ABC is one of the four major television networks in the United States. The other three are CBS, NBC, and Fox. ABC stands for _A_merican _B_roadcasting _C_ompany. ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Company.
ABC was created as a result of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigation into radio network monopolies that took place from 1938 to 1941. The FCC examined CBS and NBC, the two U.S. radio networks then in existence, and determined that NBC must sell one of its two chains of affiliates, which were called the Red Network and the Blue Network. In 1943, NBC sold the Blue Network to the American Broadcasting System, Inc., a firm controlled by Edward J. Noble, the chairman of Life Savers Corporation. In 1945, Noble changed the name of the American Broadcasting System to the American Broadcasting Company.
ABC’s first television broadcast was in 1948. In 1953, ABC merged with United Paramount Theatres Inc. The following year, ABC brought Walt Disney programs to television with “Disneyland.” In 1955, ABC had a hit with the Western “Cheyenne,” the first prime-time series produced by a major motion-picture studio, Warner Bros. Other popular shows during ABC’s early years included the teen-age dance show “American Bandstand” and the Western “Maverick.”
In the 1960’s, ABC broadcast such popular shows as the comic book spoof “Batman,” the police drama “The Mod Squad,” and the situation comedies “That Girl,” “Bewitched,” and “The Brady Bunch.” The ABC medical drama “Marcus Welby, M.D.” (1969-1976) was also popular.
ABC was also a pioneer in sports programming. Many of the special effects and flashy graphics used in sports coverage today began with “Wide World of Sports” (1961-1997). The program often covered sports not usually seen on American television at that time, such as ski jumping and ice skating, and featured personal stories and profiles of teams and players. In 1970, ABC launched prime-time sports programming with “Monday Night Football.” The program was innovative for its use of multiple cameras.
Among the popular ABC shows of the 1970’s were the police dramas “Baretta” and “Charlie’s Angels,” the science-fiction adventure “The Six Million Dollar Man,” the romantic series “The Love Boat,” and the family comedy “Happy Days,” which was set during the 1950’s. In 1977, ABC drew one of the largest audiences in TV history with the miniseries Roots, which traced the history of an African American family from slavery to freedom.
Successful ABC shows during the 1980’s and 1990’s included the comedy “Roseanne,” starring the comedian Roseanne Barr; the police drama “NYPD Blue”; and “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” which featured amusing home movies submitted by viewers.
ABC was sold in 1986 to Capital Cities Communications. It was then sold in 1995 to the Walt Disney Company. Successful shows under Disney ownership include “Lost,” a fantasy drama about castaways on a deserted island; “Desperate Housewives,” a satire about suburban life; “Dancing with the Stars,” a ballroom dancing competition; and the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” In 2013, with the Spanish-language television network Univision, ABC News launched Fusion, an English-language cable TV network targeted toward Hispanic Americans.
See also Univision Communications Inc.; Walt Disney Company .
