Operation Prime TimeThis is a featured page

Logo descriptions by Matt Williams and Adam Pringle
Logo capture by V of Doom
Video captures courtesy of mcy919, Win2000Pro, milawaukeetvmadman



Background: Operation Prime Time (OPT) was a syndication block of programming offered to independent stations in 1976 by what was then called MCA (now NBC Universal Television Distribution). It was MCA's desire to launch new television shows by having them run in first-run syndication. OPT's slogan was "for better programming". OPT and its successor company, Television Program Enterprises (TPE) were formed by Al Masini.


(1976-1987)
Operation Prime Time

Nicknames: "OPT", "OPT Rainbows", "Rainbow Lines", "Rainbow Pipes"

Logo: On a black background, four rainbow-colored lines, one coming from each side of the screen, come together to form the letters "OPT". The line from the left curves to form the "O", the lines from the bottom and the right combine together to form the "P", and the lines from the top and the right combine together to form the "T". When "OPT" is formed, the screen moves backward, as the words "Operation Prime Time" (in a rounded yellow font) appear from the right side and place themselves next to each letter. When everything is in place, the words "for better programming" appear in the bottom right hand corner. At the same time, you can see thin overlapping circles in the background.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The lines forming the "OPT", screen zooming backward, company name appearing from the right. Full Scanimate effects.

Music/Sounds: A patriotic-sounding horn fanfare. In some cases, the last note of the jingle is very short, while sometimes it is longer.

Availability: Very rare. Originally appeared at the end of Solid Gold and various other syndicated programs and movies in the '70s and '80s, but it is still intact at the end of Yogi's First Christmas on Boomerang.

Scare Factor: Low to medium; the dramatic music, the gaudy colors, and the rather abrupt animation might scare some, but it's a favorite of many.



Shadeed329
Shadeed329
Latest page update: made by Shadeed329 , Mar 18 2010, 2:57 AM EDT (about this update About This Update Shadeed329 Edited by Shadeed329

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Started By Thread Subject Replies Last Post
lee4hmz Animation method on the OPT logo 0 Jan 15 2010, 5:27 PM EST by lee4hmz
Thread started: Jan 15 2010, 5:27 PM EST  Watch
Looking at the cleaner copies of this, I don't think it's Scanimate -- it's too crisp, and Scanimate's maximum resolution was about 500 scanlines or so. This one has to be good ol' cel animation, most likely with a motion-controlled rostrum camera involved.
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