SFM Entertainment

Background

SFM Entertainment, LLC (formerly known as "SFM Media Service Corporation" and "SFM Media Corporation") is a television syndication company established on September 29, 1969 by Walter Staab, Robert Frank, and Stanley Moger (hence the initials of the company). However, a logo was never used until eight years later.

(1977- )

SFM Entertainment logo (1985)

Nicknames: "SFM Rainbow (of Doom)", "Rainbow Fill", "Rainbow of Darkness", "RKO's Child"

Logo: On a black background, the white outlines of the letters "sfm", though the "M" is a capital one despite being shorter than the "f" fades in. Each letter is then filled with a rainbow pattern of colors by wiping. "s" and "f" are filled from the top. The "M" is filled from the left.

Variants:

• The initial variant, seen on 1977-78 episodes of The New Mickey Mouse Club, had the text "AN SFM MEDIA SERVICE CORPORATION PRESENTATION" fading-in and out below.
• On shows and movies in black-and-white, the logo appears that way.
• Since 1998, a line and the word "ENTERTAINMENT" fade in and out under the SFM logo.
  • Sometimes, a copyright stamp is seen below. It fades in and out.
• The 1978-98 version exists in filmed and videotaped versions.
• On modern prints of Death Valley Days, the logo fades in from the Cinelicious logo, and fades out into the Element 5 Media logo.
• On Just the Facts: A Dragnet Case File, an Universal Studios copyright stamp is shown.

FX/SFX: The letters filling.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A series of Morse code beeps typing out "SFM" in Morse code over and over. Sometimes, the voice of SFM co-founder Stanley K. Moger was heard saying various announcements, mentioned below:

• 1977-1978: None.
• 1978-1980: An SFM Media Service Corporation Television presentation.
• 1980-1998: Distributed by the SFM Entertainment Division of SFM Media Corporation.
  • On this variation, the Morse code beeps were lower-pitched.
• 1998-: Just the beeps.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants:

• On some shows like Jayce, an alternate theme consisting of seven dreamy synthesized notes was used in place of the beeps.
• A special variant features an announcer saying "Developed and produced in association with the SFM Entertainment division of SFM Media Corporation".
• On Just the Facts: A Dragnet Case File, an announcer says "Distributed by the SFM Media Corporation."
• Another special variant from SFM Holiday Network airings has the announcer saying "A Television Presentation from the SFM Entertainment Division of SFM Media Corporation."
• Another variant has the announcer saying "A Presentation from the SFM Entertainment Division of SFM Media Corporation".
• Yet another special variant has the announcer saying "Produced and Distributed by the SFM Entertainment Division of SFM Media Corporation".
• On Starz Encore Suspense's print of Cagney & Lacey: True Convictions, and modern prints of Death Valley Days, the logo is silent.

Availability: Uncommon. Currently seen on Death Valley Days and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp whenever reran. It was also seen on The Flip Wilson Show on Aspire Network, almost all of Make Room for Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show on Me-TV, and occasionally on the Christmas special Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer on Cartoon Network during Cartoon Network's Christmas Party and on Boomerang during Christmas Party on Boomerang. Was seen on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In reruns on the now-defunct Trio, and before that in the 1990s after reruns of Care Bears on the Disney Channel.