History of NBC in Timeline
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is a prominent American commercial broadcast television and radio network. As the flagship property of NBC Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal (a Comcast subsidiary), it stands alongside Universal Studios as one of NBCUniversal's core assets. Notably, NBC holds the distinction of being the first and oldest major broadcast network established in the United States.
2 days ago : Nancy Guthrie Abduction: Abductor Used Flower Pots, Savannah Guthrie's Story on Today
Nancy Guthrie's abductor allegedly used her flower pots to prop open doors. Savannah Guthrie shared an excruciating story on "Today". The search focused on why back doors were propped open.
1953: Official American Broadcaster of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
In 1953, NBC became the official American broadcaster of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
1954: NBC Premieres 'Tonight Starring Steve Allen'
In 1954, NBC premiered 'Tonight Starring Steve Allen', the first program in the Tonight Show franchise, and Home.
1955: Wide Wide World Premieres
In 1955, Wide Wide World premiered on NBC, and NBC Monitor was developed for NBC Radio.
1956: KUAM-TV Becomes NBC Affiliate
In 1956, KUAM-TV in Guam became an NBC affiliate and has carried the network's programming since then.
1966: WMGM-TV Affiliation with NBC
From 1966, WMGM-TV in Atlantic City was an in-state affiliate with NBC.
1973: Pre-1973 NBC's In-House Programming Library
Prior to 1973, NBC produced many in-house programs, later rights of those programs currently belong to Paramount Skydance.
1975: SNL Cast assembled
By 1975, a talented cast including Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner, and George Coe had been assembled for the show originally called NBC's Saturday Night.
1976: NBC Purchased Rights to Saturday Night Live
In 1976, NBC purchased the rights to the name Saturday Night Live.
March 26, 1977: NBC's Saturday Night officially changes name
On March 26, 1977, NBC's Saturday Night officially adopted the new title Saturday Night Live.
1979: Real People Debut
In 1979, Silverman pioneered the reality television genre with the debut of Real People.
1979: Peacock reintroduced
In 1979, the peacock was reintroduced as NBC's corporate logo.
1981: Animated Series Based on The Smurfs
In 1981, Silverman oversaw the development of an animated series based on The Smurfs.
1982: Network fortunes turned around
By 1982, Tartikoff and network president Grant Tinker gradually turned the network's fortunes around.
1985: Brandon Tartikoff help get NBC on top
By 1985, Brandon Tartikoff as President of Entertainment, would help get NBC back on top
1986: Current Logo in Use
Since 1986, NBC has used the current version of its logo, which incorporates stylized peacock designs.
February 1991: Johnny Carson Announces Retirement
In February 1991, Johnny Carson informed Brandon Tartikoff of his plans to retire during a lunch meeting. Only Tartikoff and Bob Wright knew before the public announcement.
1993: Canal de Noticias NBC Launched
In 1993, NBC launched Canal de Noticias NBC, a 24-hour Spanish-language news channel serving Latin America, which based its news schedule around the "wheel" format conceived at CNN.
1993: General Electric acquired Super Channel
In 1993, NBC's parent company General Electric acquired Super Channel, which was then relaunched as NBC Super Channel.
1994: NBC Asia Launched
In 1994, NBC Asia was launched, distributing news and entertainment programs to several countries in Asia.
1996: NBC Super Channel Renamed
In 1996, NBC Super Channel was renamed NBC Europe, though it was generally referred to as "NBC" on-air.
February 2, 1997: First High-Definition Broadcast
On February 2, 1997, Meet the Press was the first regular series on a major television network to produce a high-definition broadcast, which aired over WHD-TV in Washington, D.C.
July 1998: NBC Asia Replaced
In July 1998, NBC Asia was replaced by a regional version of the National Geographic Channel.
April 26, 1999: Launch of NBC HD Simulcast Feed
On April 26, 1999, NBC officially began its conversion to high definition with the launch of its simulcast feed, NBC HD, when The Tonight Show became the first HD program to air on the NBC network.
1999: Canal de Noticias NBC Shuts Down
In 1999, Canal de Noticias NBC shut down due to its inability to generate sustainable advertising revenue.
1999: NBC Europe Ceases Broadcasting
In 1999, NBC Europe ceased broadcasting in most of Europe outside of Germany and was relaunched as a German-language technology channel featuring the new series NBC GIGA.
1999: Launch of NBCi
In 1999, NBC launched NBCi, an online venture serving as an attempt to launch a web portal, partnering with Xoom.com, e-mail.com, AllBusiness.com, and Snap.com.
April 2000: NBC purchased GlobalBrain
In April 2000, NBC purchased GlobalBrain, a company specializing in search engines that learned from searches initiated by its users, for $32 million.
2000: Seven Nightly News Title Discontinued
From the mid-1980s until around 2000, local newscasts on the Seven Network were titled Seven Nightly News.
2002: Conversion to High Definition
Beginning with the 2002–03 season, NBC gradually converted much of its existing programming from standard-definition to high definition, with select shows being broadcast in HD from their debuts.
2003: Acquisition of Miss Universe Organization Pageant Rights
In 2003, NBC acquired the rights to the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA pageants as part of a deal brokered by Donald Trump.
2004: NBC Programming Available in U.S. Virgin Islands
Since 2004, NBC's programming has been available in the U.S. Virgin Islands on WVGN-LD in Charlotte Amalie.
2005: Holiday Specials Before 2005
Certain holiday specials produced prior to 2005, such as its annual broadcast of It's a Wonderful Life continues to be presented in 4:3 SD.
2005: KKHJ-LP Affiliated with NBC
In 2005, KKHJ-LP in Pago Pago, American Samoa, became affiliated with NBC.
2005: NBC GIGA Relaunched
In 2005, the technology channel NBC GIGA was relaunched as the free-to-air movie channel Das Vierte.
February 2007: Reilly Signs Three-Year Contract
In February 2007, Kevin Reilly signed a new three-year contract with NBC.
May 2007: Reilly Terminated as President
In late May 2007, Kevin Reilly was terminated from his position as president of NBC.
October 29, 2007: Hulu Launched in Private Beta Testing
Since Hulu launched in private beta testing on October 29, 2007, NBCUniversal offered full-length episodes of most of NBC's programming through the streaming service.
2007: Acquisition of the Rights to the National Dog Show
In 2007, NBC acquired the rights to the National Dog Show, which airs following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade each year.
2007: NBC Declined to Renew Miss Teen USA Contract
In 2007, NBC declined to renew its contract to carry Miss Teen USA, effectively discontinuing televised broadcasts of that event.
2007: NBCi Website Mirrored NBC.com
In mid-2007, NBCi.com began to mirror the main NBC.com website.
2008: NBC Provided Complete Back Catalogs
In 2008, NBC provided complete back catalogs of most of its current series as well as a limited selection of episodes of classic series from the NBCUniversal Television Distribution program library, including the short-lived 2008 reboot of Knight Rider.
2009: Solar TV Broadcasts The Jay Leno Show
From 2009 to 2010, Solar TV in the Philippines broadcast The Jay Leno Show.
2009: GIGA Television Shuts Down
In 2009, GIGA Television, a separate digital channel spun off from NBC GIGA, shut down as a TV station.
2009: NBC and Seven Network promo
In 2009, NBC and Seven Network both used the Guy Sebastian single "Like it Like That" in image promos for their respective summer schedules.
2009: Rebroadcast of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
In 2009, NBC began airing a same-day rebroadcast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade telecast, replacing its annual Thanksgiving afternoon airing of Miracle on 34th Street.
May 2, 2010: Conversion to HD Completed
Meet the Press converted to HD on May 2, 2010, becoming the last NBC News program to convert to HD.
2010: Solar TV Stops Broadcasting The Jay Leno Show
From 2009 to 2010, Solar TV in the Philippines broadcast The Jay Leno Show.
2010: NBCi.com Redirected to NBC.com
In 2010, NBCi.com was eventually redirected to the NBC.com domain.
July 2011: Netflix Lost Rights to Newer NBC Episodes
In July 2011, Netflix lost the right to carry newer episodes of NBC programs during their current seasons, carrying only cataloged episodes.
September 2012: Completion of HD Conversion
In September 2012, NBC completed its conversion to high definition with the launch of NBC Kids. All the network's programming has been presented in full HD since then.
2012: KKHJ-LP Disaffiliated with NBC
In 2012, KKHJ-LP in Pago Pago, American Samoa, disaffiliated with NBC.
2012: Macy's Parade Rerouted
In 2012, Macy's chose to reroute the parade out of the view of CBS' cameras because NBC holds the rights to the parade, giving it exclusivity over the broadcast of Broadway and music performances appearing in the parade.
2013: Das Vierte Shuts Down
In 2013, the movie channel Das Vierte, which was previously NBC GIGA, shut down and was acquired by Disney.
2013: Live Musical Adaptations
Since 2013, NBC has aired live musical adaptations with major stars in lead roles, proving to be rating successes and a nostalgic tribute to the early days of television.
2014: WMGM-TV No Longer Affiliated with NBC
From 1966 to 2014, WMGM-TV was affiliated with the network.
2014: Rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA Pageants Held by NBC
From 2003 to 2014, NBC held the rights to the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants.
2014: VSB-TV Ends Operations
In 2014, VSB-TV, which carried NBC's entire program lineup, ended operations.
February 18, 2015: Live Programming Streams of Local NBC Stations
On February 18, 2015, NBC began providing live programming streams of local NBC stations in select markets to authenticated subscribers of participating pay television providers.
June 29, 2015: NBCUniversal Relinquished Rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA
On June 29, 2015, NBCUniversal relinquished the rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA as part of its decision to cut business ties with Donald Trump and the Miss Universe Organization due to controversial remarks he made about Mexican immigrants.
February 2016: WRAL-TV Rejoined NBC
In February 2016, WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina re-joined NBC.
2016: Trump's Remarks Sparked Controversy
In 2016, controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants made by Donald Trump during the launch of his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination led NBCUniversal to cut business ties with him and the Miss Universe Organization.
2016: PJA-TV ceases operations
Until its bankruptcy and cessation of operations in 2016, NBC maintained an affiliation in Aruba with Oranjestad station PJA-TV (which branded on-air as "15 ATV").
2017: NBC Affiliates Discontinued in Colombia
In early 2017, NBC affiliates stopped being distributed in Colombia due to concerns about broadcasting rights outside their local coverage area.
2018: Streaming of NFL Game Telecasts
In 2018, a change to the NFL's mobile rights agreement allowed NFL game telecasts to be streamed through network websites and apps.
2018: Experimental Station Went Off-Air
In 2018, the experimental station WRAL-EX went off-air as part of the FCC's repacking process.
2018: NBC Purchased Nashua Station
In early 2018, NBC purchased the Nashua station (formerly WYCN-CD) after the FCC spectrum auction.
April 2019: NBC Reputation Management
In April 2019, it was reported that NBC had paid a firm to improve its reputation by lobbying for changes to its Wikipedia articles.
2019: Relocation of WYCN-LD
In 2019, NBC relocated WYCN-LD to Providence, Rhode Island to serve as a Telemundo station for that market.
2023: Televised Broadcasts of Miss Teen USA
In 2023, Televised broadcasts of Miss Teen USA was resumed.
2024: Pat Sajak Retires
In 2024, Pat Sajak retired as host of Wheel of Fortune.
December 31, 2024: KXGN-TV Dropped NBC
On December 31, 2024, KXGN-TV in Glendive, Montana dropped NBC from its DT2 subchannel.
2025: NBCUniversal Part-Ownership of Hulu
From 2007 to 2025, NBCUniversal was a part-owner of Hulu.
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