DESCRIPTION:
The 1987 introduction to the long running Australian TV music show Countdown, which ran on the ABC from 1974-1987.


Vaxfacts: In February 1987, the ABC decided to change the long successful Countdown format, relying more on music video clips rather than live acts, which still featured, but less frequently. They also tried to re-image the show, re-branding it 'CDPTV' (Countdown Pirate Television), in an apparent attempt to make the show 'edgier'. The CDPTV intro features very 80s (particularly Cold War) imagery, including the major world leaders at the time- Bob Hawke, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

The re-imaging wasn't very successful, and lost many regular long time viewers, such that they attempted to return to the original format by at least May 1987, as evident from the slightly different version of the Countdown intro featured at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8asyO7KrZZY

It wasn't enough to save the show, as Countdown aired its final live episode on July 19, 1987.