# TV Station Logos in the corner **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2001, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080 "2001-11-07T23:55:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmburns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@cmburns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmburns)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2001, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/1 "2001-11-07T23:55:11Z")
I’m sure someone must have commented/complained about these things in the past, but a search didn’t turn up anything. Maybe because I don’t even know what they are called. I’m talking about those little channel identifiers in the corner of the TV screen. I remember when they used to only come on for a few seconds, were almost completely transparent, and were small. Now they seem to be constant, often opaque, and much bigger. So a few questions about them. What is the official name for these things? Are they getting worse, or is it just my imagination? Who is responsible for them, and can they legally by killed? One site I looked at said they are common in Europe and were first used here by VH-1. Anyone know if this is true, because I might stop watching VH-1 just out of belated protest. Is there any proof they are even effective? I tend to identify channels by number. If I see a show I like and want to remember what channel it was on, I tend to think of it in terms of “channel 37”, not the station itself. And which station has the most annoying or distracting logo? Not to be unpatriotic, but I’d have to vote for MTV’s new flag logo. That thing seems to take up a good quarter of the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/2 "2001-11-08T01:00:08Z")
They started in the late 80’s and were first used on cable channels. At that time, more and more cable channel choices began to pop up and the network types figured we were too stupid to figure out what channel we were watching. Most networks use a transparent logo and they’re easier to ignore. Other networks, like TNN insist on full color logos. If you’ve ever seen _Max Headroom_ you’ll see where they probably got the idea. In that show, ratings were taken by the minute and channel recognition was of vital importance. TNN has gone a step too far by having a black band at the bottom of the screen with the show’s name in it. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/3 "2001-11-08T01:44:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*TNN has gone a step too far by having a black band at the bottom of the screen with the show’s name in it. \*\* It’s **all** about brand recognition. However, I think Oxygen (Lifetime for Gen-Xers) pioneered the constantly displayed black band. If you discount the sports ticket on ESPN2 that is… Not that I watch Oxygen… ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/4 "2001-11-08T02:07:12Z")
HBO seems to be the only TV station that knows what people want ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/5 "2001-11-08T02:08:06Z")
I was watching “Pop-Up Video” on VH1 and their station logo covered up about half of the pop-ups. I was kinda pissed becaues it was a cool video and I missed some (presumably) interesting stuff. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/6 "2001-11-08T02:33:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MyFootsZZZ \* > \*\*HBO seems to be the only TV station that knows what people want \*\* Eeeek! Shhhhh! Don’t say that! You’ll jinx it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shmigheghi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@shmigheghi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shmigheghi)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/7 "2001-11-08T03:22:48Z")
The official name for these things is a “bug”. Saw it on Dateline or 20/20 or something. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/8 "2001-11-08T03:26:05Z")
I really like those “thingys”. With a gazillion channels, I can never remember that ABC = Channel 7, etc., etc., etc. If they are so large or opaque that they distort the view or distract from the show, then my vote is a resounding “no!”. But most of them are unobtrusive to me. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/9 "2001-11-08T03:29:50Z")
Most are transparent (most of the time) and I don’t mind those. The full color, flashy animated ones are indeed quite obnoxious. Reminds me of popup ads. If you wanna see a screen cluttered with a lot of crap, just watch CNBC. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/10 "2001-11-08T03:48:44Z")
People complain about them but the day of three networks are long gone. They’re pretty necessary these days; with such an abundance of channels, you don’t have to be “stupid” to be unsure of what station you’re viewing. They especially help when travelling to places with unfamiliar cable systems. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/11 "2001-11-08T14:07:54Z")
The oft cited origin of these nuisances is one of the networks noticed that another was using a clip of theirs without giving proper credit. The “bug” was created in response so this couldn’t happen again. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/12 "2001-11-08T14:44:44Z")
I don’t necessaryily have a problem with them, but I wish they’d move them out of the bottom corner–there it usually covers up part of a caption during an interview, or something of that nature. I hate not being able to read all of caption. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/13 "2001-11-08T14:57:30Z")
They all should move it to one of the upper corners instead, like TNN does. I’ve seen this done on occasion with other networks so as not to obscure subtitles. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/14 "2001-11-08T15:02:16Z")
Apparently, the term “bug” came from the logo of the Allied Printing Trades Union, which was printed so small, it actually looked like a bug. Somehow, it carried over to the logo of another union, theIATSE (which I guess could look like a squashed bug if you use your imagination-no offense to any IA members). How it became given to the TV logos, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/15 "2001-11-08T15:03:40Z")
Ooh, I don’t know how I made that link mistake. Apologies to my good friends (even though I don’t know any members) at the IATSE. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/16 "2001-11-08T15:05:45Z")
Maybe if I put in the http, you can finally see, the [IATSE](http://www.iatse.lm.com). ---
**Author:** ![madcowmccoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@madcowmccoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madcowmccoy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/17 "2001-11-08T15:09:31Z")
I’ve been tuning into a few episodes of “Xena,” and I’ve come to appreciate that little black band at the bottom. At various points in the episode, a little text message will appear there commenting on the show. It can be pretty funny. But overall, yeah, they suck. I don’t mind as much when they’re transparent. ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/18 "2001-11-08T15:40:00Z")
You haven’t experienced screen clutter until you’ve seen all of this at once: A crawling ticker at the bottom, a large full color network logo on the right, and a color area map with weather info at the left. Takes up almost a third of the viewable space, and it’s quite annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/19 "2001-11-08T15:43:43Z")
Oh, and the black bar at the bottom of the Oxygen screen (hey, they just added the channel to my cable system, and I notice it when I flip, yeah, that’s it, when I flip) is nothing compared to the original Comedy Central. When the station first aired, it was just The Comedy Channel, and half the programming was just clips from old comedy movies and shorts. There was always a large bar with yellow and black diagonal stripes on the bottom of the screen, like something you’d see blocking off a street. They used the bar to show the name of the movie the clip was from. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080/20 "2001-11-08T17:01:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*If you wanna see a screen cluttered with a lot of crap, just watch CNBC. \*\* Have you seen the CNN Headline News channel lately? Since their abominable new format started, it has resulted the actual video screen taking up about a quarter of the screen. The upper right corner, to be exact. Most of the bottom third is taken up with weather, sports, and assorted factoids, and the upper left is taken up by a giant headline poster which then cycles with little blurbs related to the story. The video portion has been rendered so small and relatively unimportant that I’m beginning to think of Headline News as a radio channel. I don’t watch it anymore, but I do listen to it while I’m on the computer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-station-logos-in-the-corner/92080.md?page=2)