History of NBC News in Timeline
June 1940: NBC Televises Republican National Convention
In June 1940, NBC televised 30¼ hours of coverage of the Republican National Convention live and direct from Philadelphia, using relays from Philadelphia to New York and upper New York State.
1941: W2XBS Renamed WNBT
In 1941, NBC's flagship station in New York City, W2XBS, was renamed commercial WNBT.
1944: No Live Telecasts of Conventions
Due to wartime and technical restrictions, there were no live telecasts of the 1944 conventions, although films of the events were reportedly shown over WNBT the next day.
1948: NBC Television Newsreel
In 1948, NBC Television Newsreel aired filmed news highlights with narration.
1948: NBC and Life Magazine Election Coverage
In 1948, NBC teamed up with Life magazine to provide election night coverage of President Harry S. Truman's victory.
1949: Camel News Caravan
In 1949, NBC Television Newsreel was renamed Camel News Caravan when John Cameron Swayze was added as an on-camera anchor.
1950: David Brinkley Joins Camel News Caravan
In 1950, David Brinkley began serving as the Washington correspondent for Camel News Caravan.
1953: CBS Hires Own Film Crew
In 1953, CBS hired its own film crews for its competing news program.
1955: NBC Covers Montgomery Bus Boycott
In 1955, NBC provided national coverage of Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership of the Montgomery bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.
October 29, 1956: Debut of The Huntley–Brinkley Report
On October 29, 1956, NBC's The Huntley–Brinkley Report had its debut.
1956: Huntley and Brinkley Paired as Anchors
In 1956, NBC paired anchors Chet Huntley and David Brinkley.
April 1962: Walter Cronkite Anchors CBS News
Beginning in April 1962, Walter Cronkite began anchoring CBS News.
November 22, 1963: NBC Covers JFK Assassination
On November 22, 1963, NBC interrupted programming to announce that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, Texas and carried 71 hours of uninterrupted news coverage.
1969: NBC Earns Emmy for Moon Landing Coverage
In 1969, NBC's coverage of the first Moon landing earned the network an Emmy Award.
1983: Tom Brokaw Sole Anchor
In 1983, Tom Brokaw became sole anchor of Nightly News.
1985: The Mission theme used by NBC
In 1985, NBC first used "The Mission" by John Williams as its theme music.
1986: NBC Wins Top Spot
In 1986, NBC won the top spot in the Nielsens for the first time in years.
1987: NBC Continues To Win Top Spot
In 1987, NBC won the top spot in the Nielsens for the first time in years.
1987: NBC Radio Network purchased by Westwood One
In 1987, the original major NBC Radio Network was purchased by Westwood One as General Electric divested properties not pertaining to the NBC television network.
1989: Brokaw witnesses the fall of the Berlin Wall
In 1989, Tom Brokaw was the only American television news correspondent to witness the fall of the Berlin Wall.
1993: Dateline NBC Report on GM Trucks
In 1993, Dateline NBC broadcast an investigative report about the safety of General Motors (GM) trucks, which led to an anti-defamation lawsuit and settlement.
1996: Nightly News Moves To First Place
In late 1996, Nightly News again moved into first place.
1997: Canal de Noticias, NBC closes
In 1997, Canal de Noticias, NBC, a 24-hour news service aimed at Latin American viewers, closed.
1998: NBC Nightside replaced by NBC All Night
In 1998, NBC Nightside was replaced by NBC All Night, which was composed of reruns of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
2000: Seven Nightly News name change
Around 2000, Seven News local newscasts, which had been named Seven Nightly News since the mid-1980s, changed their name.
2003: Brian Williams' Iraq Experience
In 2003 Brian Williams gave an inaccurate story about his experience in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
December 2004: Brian Williams Assumes Primary Anchor Duties
In December 2004, Brian Williams assumed primary anchor duties when Tom Brokaw retired.
2004: The Mission theme updated
In 2004, "The Mission" theme music was updated by NBC.
January 1, 2007: Poker After Dark added to NBC All Night
From January 1, 2007, to September 23, 2011, Poker After Dark was added to NBC All Night.
October 22, 2007: Nightly News Moves to New Studio
On October 22, 2007, Nightly News moved into its new high-definition studio, Studio 3C.
June 2008: Tom Brokaw Took Over As Interim Host
After the sudden death of the influential moderator Tim Russert of Meet the Press in June 2008, Tom Brokaw took over as an interim host.
December 14, 2008: David Gregory Becomes Moderator of Meet the Press
On December 14, 2008, David Gregory became the new moderator of Meet the Press.
2009: NBC Establishes Leadership in Network News
By 2009, NBC had established leadership in network news, airing the highest-rated morning, evening, and Sunday interview news programs.
September 23, 2011: Poker After Dark removed from NBC All Night
Until September 23, 2011, Poker After Dark was a part of NBC All Night.
December 2013: Early Today dropped from 9TV in the Philippines
In December 2013, Early Today was dropped from 9TV in the Philippines and replaced by repeats of Inside Edition.
2013: "Scherzo for Today" theme replaced
In 2013, "Scherzo for Today," the third movement of "The Mission", which was in use by Today, was replaced by a new theme by Alan Gubman.
2013: Dial Global rebranded as Westwood One
Since 2013, Dial Global has been rebranded as Westwood One.
August 10, 2014: David Gregory's Last Broadcast
David Gregory's last broadcast was on August 10, 2014.
August 14, 2014: Chuck Todd New Moderator of Meet the Press
On August 14, 2014, NBC announced that Chuck Todd would take over as the 12th moderator of Meet the Press.
September 7, 2014: Chuck Todd Became Moderator of Meet the Press
On September 7, 2014, Chuck Todd became the new moderator of Meet the Press.
September 2014: Today dropped from 9TV in the Philippines
In September 2014, Today was dropped from 9TV in the Philippines to make room for weekend children's programming.
2014: Matt Lauer's sexual harassment during the 2014 Winter Olympics
In 2014, Matt Lauer sexually harassed a female NBC employee during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia; this was the start of the series of events that would later lead to his termination.
February 2015: Brian Williams Suspended
In February 2015, NBC suspended Brian Williams for six months.
March 2015: NBC Nightly News dropped from 9TV in the Philippines
In March 2015, NBC Nightly News was dropped from 9TV in the Philippines due to Brian Williams' firing and Lester Holt's move to main anchor position.
April 2015: NBC Revises Kidnapping Account
In April 2015, NBC had to revise the kidnapping account, following further investigations by The New York Times.
June 18, 2015: Lester Holt Becomes Permanent Anchor
On June 18, 2015, it was announced that Lester Holt would become the permanent anchor and Brian Williams would be moved to MSNBC.
November 2016: NBCUniversal intends to purchase stake in Euronews
In November 2016, NBCUniversal announced its intention to purchase a 25% stake in Euronews.
November 29, 2017: Matt Lauer fired for sexual harassment
On November 29, 2017, NBC News terminated Matt Lauer's employment after a female employee reported he had sexually harassed her during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and that the harassment continued after their return to New York.
2017: Ronna McDaniel becomes chairwoman of the RNC
In 2017, Ronna McDaniel became the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.
April 2018: Ronan Farrow's Weinstein story wins Pulitzer Prize
In April 2018, Ronan Farrow's story on Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual misconduct, which NBC News had previously declined to publish, won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service after it was published in the New Yorker Magazine.
2020: McDaniel backtracks on election claims after being hired
After being hired by NBC, Ronna McDaniel backtracked on her claims from 2020 regarding election fraud, saying that Biden won the 2020 election "fair and square".
2020: Ronna McDaniel makes false claims of voter fraud
In 2020, Ronna McDaniel, as chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, made false claims of voter fraud after Joe Biden won the presidential election.
2021: Stay Tuned team launches The Overview on Peacock
In 2021, the Stay Tuned team launched The Overview on Peacock.
March 2024: NBC News hires Ronna McDaniel
In March 2024, NBC News hired Ronna McDaniel, the former chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, stirring controversy due to her previous staunch support for Donald Trump and false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.
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