CBS

CBS started in 1927 as United Independent Broadcasters, Inc., a radio network founded by Arthur Judson, an impresario who managed the Philadelphia and New York Philharmonic orchestras. Judson had first pitched the idea of broadcasting classical music to NBC, but they turned him down. So he built his own network, which soon became the Columbia Broadcasting System. The network's early years were marked by a notorious moment on October 30, 1938, when Orson Welles' The Mercury Theatre on the Air aired a fictional news-style adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds." Despite three disclaimers during the broadcast, the show caused widespread panic among listeners who believed Martians had actually landed in New Jersey. The incident later led the FCC to ban faux news bulletins within dramatic programming.

Over the decades, CBS built a reputation for quality that earned it the nickname the "Tiffany Network." That reputation was shaped in large part by its influential longtime chairman, William S. Paley, who took over the struggling network in 1928 and transformed it into a broadcasting powerhouse. Under Paley, CBS pioneered broadcast journalism with figures like Edward R. Murrow, launched iconic entertainment programs, and established itself as one of America's "Big Three" television networks alongside NBC and ABC. The network's iconic eye logo, introduced in 1951, became one of the most recognizable symbols in media, giving rise to the nickname "Eye Network."

CBS has been home to some of the most enduring shows in television history. On the entertainment side, hits like Survivor, 60 Minutes, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Murphy Brown have drawn massive audiences. During the late 1990s, the network reversed a ratings decline and climbed back to become the nation's top network. Controversy sometimes worked in CBS's favor: when Vice President Dan Quayle criticized Murphy Brown for "irresponsibly celebrating unwed mothers," CBS executives saw the political storm as a boost to viewership and advertiser interest. The network also expanded beyond broadcasting, acquiring Columbia Records in 1938 and launching CBS Records International in 1962, though the record division was sold to Sony in 1987.

Today, CBS operates as a flagship property of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS), which was formed through a series of mergers and acquisitions. The network is headquartered in New York City's CBS Building, with major production facilities in Los Angeles. It reaches viewers across the country through more than 200 affiliate stations, including 20 owned by its parent company. Like all traditional broadcasters, CBS has faced the rise of cable and streaming, but it remains a central institution in American media, still drawing millions of viewers each week with its mix of news, sports, and entertainment programming. [edit]