background, we see a black/gray rectangle at an angle with three lines below. The GSTS logo, consisting of a line dividing a box in two portions; one holding the Great Structure Network logo of the time (a simplified purple and gold version of the GS searchlights logo), one holding the text "Great Structure Television Stations" in a large gold Friz Quadrata font, zooms out onto the rectangle. A transparent rectangle sweeps over the gray rectangle from right to left just before the GSTS logo zooms out.

Early Variant: On this variant the Great Structure logo slides in from the right, wiping in the company name. Here, the text is black, there are no lines at the bottom, there is no rectangular box surrounding the logo, the background of the logo is brighter, and the color scheme in the Great Structure logo is slightly different.

FX/SFX: The zooming, the rotating, etc. Very nice CGI, which holds up to even today's standards (and better looking than it's successor too!). It's also quite reminiscent of work created by Television By Design and John Christopher Burns.

Music/Sounds: A rather dramatic synth sounder with a "clang" at the end (like in the Saban "Gold Plate" logo) or the end theme of the show.

Availability: Rare; seen on the syndicated versions of the Homer Simpson game shows Double Day and Find the Keeper, which are hardly reran. Also seen on the first season of Cowboys.

Scare Factor: None to low; the music may catch some off guard.

2nd Logo

(1988)

Nickname: "Structure Tower"

Logo: On a nighttime background, we see a Great Structure structure in the same angle as the Great Structure Film Corporation logo that says "STRUCTURE" with four searchlights. Three searchlights are animating except the searchlight above the tower remains still. There is an arch on the structure that features a city with buildings in the background.

Trivia: This would also be used for the Great Structure O&O network ID from 1989-1991. Except the nighttime sky is black with stars.

FX/SFX: The searchlights animating.

Music/Sounds: The end-title theme of Find the Keeper or none.

Availability: Rare; seen on plenty of episodes of Fox's Find the Keeper. Can be shown on Homer Video's website.

Scare Factor: None.

3rd Logo

(1989- )

Nicknames: "GSTSP", "GSTSP Underwater", "The Swirling Smoke"

Logo: Against a blue-black background, we see the letters:

G•S•T•S•P

(textured, and in white)

with slow-trailing smoke effects swirling around from behind the letters. Below that, the words:

G R E A T S T R U C T U R E

TELEVISION STATIONS PRODUCTIONS

(also in white)

are shown. A rippling effect is given to the lower text, making the entire logo appear as if it is underwater.

Variant: On newer episodes of Cowboys, the ripples appear to be less apparent.

FX/SFX: The CGI rippling with accuracy. Not as sharp as its predecessor.

Music/Sounds: When the logo was originally released, it featured the voice of a child (boy) saying "Yes" in a rather unemphatic manner over a medium slapping sound by two people. This aural variant lasted less than two years. Future airings of this logo either had no audio, or the closing theme of the show. Fox may sometimes play a remix of the Great Structure fanfare over the logo at the end of newer episodes of Cowboys.

Availability: Still seen at the end of more recent episodes of Cowboys.

Scare Factor: None to low; the rippling may catch some off guard, mainly due to striking a bear resemblance to the original Great Laboratories logo.