HBO (Home Box Office)
Sign-Off from 1979

A rare clip from the era when America's oldest cable network (founded in 1972) did not run 24 hours a day, seven days a week (it would go 24/7 late in 1981). The HBO sign-off is in the form of an animated cartoon depicting folks preparing to retire for the night, but there is no voice-over announcement. After that, there are several bleeps (time signal?), then color bars. The sign-off is preceded by a promo for HBO's coverage of the NCAA Gymnastics Regional Finals.

The Disney Channel
Sign-Off from 1983

A brief sign-off clip from Disney Channel's maiden season, when the network aired from 7am to 1 am (it would go 24/7 in 1986). The twenty-three second sign-off features a computer-generated image of Mickey Mouse's head flying over Planet Earth at night while the announcer wishes viewers a good night and a wonderful tomorrow. The theme music for the clip is "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" form the now-controversial Walt Disney animated feature Song Of The South (1946) whic was never shown on TV or released on home video here in the U.S.. For years a premium cable service, Disney Channel changed to a basic service around 2000, which it remains today.

CBN Family Channel
(now ABC Family)
Sign-Off from Summer 1989

A 5 am Monday morning sign-off clip that's preceded by a network promo with clips from shows they were airing then, including Life Goes On, Bonanza, Remington Steele, and Rin-Tin-Tin, K-9 Cop. Pat Robertson's network was originally known as the CBN Cable Network, which aired a lot of religious shows at first, but gradually became more entertainment-oriented. The "CBN" portion of the Family Channel name was dropped in 1990 as the network became a seperate entity from Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network (producers of The 700 Club) in order to protect CBN's tax-exempt status. Robertson sold his Family Channel to Fox in 1998, and Fox sold it to ABC-Disney in 2001, thus becoming the current ABC Family network.

The Nashville Network
(now Spike)
Sign-Off from 1998

A very brief clip used by The Nashville Network every night at 3 AM Eastern time to end its regular programming and to kick off a six-hour marathon of informercials. In September 2000 the channel became The NATIONAL Network and discarded its country-oriented programming. In 2003 it became the current Spike network.

The Cartoon Network
Sign-Off from 1998

When I was first told that a sign-off clip for the Cartoon Network existed, I didn't believe it at first. My first exposure to CN was 'way back in 1993 while I was vacationing with friends in Myrtle Beach, SC. It was on all night then, and what it was is what its sister network Boomerang is now. I'm assuming that this is from a special preview of some kind, for afterwards at 2100 hours comes the TNT network and a lead-in to an Elvis Presley movie.