List of NBC slogans

Every season each American TV network comes up with an advertising campaign to promote its programming. This consists of specific graphics, music, and a slogan which is updated every new season. Here is a list of the annual slogans used to promote NBC's programming.

1950s

* 1956: "The Color Network"
* 1957: "NBC Living Color"

1960s

* 1963: "Startime"
* 1965: "Have the Time of Your Life with NBC"
* 1967: "If It's Really Special, It's on NBC"
* 1968: "It All Adds Up on NBC"

1970s

* 1970: "It's Happening on NBC"
* 1972: "This Fall, NBC Has It All"
* 1973: "Come and See NBC '73"
* 1974: "Turn on the Network of the New NBC"
* 1975: "You're Gonna Like it A Lot!"
* 1976: "All the Best"
* 1977: (had no slogan at all)
* 1978: "NB See Us" ("NBC Us") (A variant, "NB See Sports," was used during sports promos that season)
* 1979: "It's The New NBC" (sweeps)
* 1979-1981: "Proud as a Peacock" [(spoofed later by MTV as "Proud as a Moonman", as well as by the production company responsible with "We're Loud". Seven Network's ATN-7 in Sydney, Australia used a variation of "Proud as a Peacock" later in 1980, called "Channel 7's Proud in Sydney.")]

1980s

* 1981: "Our Pride is Showing" [(updated from "Proud as a Peacock"; spoofed by "Saturday Night Live" as "Our Age is Showing")]
* 1982: "We're NBC, Just Watch Us Now" [(also for "Taxi", which had jumped that year from ABC "Same Time, Better Network")]
* 1983: "Be There" (revived in June 2007 as "Bee There", in promotion for the show "The Singing Bee".)
* 1984-1986: "Let's All Be There" [(updated from "Be There", the most well known)]
* 1986: "Let's Celebrate '86" (used for the Statue of Liberty centennial)
* 1986-1988: "Come Home to NBC" [(first slogan using the new Peacock)]
* 1988-1990: "Come Home to the Best... Only on NBC" [(updated from "Come Home to NBC")]

1990s

* 1990: "The Place to Be" [http://www.80stvthemes.com/ra/51999/NBC90VID.ra Previously used in ABC from 1971-1973]
* 1991: "NBC is the Only One"
* 1992: "It's A Whole New NBC"
* 1993: "The Stars Are Back on NBC"
* 1994: "It's NBC!"
* 1995: "The Year to Be on NBC"
* 1996: "The Network is You" [(with a TV commercial featuring Janet Jackson)]
* 1997: "I Love NBC" [(for summer reruns, their campaign was "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you", which was paraphrased on an episode of "Family Guy" in a cutaway featuring Charles Manson watching TV in his jail cell)]
* 1999: "It's Only NBC"

2000s

* 2000: "In the Heart of America"
* 2001: "Americans Remember NBC" (used after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks)
* 2002: "Enjoy the Best Moments"
* 2003: "Always with You"
* 2005: "America's Latenight Leader" [(PM hours)]
* 2007: "Comedy Night Done Right" [(Thursday Nights between 7-8 PM)]
* 2008: "There's Something New Happening at NBC"
* 2008: "Chime In"

Many of these slogans were used on the Seven Network (especially the Sydney station) in Australia at around the same time as they were used on NBC. Seven also uses "The Mission" for its news programs, leading to a possible conclusion that Seven had a relationship with NBC. Some of these slogans were also used on SBT in Brazil, mostly AFTER these campaigns ended.

Proud as a Peacock

"Proud as a Peacock" was the advertising campaign used by the NBC television and radio networks from 1979 to 1981, used to help introduce the "Proud N", a logo that would be used until 1986. It was also used by ATN-7 in Sydney, Australia, as "Channel 7's Proud in Sydney."

The campaign

By 1979, NBC had fallen to third place in the ratings. This was partially the fault of Fred Silverman, a network executive who previously led CBS and ABC to the top of the ratings.

During Silverman's tenure as president of NBC dozens of new shows failed, among them "Supertrain" and "Pink Lady and Jeff". The 1980-81 season was the low point for NBC; the network had only three shows ("Little House on the Prairie" at 10th, "Real People" at 12th, and "Diff'rent Strokes" in a 3-way tie for 17th) in the Nielsen top 20. This was unheard of in a time when there were only three major networks. In addition, NBC paid $87 million to broadcast the 1980 Summer Olympics, only to lose an estimated $80 million in ad revenue (in addition to its initial investment) when the Games were boycotted by the United States.

In an attempt to present a positive image in the face of failure, an ad campaign called "Proud as a Peacock" was used, complete with a revised version of the famous NBC Peacock. However, the season flopped with the lineup changing daily, due to shows being added and dropped after a few showings, causing the slogan to generate ridicule.

The most infamous parody of the 1980/1981 campaign was "We're Loud - Proud as a Peacock", which was recorded by the same production studio as the "We're Proud", with the same cast that NBC hired to produce the original "Proud as a Peacock" campaign. The 1979/1980 season "Proud campaign" promos were produced in New York for the Radio and Television Network, and custom tagged versions were produced for all the network affiliates. Joey Levine from Crushing Enterprises wrote the Proud as a Peacock jingle, a high energy, catchy tune, which was used for both the Radio and Television promos. Several of the promos for the campaign are available on YouTube and other video websites. "Weird Al" Yankovic also made a parody of the campaign for MTV in the mid-1980s, called "Proud as a Moon Man."

For the 1981-82 season, NBC would switch to Our Pride is Showing with little difference in ratings.

Many stations had localized versions of this promotion.

Meaning of the phrase

"Proud as a peacock" is a saying that is used to mean a vain or self-centered person. The phrase comes from the plumage of the male peafowl (females are peahens). When a male is courting, he spreads his tail feathers, sometimes five feet in length, out in a fan pattern to attract a female. Thus, someone who is "proud as a peacock" is similarly 'strutting his stuff'.

Local Versions (1979)

*WAPI (now WVTM) in Birmingham - "13, Proud as a Peacock!"
*KSBW in Salinas - "KSBW TV-8, Proud as a Peacock!"
*KTVJ (now KSNF) in Joplin - "16, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WBBH in Fort Myers - "20, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WMC in Memphis - "Channel 5, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WMTV in Madison - "15, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WFMJ-TV in Youngstown - "21, Proud as a Peacock!"

Local Versions (1980)

*KCST-TV (now KNSD) in San Diego: "39, Proud as a Peacock!"
*KGW-TV in Portland: "Channel 8, Proud as a Peacock!"
*KHON (now a FOX affiliate) in Honolulu: "TV-2, Proud as a Peacock!"
*KHQ-TV in Spokane: "We're Q-6, Proud as a Peacock!"/"Channel 6, Proud as a Peacock!"
*KPNX-TV in Phoenix: "Channel 12, Proud as a Peacock!"
*KRON (now a MyNetworkTV affiliate) in San Francisco: Same as WRC-TV
*KTSM in El Paso: "Channel 9, Proud as a Peacock!"
*KTTC in Rochester: "Channel 10, Proud as a Peacock!"
*KTVB in Boise: "Channel 7, Proud as a Peacock!"
*KXAS in Dallas/Fort Worth: Same as WMAQ-TV
*WJAC in Johnstown, PA: "Channel 6, Proud as a Peacock!"/"'JAC, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WECT in Wilmington: Same as WJAC-TV
*WNDU-TV in South Bend: "Channel 16, Proud as a Peacock!" (also used to launch the 5:00 news at the time)
*WTVG (now an ABC O&O) in Toledo: "TV-13, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WTVK (now WVLT-TV, a CBS affiliate) in Knoxville: "26, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WTCN-TV (now KARE) in Minneapolis/St. Paul: "Channel 11, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WXII in Winston/Salem-Greensboro-High Point: Same as KPNX
*WESH-TV in Orlando: "Channel 2, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WJKS-TV (now WCWJ, a CW affiliate) in Jacksonville: "17, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WILX-TV in Lansing: "WILX-TV, Proud as a Peacock!"/"TV-10, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WMAQ in Chicago: "Channel 5, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WRC-TV in Washington, DC: "Channel 4, Proud as a Peacock!"
*WKYC-TV in Cleveland: "Channel 3, Proud as a Peacock!"

Our Pride is Showing

After the less-than-successful "Proud as a Peacock" slogan from 1979 to 1981, NBC president Fred Silverman was ousted and replaced by Brandon Tartikoff . The "Our Pride Is Showing" slogan for the 1981-1982 season was a rather ironic one, since it had few hits to help bring it forward from the past year. During this season, several new NBC programs debuted:
*"The Smurfs"
*"Gimme a Break!"
*"Fame"
*"Search for Tomorrow" (moved from CBS)
*"Father Murphy"
*"Love, Sidney"
*"Late Night with David Letterman"

Also, this season resulted in a third season of "The Facts of Life" (which actually seemed to being outdoing its parent series "Diff'rent Strokes").

Eventually, the next NBC slogan, "We're NBC, Just Watch Us Now", was created and helped NBC along the road to recovery.

Just as "Proud as a Peacock" was parodied, so was "Our Pride Is Showing." It was parodied on "Saturday Night Live" as "Our Age Is Showing."

Local Versions

*WNBC in New York City: "Channel 4, Our Pride is Showing"
*WRC in Washington, DC: "Channel 4, Our Pride is Showing"
*KGW in Portland, Oregon: "Channel 8, Our Pride is Showing"
*KYTV in Springfield, MO: "KY-3, Our Pride is Showing"
*KPRC in Houston: "Channel 2, Our Pride is Showing"
*WKYC in Cleveland: "Channel 3, Our Pride is Showing"
*WMAQ in Chicago: "Channel 5, Our Pride is Showing"
*WAVY in Norfolk, VA: "TV-10, Our Pride is Showing"
*WECT in Wilmington: "Channel 6, Our Pride is Showing"
*WILX in Lansing, MI: "WILX-TV, Our Pride is Showing"/"TV-10, Our Pride is Showing"
*WJAC in Johnstown, PA: "Channel 6, Our Pride is Showing"/"'JAC, Our Pride is Showing"
*WSFA-TV in Montgomery, AL: "Channel 12, Our Pride is Showing"
*KHON in Honolulu: "TV-2, Our Pride is Showing"
*KRON (now a MyNetworkTV affiliate) in San Francisco: Same as WRC-TV
*KTSM in El Paso: "Channel 9, Our Pride is Showing"
*WJKS (now WCWJ, a CW affiliate) in Jacksonville: "17, Our Pride is Showing"

We're NBC, Just Watch Us Now

"We're NBC, Just Watch Us Now" was the slogan NBC used during the 1982-83 Television season. During this season, several new NBC programs debuted:

*St. Elsewhere
*Knight Rider
*Remington Steele
*Silver Spoons
*Cheers
*Family Ties
*Voyagers
*Mama's Family (Mid-Season Replacement)
*The A-Team (Mid-season Replacement, which also was the first program to debut after the Super Bowl in 1983.)
*The Devlin Connection (Delayed from previous season after Rock Hudson underwent heart surgery).
*The Powers of Matthew Star

In addition, three long-running NBC programs, "Little House on the Prairie", "Quincy, M.E." and "CHiPs" ended their runs at the end of this season.

During this time, NBC was credited as being "the network that swept the Emmys." But even after the end of the season, NBC still held a third place stand in the ratings, which would continue through the 1983-84 season (See Be There).

Local Versions

*KOAA in Colorado Springs, Colorado: "We're 5 and 30, Just Watch Us Now"
*KHON (now a FOX affiliate) in Honolulu: "We're TV-2, Just Watch Us Now"
*KTVB in Boise, Idaho: "We're Channel 7, Just Watch Us Now"
*WNBC in New York City: "We're Channel 4, Just Watch Us Now"
*WBZ (now a CBS O&O station) in Boston: "TV-4, Just Watch Us Now"
*WMAQ in Chicago: "We're Channel 5, Just Watch Us Now"
*WKYC in Cleveland: "We're Channel 3, Just Watch Us Now"
*WRC in Washington, DC: Same as WNBC
*KYW (now a CBS O&O station) in Philadelphia: "We're Channel 3, Just Watch Us Now"
*WAVY in Portsmouth: "We're TV-10, Just Watch Us Now"
*WPSD in Paducah, KY: Same as WJAC-TV
*WJAC-TV in Johnstown, PA: "We're Channel 6, Just Watch Us Now"/"WJAC, Just Watch Us Now"
*WSFA-TV in Montgomery, AL: "We're Channel 12, Just Watch Us Now"
*WTHR in Indianapolis: "We're Channel 13, Just Watch Us Now"

In addition, the Perth, Adelaide and Sydney branches of the Seven Network in Australia adopted this campaign as "Channel 7, Watch Us Now" in 1983. In Finland, it was used by MTV3 in 1982.

Be There

"Be There" was a slogan used by NBC during the 1983-1984 TV year, which began on July 1, 1983. The jingle was written by Rob Mounsey.

Campaign Synopsis

The full length campaign begins with scenes of a jazz band rehearsing for the song "Be There", the jingle of the promo. When the band starts performing the song, a clip show of returning and upcoming NBC shows begins over the commercials jingle. The jingle's theme was to invite the audience to watch NBC shows that were full of exciting and memorable characters. Every time the refrain ended in "You can N-B-C There/Be There!!!" A character or cast of a show would proclaim the slogan "Be There". In the first round, the cast of "The Facts of Life" is shown shouting the slogan while holding a cake decorated with the NBC "Proud N" logo. The second time around showed "Hill Street Blues" star Bruce Weitz as his character Sgt. Michael "Mick" Belker clinching his fists before saying the slogan.

During the bridge, the promo shows clips from NBC shows featuring characters clapping their hands or hitting an object or another person in rhythm to the tempo. Immediately, headshots of NBC stars are shown clapping their hands together in front of their faces.

A typical promo during the campaign consisted of younger versions of NBC characters such as "Remington Steele" (played in the promo by Pierce Brosnan), or Mr. T from "The A-Team".

The season was notable for the fact that every prime-time show that premiered during the fall was cancelled by the end of the season:
*"Jennifer Slept Here"
*"We Got it Made"
*"Manimal"
*"Mr. Smith"
*"For Love or Honor"
*"The Yellow Rose"
*"The Rousters"
*"Bay City Blues"
*"Boone"

The only survivors during this season were the two mid-season replacement series:
*"Night Court"
*"Riptide"

Despite the fall setbacks, NBC was slowly beginning to regain its foothold in the ratings that had begun in the mid-1970s, and continued throughout the reign of Fred Silverman as the network's programming head, and through the early years of the reign of Brandon Tartikoff as NBC Entertainment president.

The following season, NBC would reuse the "Be There" slogan as part of their season jingle, now "Let's All Be There." By the end of the following season, NBC would be back on top.

Localized Versions

The slogan was used on numerous local stations, some of which with parts of other songs mixed in. Examples include:

*WNBC in New York City: "Channel 4 There, Be There"
*KCRA in Sacramento: "Channel 3 There, Be There"
*KGW in Portland: "Channel 8 There, Be There"
*KOAA in Colorado Springs, Colorado: "5 and 30, Be There"
*KYTV in Springfield, MO: "KY-3 There, Be There"
*WSMV in Nashville: same as WNBC's
*WJAC-TV in Johnstown, PA: "'JAC There, Be There"
*KTSM in El Paso: "Channel 9 There, Be There"
*WXIA in Atlanta: "11 Alive, Be There"
*WMAQ in Chicago: "Channel 5 There, Be There"
*KHON in Hawaii: "TV-2 There, Be There"
*WBZ (now a CBS O&O station) in Boston: "Today's 4 There, Be There"
*WILX in Lansing, MI: "WILX-TV, There, Be There"
*WKYC in Cleveland: "Channel 3, WOW!, Be There"
*WPXI in Pittsburgh: "Channel Eleven, Be There" Fact|info|date=August 2008
*WTHR in Indianapolis: "Channel 13, Be There"

International Versions

It was also used on some Seven Network affiliates, such as ATN-7 and HSV-7, and was also used on the Brazilian network SBT as the first series of "Quem Procura, Acha Aqui." Also, it was used by Malaysia's TV3 when it was launched in 1984, Germany's (then West Germany) RTL plus (now RTL Television) when it was launched in 1984, Hong Kong's ATV in 1992 (using "Let's All Be There" elements), Japan's Nippon TV between early 1992 and mid-1993 (also using "Let's All Be There" elements) and Sweden's TV3 (Sweden) in 1990.

This slogan was revived in 2007 as "Bee There" for promotion of the show "The Singing Bee".

Let's All Be There

"Let's All Be There" was a slogan used from 1984 to 1986, to promote programming on NBC. This slogan marked the completion of the turnaround NBC had made from its low point in the late 1970s. Shows premiering during this time included "The Cosby Show", "Punky Brewster", "Highway to Heaven", "Hunter", "Miami Vice", "227" and "The Golden Girls".

First expanded from the "Be There" campaign started in 1983, the phrase became synonymous with the network as the simple jingle was expanded into a three-minute song performed during the unveiling of new shows on Fall Preview night. The jingle was sung in 1984 by "Gimme a Break!" star Nell Carter and for 1985 NBC All-Stars show, several NBC stars at the time performed the number. There was even a version featuring Alvin & the Chipmunks, used to promote the Saturday morning lineup during the 1984 season. The slogan was dropped when NBC updated their appearance, including the introduction of their current peacock logo in 1986.

Localized Versions

Like many other NBC slogans, it was customized for use by the network's affiliates. Examples include the following:

*WMAQ in Chicago: "Channel 5, Let's All Be There!"
*KXAS in Dallas/Fort Worth: Same as WMAQ
*WXIA in Atlanta: "Let's All Be There on 11 Alive!" (combination with the long-time identification as 11 Alive) aka "WXIA, Let's All Be There!"
*WMAR in Baltimore (now an ABC affiliate): "Channel 2, Let's All Be There!"
*KPRC in Houston: "Channel 2, Let's All Be There!"
*WSVN in Miami (now a FOX affiliate): "WSVN, Let's All Be There!"
*KNBC in Los Angeles: "Channel 4, Let's All Be There"
*WLEX in Lexington, Kentucky: "WLEX, Let's All Be There"
*KHON in Honolulu (now a FOX affiliate): "TV-2, Let's All Be There!"
*KCST (now KNSD) in San Diego: "Thirty-Nine Cable Seven Let's All Be There!" (referring to their channels both over the air and on the local cable company).
*KFDX in Wichita Falls, Texas: "Channel 3, Let's All Be There!"
*KGW in Portland, Oregon: "Channel 8, Let's All Be There"
*KJRH in Tulsa, Oklahoma: "Channel 2, Let's All Be There"
*KTSM in El Paso, Texas: "Channel 9, Let's All Be There"
*KYTV in Springfield, MO: "KY-3, Let's All Be There"
*WNBC in New York City: "Channel 4, Let's All Be There"
*WTCN (now KARE) in Minneapolis: "Channel 11, Let's All Be There"
*WPXI in Pittsburgh: same as WTCN (now KARE)
*WJAC in Johnstown: "WJAC, Let's All Be There!"
*KSBW in Salinas, California: "Channel 8, Let's All Be There!"

This slogan, like many other NBC slogans, was also used on the Sydney station of the Seven Network in Australia between 1985 and 1987, and was also used on the Brazil network SBT as "Quem Procura, Acha Aqui" between 1988 and 1991. In Europe, it was used by Italy's TMC(now La7) and France's TF1, while in Asia, it was used by the Philippines' GMA-7 was used in 1992 and Hong Kong' TVB Pearl in 1985.

Come Home to NBC

"Come Home To NBC" is the slogan that NBC used from 1986-1988, and the first of the campaigns to introduce the current six-feathered peacock.

It was another one of NBC's more popular slogans, while not quite gaining the popularity of its previous campaign, "Let's All Be There."

In 1988, NBC modified the campaign into "Come Home to the Best... Only on NBC", and turning the campaign song from a gospel-style sound into a more calypso-style sound.

1986: "Modern Rock" Come on Home

The first promo using the "Come Home" slogan showed various everyday people in daily situations such as work or school eagerly awaiting for the day to finish so that they can go home and watch TV. The music is somewhat of a modern rock tempo. NBC stars appear periodically in front of the newly introduced peacock logo proclaiming the viewer to "Come Home" to NBC. Near the end of the promo, various families are gathered around to watch "The Cosby Show". Then we see the "Come Home to NBC" logo slide up onto the screen.

Local Versions

*WGFO in Mushroom Kingdom: "Come Home to TV-12!"
*WWBT in Richmond, Virginia: "Come Home to Channel 12!"
*WRC in Washington, D.C.: "Come Home to Channel 4!"

1987: "Gospel-Rock" Come on Home

For the second installment of the "Come on Home" campaign, NBC promoted itself with a "music video" that utlized a gospel rock soundtrack. This was the first of three promos that featured "227" star Jackée Harry and "The Cosby Show" star Phylicia Rashād providing lead vocals for the networks promos

At the beginning of the main promo, clips of various shows are as the scene zooms out to reveal a slide show presented by Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger). Then we see William Daniels arriving "home" only to find several stars lounging in his living room. Richard Moll, who appeared to be hanging upside down from his door post surprises Daniels. The promo progresses with various NBC stars engaging in impromptu or everyday actions. Among them are:

*Bob Hope and ALF embracing and laughing.
*Harry Anderson performing different magic tricks to "Night Court" co-star Markie Post.
*John Laroquette spying on fellow stars' actions via a telescope. At one point, he spots Estelle Getty who is trying to seduce Laroquette.
*Corbin Bernsen and Susan Dey embracing.
*Johnny Carson doing his trademark golf swing in a spotlight which has "25 years" to indicate his seasons hosting the "Tonight Show"
*Michael J. Fox lounging on a chair designed to look like the NBC snake logo. Various portions of the promos feature vintage logos such as the NBC chimes, microphone, and the red-and-blue N.

Throughout the ad, Harry is singing the song on a studio stage designed to look like a city rooftop. As the promo ends, the stars all tell the viewers at home to "Come Home". Then we see the words "COME HOME" resting upon a set of silver "glass" squares. The NBC peacock logo fades in at the bottom of "COME HOME".

Though the entire promo was not broadcast on TV, snippets of the promo were used, often accompanied by a remix of the song sung by either Harry or Rashād.

Localized Versions

*WGFO in Mushroom Kingdom: "Come Home to WGFO-12"
*KYW in Philadelphia: "Come On Home to Channel 3"

1988: "Party" Come Home to the Best...Only on NBC

For the third installment of the slogan, the slogan was extended to read "Come Home to the Best...Only on NBC". The music was changed from the gospel-rock style to a softer calypso style. The promo had a party-like theme, strikingly similar to the "Something's Happening on ABC" promos in that same season.

First we see a shot of "The Cosby Show"'s Phylis Rashad rushing home to a New York-style apartment. Upon arrival, Bill Cosby welcomes her and reveals a party filled with NBC stars of the season is going on inside the apartment. The party is decorated with colorful balloons and a giant neon-style NBC peacock logo with the words "Only On" in an all-capitalized font adorns the party. We see different stars performing impressive dance moves. At one point an unknown actor reveals his boxers to the stars of "The Golden Girls". Throughout the rest of the promo, stars can be seen in different poses and activitiessuch as Keshia Knight Pulliam takes a photos of the Huxtables from "The Cosby Show". Michael Landon of "Highway to Heaven" does somewhat of an impressive dance move after a great white light from the TV is exposed (an allusion to his character being an angel). Some stars are seen holding fluorescent light bars.

As the promo comes to a conclusion, the screen zooms outward to show a panoramic view of all the NBC-stars in the party dancing in front of the logo. Then we see the words "only On" slowing descending as the words "Come Home to the Best" appear in a font similar to the previous words in front of three colored transparent trapezoids and tiny-sized texts of "The Best" ascending. The trapezoids and the slogan rotate to reveal the same "Only on NBC" logo.

This promo prominently featured then-anchor Tom Brokaw in one of the TV's. Also, Pat Sajak and Vanna White from the daytime version of "Wheel of Fortune" are included, though unlike most promos, it did not feature daytime stars.

Local Versions

*WDIV in Detroit: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 4" (also used to launch the evening newscasts)
*KARE in Minneapolis: "Come Home to the Best, Only on KARE-TV"
*KPRC in Houston: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 2"
*KTSM in El Paso: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 9"
*KXAS in Dallas/Fort Worth: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 5"
*KPNX in Phoenix: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 12"
*WMAQ in Chicago: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 5"
*WXII in Winston-Salem, NC: same as KPNX
*WAVY in Norfolk: "Come Home to the Best, Only on TV-10"
*WTVG (now a ABC O&O station) in Toledo, OH: "Come Home to the Best, Only on TV-13"
*KYW (now a CBS O&O station) in Philadelphia: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 3"
*KHON (now a FOX affiliate) in Honolulu, HI: "Come Home to the Best, Only on TV-2"
*KNSD in San Diego: "Come Home to the Best, Only on 39"/"Come Home to the Best, 39 Cable 7"
*WBZ(now a CBS O&O station) in Boston "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 4"
*WJKS-TV (now WCWJ, a CW affiliate) in Jacksonville: "Come Home to the Best, Only on 17" (used for a short time in 1988 before switching to ABC affiliation)
*WPTF (now WRDC, a MyNetworkTV affiliate) in Raleigh, NC: "Come Home to the Best, WPTF"
*WSLS in Roanoke, VA: "Come Home to the Best, WSLS"/"Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 10"
*WIS in Columbia, SC: "Come Home to the Best, on WIS-TV 10"
*WITN in Washington/Greenville/New Bern, CT: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 7"
*WJAC in Johnstown, PA: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 6"/"Come Home to the Best, WJAC"
*WLEX in Lexington, KY: "Come Home to the Best, WLEX"
*WPXI in Pittsburgh: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 11" Fact|info|date=August 2008
*KYTV in Springfield, MO: "Come Home to the Best, Only on KY-3"
*KOMU in Columbia, MO: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 8"
*WICU in Erie: "Come Home to the Best, Only on TV-12"
*WNBC in New York City: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 4"

1989: "Animated" Come Home to the Best, Only on NBC

The final year the slogan was used, broke with traditional promos. Unlike previous ones with used real sets, this one used an artsy, surreal backdrop. The promo featured various NBC stars in various places and situations that were animated. This time, Harry was the only vocalist from the 1987 version of the slogan to lend her vocals for the final variation. As the Harry sand and the stars did their actions, words from the lyrics or the titles of the NBC program from which they starred in would occasionally appear in a window shade/random bars effect. As the songs progress, the stars of "The Hogan Family" are seen building a set of steel letters to form the NBC name logo. Finally after Bill Cosby flashes a number one sign, the screen cuts to the NBC peacock logo zooming out onto a vertical grey stripe. The words "Only on" appear in lowercase font above the NBC logo after a violet stripe passes above.

This was one of very rare promos that featured the co-hosts of "The Today Show", which at the time were Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel. Jane Pauley would step down from co-annchoring duties in December 1989. Also this was the last promo which a Disney character (Mickey Mouse) would be featured in. The Walt Disney Company would later purchase Capital Cities Communications the former parent of rival network American Broadcasting Company.

International Usage

All of these versions were also adapted to other countries in the world. For instance "Come Home to the Best, Only on NBC" became "Only the Best on 7" for the Seven Network in Australia in 1989, as well as "Come Home to the Feeling, Only on 3" for TV3 in New Zealand during the early 1990s, (although the tune sounds completely different from 1988 NBC and 1989 Seven versions), while "Come Home to NBC" became "Vem Que é Bom" for SBT in Brazil in 1991, as well as "Let's Celebrate '88" for Seven in Australia in 1988. In Chile, it was used by Red Televisión when it was launched in 1991. In the Philippines, it was used by ABC when it relaunched its television operations in 1992.

The Place to Be

"NBC: The Place To Be" is the slogan that NBC used in 1990, and the second of the campaigns to feature the current six-feathered peacock. During this period, several new series arrived to supplement shows such as "The Cosby Show", "Cheers" and "A Different World". Some of the most notable changes included the premiere of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", the short-lived "Ferris Bueller", and "Blossom", which replaced Bueller in January 1991.

Campaign Synopsis

The promo begins with a brief shot of a music stand/lecturn which from behind, a blue spotlight comes on. After this, some NBC stars seat themselves as audience members as they are waiting to what appears to be a concert. Meanwhile, an orchestra featuring "The Cosby Show's" Keshia Knight Pulliam with an electric guitar is seen rehearsing for the musical number. The rehearsing abruptly stops when Bill Cosby arrives at the music stand where he takes on the role of conductor, while Kadeem Hardison controls the blue spotlight.

The video then cuts to a stage in the same theatre where various stars from NBC shows such as "The Golden Girls", "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air", and even Johnny Carson from "The Tonight Show" dancing or engaging in different activities/motions in front of a giant wall of television sets stacked one on top of each other often showing clips of NBC shows as well as the letters "N", "B", and "C" and the peacock logo. Midway through the promo, a segment featuring returning shows such as "LA Law", "The Cosby Show", and "Empty Nest" is shown followed by one featuring freshman shows; among them the now long running and Emmy Award winning "Law & Order".

Towards the end of the program, the music ceases abruptly and the lights go out. The culprit was shown to be of then host of the "Late Night"'s David Letterman (shown on a TV) who apparently tripped on a pair of power cords. Letterman briefly laughs then re-plugs it resuming the promo. As the promo winds down we see the NBC logo above yellow lettering stating "The Place to Be" amidst brownish black background with CGI glass squares of different colors moving in different directions. Finally as the music stops, Keisha hollers and exits the stage, as the audience applauses.

The full length promo was 2:57 in length. The promo also was different than its predecessors its jingle utilized a modern rock soundtrack. It was also presented in such a manner that resembled MTV's music videos in order to appropriately fit the '90s and target a much younger audience.

For TV ident bumpers, the NBC ident with the slogan was shown with Don LaFontaine saying, "NBC is the Place to Be!".

Local Versions

*WNBC: "Channel 4's the Number One Place to Be!"
*WDIV in Detroit: "WDIV is the Place to Be"
*KGW-TV in Portland, OR: "Channel 8, The Place To Be!"
*KTSM-TV in El Paso, TX: "Channel 9, The Place to Be!"
*KYTV in Springfield, MO: "KY3's The Place to Be!"
*WMAR (now an ABC affiliate) in Baltimore: "Channel 2, The Place to Be!"
*WCSH-TV in Portland, ME: "6 Alive, Count on Us!"
*WILX-TV in Lansing, MI: "WILX-TV, The Place to Be!"
*WSFA-TV in Montgomery, AL: "Channel 12, The Place to Be!"
*WKJG-TV in Fort Wayne, IN: "WKJG, The Place To Be!"
*WLEX-TV in Lexington, KY: "WLEX, The Place To Be!"
*WLIO-TV in Lima, OH: "WLIO, The Place To Be!"
*WGAL-TV in Lancaster, PA: "WGAL, The Place To Be!"
*WLBZ-TV in Bangor, ME: "Channel 2, Count on Us!"
*WNNE-TV in Hartford, VT: "31, Close to Home, It's the Place to Be!"
*WJAC-TV in Johnstown, PA: "Channel 6, the Place to Be!"/"WJAC, The Place to Be!"
*WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh: "WPXI-TV 11, the Place to Be!"

International versions

*Australia's Seven Network used this slogan in 1990 as "Seven's Me, The Place To Be", in Italy, La7 in 2006 and in the Philippines's GMA-7 was used in 1996.

Notes and references