Celebrating an Eye-con
CBS CMO George Schweitzer shares the history of the CBS "Eye" and what the network is doing to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
On October 20, 1951, the CBS Eye was first introduced to the public on the CBS Television Network.
Over the past 60 years, the Eye has remained a symbol of our company's strong, clear vision and continues to be a fitting symbol of CBS's history, pride, and ongoing leadership. An enduring corporate symbol like the CBS Eye is hard to come by. Over the years it has taken on different colors and sizes, but to this day, the perfectly balanced design of our unblinking Eye remains unchanged. Today, the Eye is at once a valuable asset and a source of pride for all of us in the CBS family.
A storied past
In 1951, with the success of the newly launched hits like "I Love Lucy," CBS had won the broadcasting spotlight. CBS President Frank Stanton asked creative director Bill Golden to design an on-air symbol that would give CBS Television a distinctive identity. With the help of graphic artist Kurt Weihs, the Eye logo was created. The next season, when Bill Golden prepared to design a new symbol, Stanton overruled him saying: "Just when you're beginning to be bored with what you've done is when it's beginning to be noticed by your audience." The rest is history!
How we're celebrating
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Eye, we'll show a special video montage on the CBS Television Network during primetime as well as graphics featuring the original CBS Eye and date the Eye was established. We'll also replace the CBS logo on CBS.com with the original Eye logo. And you can check out our special CBS Eye showcase on The CBS Attic, along with other treasures from the past.
So be sure to "keep an eye" out this week, and as always: stay tuned!