[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Aug 13 2004, 08:54 AM\']If I remember the trade mag articles correctly, NBC wanted to cut advertising clutter; hence the policy change.[/quote]
Exactly--TV Guide even gave NBC a Cheer in Cheers and Jeers for implementing the policy.
Notice that every time clutter gets cut (as in the 1971 NBC decision that started to phase out the peacock, end the end-of-show "snake" logo animation completely and temporarily ended animated production company logos, among other things), it seems to creep back up again.