History of NBC in Timeline

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is a major American commercial broadcast television and radio network. It's the flagship property of NBC Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, which is a subsidiary of Comcast. Along with Universal Studios, NBC is one of NBCUniversal's two namesake flagship subsidiaries. As one of the oldest stations in the United States, NBC holds a significant place in broadcasting history.

1952: Creation of Today

In 1952, Weaver created the series Today for NBC.

1954: Creation of Tonight Starring Steve Allen and Home

In 1954, Weaver created the series Tonight Starring Steve Allen, the first program in the Tonight Show franchise, and Home for NBC.

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1955: Creation of Wide Wide World and NBC Monitor

In 1955, Weaver created the series Wide Wide World for NBC, and developed NBC Monitor, a weekend-long magazine-style block for NBC Radio.

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1956: KUAM-TV Became NBC Affiliate

In 1956, KUAM-TV in Guam became an NBC affiliate and has carried the entire NBC programming lineup since then. Programming is broadcast on a one-day tape delay due to Guam's location west of the International Date Line.

1975: Cast Assembled for NBC's Saturday Night

By 1975, Michaels had assembled a talented cast for NBC's Saturday Night, including Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, and others.

1975: NBC Monitor Ended

In 1975, NBC Monitor, a weekend-long magazine-style block for NBC Radio, ended after 20 years after Weaver's departure.

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1976: NBC Purchases Rights to 'Saturday Night Live' Name

In 1976, NBC purchased the rights to the name 'Saturday Night Live' from ABC.

March 26, 1977: NBC Officially Adopts 'Saturday Night Live' Title

On March 26, 1977, NBC officially adopted the title 'Saturday Night Live' for its show, after purchasing the rights to the name.

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1979: Debut of Real People

In 1979, Silverman pioneered the reality television genre with the debut of Real People on NBC.

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1979: Reintroduction of the Peacock Logo

In 1979, Silverman reintroduced the peacock as NBC's corporate logo.

1981: Development of The Smurfs

In 1981, Silverman oversaw the development of an animated series based on The Smurfs for Saturday mornings.

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1982: Turnaround of NBC's Fortunes

By 1982, Tartikoff and network president Grant Tinker gradually turned the network's fortunes around. Some of Tartikoff's successes as President of Entertainment included The Cosby Show, Miami Vice, and Knight Rider.

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1985: NBC on Top

By 1985, Brandon Tartikoff, as President of Entertainment, would help get NBC back on top.

1985: Seven News Uses 'The Mission'

Since 1985, the Seven News division in Australia has used John Williams-composed "The Mission" (the proprietary theme music for NBC News' flagship programs) as its theme music.

1989: End of The Smurfs

In 1989, The Smurfs ended, well after Silverman's departure, making it one of his longest-lasting contributions to the network.

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February 1991: Johnny Carson's Retirement Announcement

In February 1991, Johnny Carson broke the news of his retirement to Tartikoff during a lunch meeting at the Grille in Beverly Hills.

1993: General Electric Acquires Super Channel

In 1993, General Electric, then the parent company of NBC, acquired Super Channel and relaunched it as NBC Super Channel.

1993: Launch of Canal de Noticias NBC

In 1993, NBC launched Canal de Noticias NBC, a 24-hour Spanish-language news channel serving Latin America. It based its news schedule around the 'wheel' format conceived at CNN and employed over 50 journalists.

1994: Launch of NBC Asia

In 1994, NBC Asia was launched and distributed to India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Pakistan, and the Philippines. It featured NBC news programs, "The Tonight Show", "Late Night", and "Saturday Night Live."

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1996: NBC Europe Renamed

In 1996, NBC Super Channel was renamed NBC Europe, although it was often referred to simply as "NBC" on air.

July 1998: NBC Asia Replaced by National Geographic Channel

In July 1998, NBC Asia was replaced by a regional version of the National Geographic Channel.

1999: Closure of Canal de Noticias NBC

In 1999, Canal de Noticias NBC shut down due to the channel's inability to generate sustainable advertising revenue.

1999: NBC Europe Ceases Broadcasting in Most of Europe

In 1999, NBC Europe ceased broadcasting in most of Europe, with the exception of Germany. Concurrently, the network was relaunched as a German-language technology channel targeting a younger demographic and featuring NBC GIGA as its flagship program.

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2000: Seven News Renamed

Around the year 2000, Seven News in Australia was renamed after being titled Seven Nightly News since the mid-1980s.

2004: NBC Programming Available in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Since 2004, NBC programming has been available in the U.S. Virgin Islands on WVGN-LD in Charlotte Amalie, owned by LKK Group.

2005: KKHJ-LP Affiliation

From 2005, NBC was affiliated with KKHJ-LP in Pago Pago, American Samoa.

2005: Relaunch as Das Vierte

In 2005, the channel relaunched again as the free-to-air movie channel Das Vierte.

February 2007: Reilly Signs New Contract with NBC

In February 2007, Reilly signed a new three-year contract with NBC.

May 2007: Reilly Terminated as President

In late May 2007, Reilly was terminated as president of NBC.

2009: GIGA Television Shuts Down as TV Station

At the end of 2009, GIGA Television, which had been spun off as a separate digital channel available on satellite and cable in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, ceased operating as a TV station.

2009: The Jay Leno Show on Solar TV

From 2009 to 2010, Solar TV in the Philippines broadcast The Jay Leno Show.

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2009: NBC and Seven Network Use Same Song

In 2009, both NBC and the Seven Network in Australia used the Guy Sebastian single "Like it Like That" in image promos for their respective summer schedules.

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2010: The Jay Leno Show Ended on Solar TV

In 2010, Solar TV in the Philippines ended broadcast of The Jay Leno Show.

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2012: KKHJ-LP Affiliation Ends

In 2012, the affiliation between NBC and KKHJ-LP in Pago Pago, American Samoa ended. Cable television providers on the islands now carry the network's programming via Seattle affiliate KING-TV.

2013: Das Vierte Shut Down

At the end of 2013, Das Vierte shut down after being acquired by Disney, which replaced it with a German version of the Disney Channel.

2014: VSB-TV Ended Operations

In 2014, VSB-TV, which carried NBC's entire program lineup, ended operations. Bermuda currently receives NBC service from WTVJ Miami via cable.

2017: NBC Affiliates Discontinued in Colombia

In early 2017, NBC affiliates ceased distribution in Colombia. This decision, which coincided with similar actions by ABC and CBS, was due to concerns about broadcasting rights outside of the original local coverage area.

2017: NBC Affiliates Discontinued in Nicaragua and Central America

In late 2017, NBC affiliates ceased distribution in Nicaragua and the rest of Central America. This decision, which coincided with similar actions by ABC and CBS, was due to concerns about broadcasting rights outside of the original local coverage area.

April 2019: NBC Reputation Management

In April 2019, it was reported by the Huffington Post and Wired that NBC had paid a firm to improve its reputation by lobbying for changes to Wikipedia articles on NBC, Nextdoor, and others.