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.

Localized Versions
*KNSD (then KCST) in San Diego: "Come Home to KCST" (also called "Come Home to 39, Cable 7")
*KVBC in Las Vegas: "Come Home to TV 3"
*WRC in Washington DC: "Come Home to Channel 4"
*KXAS in Dallas: "Come Home to Channel 5" (this ID was used to launch the 6:00 news at the time)
*WNBC in New York City: same as WRC's
*WJAC in Johnstown: "Come Home to Channel 6"
*WPXI in Pittsburgh: "Come Home to 11"
*WWBT in Richmond, VA: "Come Home to Channel 12"

Videos:
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRrlCXRh1xU 1986 KXAS news opens, with local "Come Home to NBC" ID] on YouTube
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCmuqoIOR4s Commercials taped off WWBT in Richmond, local version of "Come Home to NBC" starts at 1:25 mark, ends at 1:55] on YouTube

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 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 RashÄ?d.

Localized Versions
*KYW in Philadelphia: "Come on Home to Channel 3"
*KXAS in Dallas: "Come on Home to Channel 5"
*WPTZ in Plattsburgh, New York/Burlington, Vermont: "Come on Home to PTZ"
*WLUK in Green Bay: "Come on Home to 11"
*WMAR in Baltimore: "Come on Home to Channel 2"

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 Shows 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.

Some notes on the promo. 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.

Localized Versions
*WDIV in Detroit: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 4" (also used to launch evening newscasts)
*KPRC in Houston: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 2"
*WAVY in Portsmouth, Virginia: "Come Home to the Best, Only on TV-10"
*KARE in Minneapolis: "Come Home to the Best, Only on KARE-TV"
*KPNX in Phoenix: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 12"
*WECT in Wilmington, North Carolina: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 6"
*WTVG in Toledo, Ohio: "Come Home to the Best, Only on TV-13"
*WXII in Winston-Salem, North Carolina: same title as KPNX's
*KYW in Philadelphia: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 3"
*KNSD in San Diego: "Come Home to the Best, 39-Cable 7" (most likely they did one)
*WSLS in Roanoke, Virginia: "Come Home to the Best, WSLS"/"Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 10"
*WIS in Columbia, South Carolina: "Come Home to the Best, on WIS-TV 10"
*WJAC in Johnstown, PA: "Come Home to the Best, only on Channel 6"
*WPXI in Pittsburgh, PA: "Come Home to the Best, only on Channel 11"
*KYTV in Springfield, Missouri: "Come Home to the Best, Only on KY-3"
*KOMU in Columbia, Missouri: "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 8"

Audio and video links:
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m5nbkgi-Y4 :05 "Come Home to the Best" custom ID for WAVY in Norfolk]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrI179twPnM 1988 WDIV news open, has local "CHTTB" ID]
*Custom "Come Home to the Best" promo for WXII in the NC Piedmont
*Audio-only custom version for KPRC in Houston (WARNING! Very loud.)
*Custom "Come Home to the Best" promo for KPNX in Phoenix

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 of 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.

Localized Versions
*WNBC in New York City: same title as WDIV's local version in 1988
*WVIR in Charlottesville, Virginia: "Come Home to the Best, Only on 29"
*WPTF in Durham, North Carolina: "Come Home to the Best, WPTF"
*[http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/vintagenyctv/files/Promos/ 8th file down is a custom version of "Come Home to the Best '89" for WNBC]
*Custom version for then-WPTF (now WRDC) in Durham, NC

International Usage

Both 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.

You Can see the "Come Home to NBC" and "Come Home To Best, Only On NBC" promos right here .

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