History of NBC in Timeline
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is a major American commercial broadcast television and radio network. It is the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. Along with Universal Studios, NBC is one of NBCUniversal's two namesake flagship subsidiaries, highlighting its importance within the media conglomerate.
1952: Weaver created the series Today
In 1952, Weaver created the series Today for NBC.
1954: Weaver created the series Tonight Starring Steve Allen and Home
In 1954, Weaver created the series Tonight Starring Steve Allen and Home for NBC.
1955: Weaver created the series Wide Wide World
In 1955, Weaver created the series Wide Wide World for NBC.
1956: KUAM-TV becomes an NBC affiliate
Since 1956, KUAM-TV in Guam has been an NBC affiliate, broadcasting the network's East Coast satellite feed with a one-day delay for entertainment and news.
1966: WMGM-TV Affiliation
From 1966 to 2014, Atlantic City-based WMGM-TV was an NBC affiliate in New Jersey.
1975: Michaels assembled the cast for NBC's Saturday Night
By 1975 Michaels had assembled a talented cast for NBC's Saturday Night.
1975: NBC Monitor Ended
NBC Monitor, which Weaver developed and gave a shot in the arm in 1955, ended in 1975.
1976: NBC purchased the rights to the name Saturday Night Live
NBC purchased the rights to the name Saturday Night Live in 1976.
March 26, 1977: NBC adopted the name Saturday Night Live
On March 26, 1977, NBC officially adopted the name Saturday Night Live.
1979: Debut of Real People
In 1979, Silverman pioneered the reality television genre with the debut of Real People.
1979: Silverman reintroduced the peacock as NBC's logo
In 1979, Silverman reintroduced the peacock as NBC's corporate logo.
1981: The Smurfs animated series ran
In 1981, Silverman oversaw the development of an animated series based on The Smurfs.
1982: Tartikoff and Tinker turned the network's fortunes around
By 1982, Tartikoff and network president Grant Tinker gradually turned the network's fortunes around.
1986: Current NBC Logo in Use
The current NBC logo, incorporating stylized peacock designs, has been in use since 1986.
1989: The Smurfs animated series ended
In 1989, The Smurfs animated series ended.
February 1991: Johnny Carson announced retirement
In February 1991, Johnny Carson broke the news of his retirement to Tartikoff.
1993: Launch of Canal de Noticias NBC
In 1993, NBC launched Canal de Noticias NBC, a 24-hour Spanish-language news channel for Latin America. It operated on a CNN-inspired "wheel" format, but was headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
1993: General Electric Acquired Super Channel
In 1993, then-NBC parent General Electric acquired Super Channel, relaunching the Pan-European cable network as NBC Super Channel.
1994: Launch of NBC Asia
In 1994, NBC launched NBC Asia, which was distributed to several countries including India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Pakistan and the Philippines. It featured news programs, The Tonight Show, Late Night and Saturday Night Live.
1996: NBC Super Channel Renamed NBC Europe
In 1996, NBC Super Channel was renamed NBC Europe.
February 2, 1997: Meet the Press HD Broadcast
On February 2, 1997, "Meet the Press" became the first regular series on a major television network to produce a high-definition broadcast, airing in the format over WHD-TV in Washington, D.C.
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.
April 26, 1999: Launch of NBC HD
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: Closure of Canal de Noticias NBC
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.
1999: Launch of NBCi
In 1999, NBC launched NBCi, a heavily advertised online venture serving as an attempt to launch a web portal.
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 stops being used
From the mid-1980s until approximately 2000, local newscasts were also titled Seven Nightly News.
2002: Conversion to HD
NBC gradually converted much of its existing programming from standard-definition to high definition beginning with the 2002–03 season.
2003: NBC Acquired Rights to Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA Pageants
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, giving the network half-ownership of the pageants.
2004: NBC programming in the 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: Pre-2005 Holiday Specials
As of September 2012, certain holiday specials produced prior to 2005, such as its annual broadcast of It's a Wonderful Life, continued to be presented in 4:3 SD.
2005: KKHJ-LP becomes NBC affiliate in American Samoa
In 2005, KKHJ-LP in Pago Pago became an NBC affiliate in American Samoa.
2005: Relaunch as Das Vierte
In 2005, the channel was relaunched again as the free-to-air movie channel Das Vierte.
February 2007: Reilly signed a new contract with NBC
In February 2007, Reilly signed a new three-year contract with NBC.
May 2007: Reilly was terminated as president
In late May 2007, Reilly was terminated 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 has offered full-length episodes of most of NBC's programming through the streaming service.
2007: NBC Discontinued Televised Broadcasts of Miss Teen USA
In 2007, NBC declined to renew its contract to carry Miss Teen USA, effectively discontinuing televised broadcasts of that event until 2023.
2007: NBCi Website Changes
In mid-2007, NBCi.com began to mirror the main NBC.com website.
2008: Knight Rider Reboot
NBC.com and other partner websites provide complete back catalogs of most of its current series as well as a limited selection of episodes of classic series 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 Europe, shut down as a TV station.
2009: NBC and Seven use 'Like it Like That' in image promos
In 2009, both NBC and Australia's Seven Network used Guy Sebastian's "Like it Like That" in promos for their summer schedules.
May 2, 2010: Meet the Press Conversion to HD
On May 2, 2010, "Meet the Press" became 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, with 2010 being the last year.
2010: NBCi.com Redirected to NBC.com
In 2010, NBCi.com was eventually redirected to the NBC.com domain.
July 2011: Netflix Loses Rights to New Episodes
In July 2011, Netflix lost the right to carry newer episodes of NBC programs during their current seasons.
September 2012: NBC Completes HD Conversion
In September 2012, NBC completed its conversion to high definition with the launch of NBC Kids.
2012: KKHJ-LP ends NBC affiliation in American Samoa
In 2012, KKHJ-LP in Pago Pago ended its affiliation with NBC.
2013: Das Vierte Shuts Down
Das Vierte shut down at the end of 2013, later being replaced by a German version of Disney Channel.
2013: Airing Live Musical Adaptations
Since 2013, NBC started to air 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 Deaffiliation
Atlantic City-based WMGM-TV was an NBC affiliate in New Jersey from 1966 to 2014.
2014: NBC Held Rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA Pageants
From 2003 to 2014, NBC held rights to the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants. NBCUniversal relinquished the rights to both on June 29, 2015.
2014: VSB-TV ends operations
In 2014, VSB-TV, which carried NBC's entire program lineup, ended operations.
February 18, 2015: Live Programming Streams Launched
On February 18, 2015, NBC began providing live programming streams of local NBC stations in select markets, available 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 after controversial remarks made by Trump about Mexican immigrants.
February 2016: WRAL-TV Re-joined NBC
In February 2016, WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina re-joined NBC and began broadcasting at 1080p via WNGT-CD.
2016: Trump's remarks about Mexican immigrants
In 2016, Donald Trump launched his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. NBCUniversal relinquished the rights to Miss Universe and Miss USA due to controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants made by Trump during the launch of his campaign.
2017: NBC Affiliates Pulled from Central America
In 2017, NBC affiliates ceased distribution in Nicaragua and the rest of Central America. The decision, which coincided with similar actions by ABC and CBS, stemmed from broadcaster concerns about broadcasting rights outside their original local coverage area.
2018: Experimental UHD 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.
2018: NFL Games Available for Streaming
In the 2018 season, a change to the NFL's mobile rights agreement allowed NBC's NFL game telecasts to be streamed through network websites and apps.
April 2019: NBC Paid Firm to Improve Reputation
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 to Providence
In 2019, NBC relocated WYCN-LD to Providence, Rhode Island, to serve as a Telemundo station for that market.
2023: Return of Televised Broadcasts of Miss Teen USA
Televised broadcasts of Miss Teen USA were discontinued in 2007, but resumed in 2023.
December 31, 2024: KXGN-TV dropped NBC
On December 31, 2024, KXGN-TV in Glendive, Montana dropped NBC from its DT2 subchannel.
