WBZ Radio has new logo

[Scott Fybush]

Sid Schweiger wrote:
> "I think WJZ-TV, KYW (AM), and KPIX-TV also continue to use the old
> Group W font as well --- at least the last I knew that was the case.
>  For that matter, WOWO still uses it, even though the station was
> sold by Westinghouse a dozen years ago or more.  I don't know why the
> font was abandoned in Boston.  Curious."
> 
> There's a pretty good freeware approximation of that font, called
> Anklepants, available at
> http://www.1001fonts.com/font_details.html?font_id=673 .  Its
> developer even states that it was inspired by the Westinghouse
> broadcast group logos.

I *hate* Anklepants.

I hate it because it's a bad approximation of the Group W font. A few of 
the letterforms look nothing like the real Group W letters. I think it's 
the M that he really screwed up.

I hate it because at least one station (WOWO) actually used Anklepants 
when it needed to rework its logo some years back, and it looks hideous.

I hate it because at least one other station with no Group W connection 
at all (KXNT in Las Vegas) is using it in their logo, and it looks hideous.

I hate it because for several years, all the fanboyz on radio-info 
persisted in using "Anklepants" to describe the actual Group W font, 
until I finally whined about it enough to get them to stop. (I never 
heard an actual name being applied to the "Westinghouse font" in my days 
there.)

And I hate it because it's a stupid name for a very dignified font that 
was way ahead of its time when Group W rolled it out in the early sixties.

As for current use of the real Group W lettering, it does indeed still 
exist (at least in modified form) at WINS, KYW radio, KDKA radio, WJZ-TV 
and WOWO. WINS and WJZ are the closest to the original; KYW and KDKA use 
an italicized form that was not part of the original fonts.

KPIX's current "5" could, I suppose, be charitably described as 
"inspired by" the original Westinghouse "5," but the shape of the bowl 
of the numeral is distinctly different from the original.

s