Network (Canada)

Background: Network was founded as the Rural Network in Sheffield, Ontario on Thursday, July 18, 1963, initially broadcasting family-oriented programming to an area within a 50-mile radius of Sheffield (due to the height and strength of it's transmitter), reaching as far east as Toronto and the western two-thirds of Niagara County, as far west as the far eastern fringes of the London, Ontario region and as far south as Port Asbestos, Ontario and Lake Erie, utilizing a transmitter erected in the backyard of Steve Smith's childhood home. Initially operating as a ham television channel, it was granted a Canadian Royal Charter on Tuesday, December 12, 1967 and began erecting sister transmitters across rural Canada. In 1977, the Rural Network was acquired by Steve Smith himself and in 1979, shortened the name to simply Network and started broadcasting the first of his four shows on it, Smith & Smith. He then aired his next three shows on Network: Me & Max, The Comedy Mill and The Red Green Show. In 1984, Network began using the iconic CNN font logo and used it until 2009.

The Rural Network

1st Logo

(July 18, 1963-January 1, 1969)

Nickname: "Barn, Windmill and Hills"

Logo: On a blue background, we see several green round-shaped hills, with a red barn and a windmill similar to ones typically found on farms in front of the hills. Above the hills, we see:

THE

RURAL

NETWORK

in an Old West font.

Variants:

A prototype version used from July 18, 1963-August 18, 1963 had only "THE RURAL NETWORK" on a gray background.

Until early 1968, the logo was in black and white.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: A descending flute note with three guitar riffs and a man saying "This is the Rural Network."

Availability: Extinct.

Scare Factor: Low.

2nd Logo

(January 1, 1969-1977)

Nickname: "The Spinning Pinwheels"

Logo: On a dark red background, a yellow pinwheel comes in from the left and spins across the top of the screen, stopping halfway across and morphing into "THE" in Helvetica. A lavender pinwheel comes then in from the right and spins across the middle, morphing into "RURAL" in the same font. Finally, a blue pinwheel comes in from the left again, but spins across the bottom before morphing into "NETWORK" in the same font.

Variant: A Christmas variant exists in which the background is green and the pinwheels are replaced by Christmas wreaths in the same colors.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: A guitar-riff remix of the first Viacom logo, with a different man saying the same quote as the previous logo.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the Christmas variant, the man instead says "Begin a new year with the Rural Network."

Availability: Extinct outside of extremely old U-Matic and very early Betamax and VHS recordings from the era.

Scare Factor: Low.

3rd Logo

(1977-1979)

Logo: On a black background, we simply see the words "THE RURAL NETWORK" in lime green, with a simple barn shape to the right of "THE".

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: None. Quite a boring end to the original incarnation of a well-known Canadian network.

Music/Sounds: Just Steve Smith saying the same quote as the previous logo.

Availability: Extinct outside of extremely old Betamax and VHS recordings from the era.

Scare Factor: None.

Network

Note: Network did not use a network closing logo until 1988.

4th Logo

(1988-1989)

Nickname: "Network ID Snippets"

Logo: There are multiple variants used:

Fireworks: We see shadow figures of three adults looking into the night sky. A firecracker (which looks like a comet streak) passes by them and we pan up into space, Then the firecracker bounces off of an astronaut, then a satellite, and finally, the moon, who has a very angry look, before it shoots up into the sky, and then explodes into several fireworks. "NETWORK" in the CNN font forms. A more common version starts at the firecracker shooting into the sky.

Network TV: On a lime green background, we see a man in glasses standing next to a large, winged turtle with a TV screen on it. The man jumps onto the turtle as it flies around in circles. It then stops in the middle of the screen to reveal the "NETWORK" text on the TV screen. This was done by Lobster Pictures in Halifax, NS.

Network Box: On a cream-colored background with objects, we see many objects falling down, and landing in a black rectangle. Then, we see the black rectangle, but on top unfolds a Network green (Network Green's RGB values are: 4,76,0) rectangle, with "NETWORK" in the colors of the objects, which in the CNN font, is on it. It makes a box shape, then the "NETWORK" text flashes white, and a butterfly flies out of the box.

Fish: On a stage surrounded by blue fish, we see three green fish dancing and another one playing the piano. A curtain, with the "NETWORK"

text in the CNN font, drops. This was the very first animation done by Bryce Hallett of Frog Feet Productions, who would ironically later animate all 23 Ranger Gord's Educational Cartoons shorts on The Red Green Show, which aired on Network several years later.

Golf: We see the toe of a golf club, with a Network green golf ball with "NETWORK" on it. It hits it, and goes through a loop with a Network green arrow with "NETWORK" on it. It comes through a windmill with flat Network green hands with "NETWORK" on it, and finally gets through a curvy pathway with Network arrows pointing up.

Submarine: We see a dinosaur standing in the middle of a field, looking around. Suddenly, the ground turns into water, and a Network green submarine with "NETWORK" on it floats up to the surface, right under the dinosaur's feet. This was done by Westman & Company in Toronto.

Teacup: On a black background, we see a very weird looking tea-dispenser with green grass-like hair, big eyes, a tongue holding a teacup, and a tube coming out of its nose into the teacup. The tea-dispenser slowly spins so that the camera is facing the back of it, and starts to become transparent. When it becomes fully transparent, we see three fish with "NETWORK" on them swimming in circles inside.

Bikes: On a black background, we see two hand-drawn people (one pink and one purple) riding bikes. This then changes to a blue person wearing orange clothing falling over on a bike carrying packages, then to another purple person riding a bike, and finally multiple red people passing by on their bikes. During the last shot, a Network green person also passes by, with one of his bike's gears reading "NETWORK". When this gear shows up on screen, every part of the Network green person's bike except the gear disappears, leaving only the gear on screen.

Clay: On a white background, we see a clay Network green bomb reading "NETWORK" with a lit fuse. When the bomb detonates, it explodes into a Network green drop, which transforms into a Network green fish reading "NETWORK", and then into a Network green triangle, also reading "NETWORK".

Pattycake: We see two silhouettes with Network green outlines playing Pattycake on the moon in outer space (we also see Earth in the background). The silhouettes clap hands two times, and four Network green hands appear on screen. When they clap hands again, they disappear, and "NETWORK" appears on the four Network green hands.

Trivia: These logos were all based on the iconic idents that Network was known for throughout most of the 1980s.

Variant: There was a superimposed variant of the short fireworks logo that was seen on Qui Veut être un Gars Intelligent?, the French-Canadian version of Who Wants to be a Smart Guy?.

FX/SFX: It depends on the variant.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Music/Sounds Variant: On several episodes of Homer's Odyssey: The Game Show, we hear silence over the fireworks logo. On the video Who Wants to be a Smart Guy?: An Inside Scoop, we hear the fireworks logo's music.

Availability: Most of the variants can be seen on the Toronto-taped episodes of Who Wants to be a Smart Guy?: With More Sloppiness!. The long fireworks version (with music) can be seen on the video Who Wants to be a Smart Guy?: An Inside Scoop. The short fireworks version however, appeared on the syndicated versions of Who Wants to be a Smart Guy? and Homer's Odyssey: The Game Show, as well as the CBC version of Who Wants to be a Smart Guy?: Couples Edition (and even appeared on Wer wird sein Smart Guy? (the (West) German version of Who Wants to be a Smart Guy?) after the "Dieses Programm wird von der Basis.." ("This program is based off of..") bumper). A short Network Box is seen on the syndicated version of Who Wants to be a Smart Guy? and 1989 episodes of Who Wants to be a Smart Guy?: With More Sloppiness! (both the Hamilton and Toronto-taped episodes). The full Network Box however, can be seen on the video How to Throw a Who Wants to be a Smart Guy? Party. The golf logo can be found on some Toronto-taped WWTBASG?:WMS! episodes as well. None of these variants appear on the British, Irish and Dutch versions of Who Wants to be a Smart Guy? though.

Scare Factor: None to low, depending on what you think of it.

5th Logo

(2000-2006)

Nickname: "The Weird Object"

Logo: Against a teal background, various versions of the Network logo bounce around the screen (usually a weird cloud thing), eventually settling in the center. Copyright info appears below.

FX/SFX: The "bouncing".

Music/Sounds: Usually the outro of the show.

Music/Sounds Variant: For a brief moment in summer 2005, there was a female adult that said "(SHOW NAME) next on Network."

Availability: Extinct. It was used on Network split-screen credits of shows, including The Red Green Show from season 10 (2000) until it's series finale.

Scare Factor: None.

6th Logo

(2006-2009, August 9, 2011)

Nicknames: "Bubbles and Network", "The Splat!", "CGI Splat", "Network Splat", "CGI Network Splat"

Logo: On a white and teal background with green CGI bubbles, one bursts, revealing a CGI Network logo. Copyright info is shown below.

FX/SFX: The bubble bursting.

Music/Sounds: Usually the end theme of the show that aired.

Availability: Appeared on Network split-screen credits at the time.

Scare Factor: None.

7th Logo

(January 30, 2008-September 28, 2009, July 21, 2010)

Nicknames: "Network Lightbulb", "CGI Network Lightbulb", "The Lightbulb Returns", "From Splat to Lightbulb"

Logo: On a black background, we see the famous Network green splat logo in 2D, then the background glows dark green, and the splat transforms into a Network green 3D CGI light bulb, an obvious homage to the Network Productions logo of 1996, which turns toward us. And as always, copyright info is shown below, or sometimes not at all.

FX/SFX: The splat transforming into a light bulb, the glow in the BG.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Uncommon.

Scare Factor: None.

8th Logo

(September 26, 2009- )

Logo: Essentially the same as the 2009 Network Productions logo, but excluding the word "PRODUCTIONS" and copyright stamp.

FX/SFX: Same as the 2009 Network Productions logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 2009 Network Productions logo.

Availability: Uncommon. It's seen on some Network DVDs.

Scare Factor: None.