ABC Network TV

ABC (American Broadcasting Company) was founded in 1943 and is owned by The Walt Disney Company. ABC’s first broadcast was in 1948 and is one of the “Big Three” TV networks. ABC is host to many popular and highly-rated American TV shows including, most recently, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy. ABC has played host to some of the most popular soap operas of all time; soap operas have always been an American television staple attracting millions of loyal viewers each and every weekday afternoon. All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital are all products of ABC and have been near the top of the list of popular soaps for decades. If you cried at Luke and Laura’s wedding or can list Erica Kane’s husbands, then you’re obviously a longtime fan of ABC.

ABC Local Network
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ABC Family

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NBC Network TV

NBC (National Broadcasting Company) was founded in 1926 by RCA (Radio Corporation of America) and was the first major American TV network. Headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City and famous for its peacock logo, NBC was passed to General Electric (GE) in 1986 when GE purchased RCA for over $6 million. NBC is now part of NBCUniversal, a collaboration with Comcast and GE. With almost 200 affiliates in the U.S. and its territories, NBC is one of America’s “Big Three” television networks. Some NBC hits of past and present include ER, Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, Hill Street Blues, Cheers, Today, Friends and Law & Order. Soap opera fans have enjoyed NBC’s hit Days of Our Lives for over four decades now.

NBC Local Network
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NBC News
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FOX Network TV

Fox (Fox Broadcasting Company) is more commonly known as just FOX (all capital letters) and is an American broadcasting network owned by Fox Entertainment Group launched in 1986. In 2007, FOX became the most popular network in American television (according to household ratings), replacing then-champion, CBS. CBS took its spot back the following season. Some past and current FOX hit American TV shows include The Simpsons, Glee, American Idol, House, Cops, and So You Think You Can Dance. Fox is probably most famous for launching the hugely popular soap-opera dramas of the 1990’s: Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place and Party of Five. X-Files starring David Duchovny was a long-running FOX hit and was the first FOX show to finish in Nielsen’s year-end Top 20.

FOX Local Network
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FOX News Channel

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HBO Network TV

HBO (Home Box Office) launched in 1972 and is a premium American network owned by Time Warner. At the current time, approximately 28.2 million Americans subscribe to HBO making it the second largest subscription channel second only to Encore. HBO can be watched in over 150 countries outside the United States. At first, HBO only broadcast for nine hours a day (for its first nine years, in fact), but in September 1981, it began broadcasting a 24-hour-a-day weekend only schedule. A few months later, HBO could be viewed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. HBO is known for having no commercials; instead, HBO subscribers will watch trailers of upcoming HBO specials and series, and HBO has always been known for its uncensored programming. Hits like The Sopranos, Entourage, Six Feet Under and Sex and the City won HBO critical acclaim and hundreds of Emmy® nominations and awards. True Blood and Boardwalk Empire are current HBO network hits.

HBO-E
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HBO Family
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CBS Network TV

CBS Broadcasting Inc is also one of the “Big Three” American TV networks and started out as a radio network; CBS got its letters from its former name, Columbia Broadcasting System, and is often referred to as the “eye” network due to the company logo. Bought by William S. Paley in 1928 and renamed the Columbia Broadcasting System, CBS dropped its full name in 1974 and became simply CBS. In 2000, CBS was bought by Viacom, and currently, CBS is controlled by Summer Redstone through its parent company, National Amusements. Some past CBS hits were All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H*, Barnaby Jones, Kojak, and The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. More recent CBS hits are Two and a Half Men, Everybody Loves Raymond, The King of Queens and How I Met Your Mother.

CBS Local Network
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Comedy Central Network TV

Comedy Central (originally known as the The Comedy Channel) was launched by Time Warner, the owners of HBO, in November 1989 and is the first American network for strictly comedy-based programming. It was not until 1991 that Viacom bought out Time Warner’s share and The Comedy Channel became known as Comedy Central. Comedy Central has hosted several hit American TV shows including The Daily Show, Whose Line is it Anyway?, South Park, The Kids in the Hall and Chappelle’s Show.

Comedy Central
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USA Network TV

USA Network, more commonly just USA, is an American TV network first launched in 1971 and is known as being the first American television network to choose satellite delivery over microwave relay to cable systems. USA was only available after 5:00 p.m. and after noon on weekends, but in 1981, USA began daily programming at 6:00 a.m. Eventually, USA would offer viewers around-the-clock programming and aired reruns of popular shows like Love Connection and The People’s Court. USA has produced some successful legal-themed shows such as In Plain Sight, White Collar, Psych and Burn Notice.

USA
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CW Network TV

The CW Television Network is new to the American television network scene and was launched at the start of the 2006 fall TV season as a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Time Warner’s Warner Bros. The “CW” in the name of the network comes from the first letter of the names of the companies (CBS and Warner Bros.) and focuses its TV programming on the 18-34-year-old demographic. Some of the hits of the The CW include 7th Heaven, America’s Next Top Model, Gilmore Girls, The Drew Carey Show and Veronica Mars. The CW gears its programming toward female teens and young adults.

CW TV Network
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TBS Network TV

TBS (Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.) is a very popular American television network and the company managing all the cable networks owned by Robert “Ted” Turner. Started in the mid-1970’s, TBS has headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1996, TBS merged with Time Warner and now operates as a unit of Time Warner. Turner’s assets include CNN, HLN, TNT, Cartoon Network, truTV and Turner Classic Movies, just to name a few. TBS is known for so much great American television and airs reruns of some of the most popular comedies of all time: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends, King of Queens, and Seinfeld. TBS fans can catch all the latest Atlanta Braves baseball games. If you’re a movie buff, you can tune into Dinner and a Movie every Friday night on TBS and get your latest fix of classic movies and a great new dinner recipe! TBS Saturdays offer Movie and a Makeover for those looking to do some “self improvement” while they watch their favorite blockbuster movies.

TBS Network
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PBS Network TV

PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) is a non-profit American television network with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia and with over 350 member TV stations throughout the United States. Founded in 1970, PBS has long been considered America’s “most trusted” television network and has produced such hits as Masterpiece Theatre, Antiques Roadshow, PBS NewsHour and Frontline. Unlike other networks that air paid commercials, PBS member stations pay fees for the shows aired. There are no traditional commercials on PBS that you’d see on another American television network.

PBS Network
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