Murrow, brought in as "Director of Talks." It was Murrow's reports, particularly during the dark days of the London Blitz, which contributed to CBS News's image for on-the-spot coverage. Another early hire, in 1935, was Edward R. In the hard times of the early 1930s, CBS radio broadened its offerings having refused an Associated Press (AP) franchise for news, Paley launched an independent news division, shaped in its first years by Paley's vice-president, former New York Times man Ed Klauber, and news director Paul White. In 1938, NBC and the Columbia Broadcasting System each opened studios in Hollywood to attract top talent to their networks-NBC at Radio City on Sunset and Vine, CBS two blocks away at Columbia Square. But Paley believed in the power of programming, and CBS quickly established itself as the home of many popular musical and comedy stars, among them Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, George Burns, and Gracie Allen. NBC's owner and founder of RCA, David Sarnoff, believed in technology, so NBC's affiliates had the latest RCA equipment, and were often the best-established stations, or were on "clear channel" frequencies. Later in 1928, another investor, Paramount Pictures Corporation (who ironically would eventually be co-owned with CBS), bought shares in Columbia stock, and for a time it was thought the network would be re-named "Paramount Radio." Any chance of further Paramount involvement ended with the Stock Market Crash of 1929 the near- bankrupt studio sold its shares back to CBS in 1932.Īs the third national network, CBS soon had more affiliates than either of NBC's two, in part because of a more generous rate of payment to affiliates. Louis, and WCCO Minneapolis.) Those stations remain the core affiliates of the CBS Radio Network today, with WCBS still the flagship, and all but WTOP (a Bonneville Broadcasting property) owned by CBS Radio. (In 1946 WABC was re-named WCBS the station moved to a new frequency, 880 kHz, in the Federal Communications Commission's 1941 re-assignment of stations.) As the network's flagship, WCBS was where much of CBS's programming originated other owned-and-operated stations were KNX Los Angeles, KCBS San Francisco, WBBM Chicago, WJSV Washington, DC (later WTOP), KMOX St. WABC was quickly upgraded, and the signal relocated to a stronger frequency, 860 kHz. Grebe's Atlantic Broadcasting Company for a small Brooklyn station, WABC, which would become the network's flagship station. In November of 1927, Columbia paid $390,000 to A. With Columbia Phonographic's removal, Paley streamlined the corporate name to "Columbia Broadcasting System." Paley believed in the power of radio advertising his family's company had seen their "La Palina" cigar become a best-seller after young William convinced his elders to advertise it on Philadelphia radio station WCAU. Paley, son of a Philadelphia cigar manufacturer. Unable to sell enough air time to advertisers, on September 25, 1927, Columbia sold the network for $500,000 to William S. Established by New York City talent agent Arthur Judson, United soon looked for additional investors the Columbia Phonographic Manufacturing Company (also owners of Columbia Records), rescued the company in April 1927, and as a result, the network was renamed "Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System." Columbia Phonographic went on the air on September 18, 1927, from flagship station WOR in Newark, New Jersey, and 15 affiliates. Prior to the fracturing of the market under cable television, the CBS television network was one of the "Big Three" which dominated broadcasting in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada (the others being ABC and NBC).ĬBS can trace its origins to the creation, on January 27, 1927, of the "United Independent Broadcasters" network. His vision continues to guide not only CBS but the media in general. Paley who viewed broadcasting as communication of entertainment and information to the public, that public being the whole nation. One of the pioneer radio networks, from its earliest days CBS established a reputation for quality, due in no small part to the influence of William S.
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