Today in NBC History

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Historical Events

Events 1 - 100 of 466

1920-04-20 - Big Show ends 2 year run on NBC radio
1921-03-21 - Walter Kerr Theater (Ritz, CBS, NBC, ABC) opens at 223 W 48th St NYC
1922-07-25 - AT&T begins broadcasting on WBAY (NYC-later WEAF, WNBC, WRCA & WFAN)
1926-10-09 - NBC (National Broadcasting Corporation) forms
1926-11-15 - 1st formal radio network, RCA takes over AT&T 25 station Network (NBC)
1928-03-19 - "Amos & Andy" debuts on radio (NBC Blue Network-WMAQ Chicago)
1928-12-23 - NBC sets up a permanent, coast-to-coast radio network
1929-10-24 - Ruby Vallee's Fleishmann Hour begins broadcasting on NBC radio
1930-07-30 - 1st broadcast of "Death Valley Days" on NBC-radio
1930-10-20 - Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, premiers on NBC radio
1931-04-06 - 1st broadcast of "Little Orphan Annie" on NBC-radio
1931-10-30 - W2XB TV channel 1 in NYC, NY (NBC) begins broadcasting
1932-04-28 - 1st broadcast of "One Man's Family" on NBC-radio
1932-05-02 - Jack Benny's 1st radio show premieres (NBC Blue Network)
1932-12-02 - "Adv of Charlie Chan" 1st heard on NBC-Blue radio network
1933-06-23 - Don McNeill's Pepper Pot (Breakfast Club) begins 35½ year run on NBC
1935-03-24 - Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour goes national on NBC Radio Network
1935-07-20 - 1st broadcast of "Gang Busters" on NBC-radio
1937-01-25 - 1st broadcast of "Guiding Light" on NBC radio
1937-11-13 - NBC forms 1st full-sized symphony orchestra exclusively for radio
1937-12-12 - NBC & RCA sends 1st mobile-TV vans onto the streets of NY
1937-12-25 - Arturo Toscanini conducts 1st Symphony of the Air over NBC Radio
Actress Mae West 1937-12-27 - Mae West performs Adam & Eve skit that gets her banned from NBC radio
1938-03-26 - NBC radio performance of Howard Hanson's 3rd Symphony
1938-05-17 - Radio quiz show "Information Please!" debuts on NBC Blue Network
1938-07-26 - 1st radio broadcast of "Young Widder Brown" on NBC
1939-04-30 - NBC/RCA 1st public TV demo with FDR at opening of NY World's Fair
1939-08-06 - 1st broadcast of "Dinah Shore Show" on NBC-radio
1941-07-01 - 1st coml TV licenses granted-W2XBS-WNBT (NBC) & WCBW (CBS), NYC
1941-07-01 - WNBT TV (W2XBS, Now WNBC) channel 4 in NYC (NBC) begins broadcasting
1941-08-31 - Great Gildersleeve, a spin-off of Fibber McGee & Molly debuts on NBC
1941-09-03 - KYW TV channel 3 in Philadelphia, PA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1944-02-21 - "War As It Happens" news show premieres on NBC TV (NYC only)
1944-08-13 - Jackie Gleason-Les Tremayne show premieres on NBC radio
1946-05-09 - 1st hour long entertainment TV show, "NBC's Hour Glass" premieres
1946-05-09 - 1st variety show on TV "NBC's Hour Glass," premieres
1946-11-01 - WEAF radio changes call letters to WNBC (NYC)
1947-02-08 - KSD (now KSDK) TV channel 5 in St Louis, MO (NBC) begins broadcasting
1947-03-04 - WWJ (now WDIV) TV channel 4 in Detroit, MI (NBC) begins broadcasting
1947-05-07 - "Kraft Television Theater" premieres on NBC
1947-06-27 - WRC TV channel 4 in Washington DC (NBC) begins broadcasting
1947-10-27 - WMAR TV channel 2 in Baltimore, MD (NBC) begins broadcasting
1947-11-12 - KPO-AM in San Francisco CA changes call letters to KNBC (now KNBR)
1947-11-20 - "Meet the Press" makes network TV debut on NBC
1947-12-27 - 1st "Howdy Doody Show," (Puppet Playhouse), telecast on NBC
1948-01-18 - Ted Mack's "Original Amateur Hour" begins, DuMont (later NBC/ABC/CBS)
1948-02-05 - "Nature of Things" science show premieres on NBC prime time
1948-02-09 - WLWT TV channel 5 in Cincinnati, OH (NBC) begins broadcasting
1948-02-16 - 1st newsreel telecast, "20th Century Fox-Movietone News" shown on NBC
1948-03-20 - 20th Academy Awards - "Gentleman's Agreement," L Young, R Colman win minutes by 2nd live televised musical Arturo Toscvanni on NBC
1948-06-08 - "Milton Berle Show" premieres on NBC TV
1948-06-09 - WBZ TV channel 4 in Boston, MA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1948-07-21 - WSPD TV channel 13 in Toledo, OH (NBC) begins broadcasting
1948-09-21 - "Texaco Star Theater" with Milton Berle premieres on NBC-TV
1948-09-28 - WBAP-TV, (NBC affiliate) Fort Worth Texas, begins broadcasting
1948-09-29 - WBAP (now KXAS) TV channel 5 in Fort Worth-Dallas, TX (NBC) begins
1948-11-24 - WAVE TV channel 3 in Louisville, KY (NBC) begins broadcasting
1948-11-25 - KING TV channel 5 in Seattle, WA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1948-11-29 - "Kukla, Fran, & Ollie" debuted on NBC
1948-11-29 - KOB TV channel 4 in Albuquerque, NM (NBC) begins broadcasting
1948-12-11 - WMC TV channel 5 in Memphis, TN (NBC) begins broadcasting
1948-12-18 - WDSU TV channel 6 in New Orleans, LA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-01-01 - KPRC TV channel 2 in Houston, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-01-03 - "Colgate Theater" dramatic anthology series premieres on NBC TV
1949-01-16 - KNBH (now KNBC) TV channel 4 in Los Angeles, CA (NBC) 1st broadcast
1949-01-31 - 1st daytime soap on TV "These Are My Children" (NBC in Chicago)
1949-03-15 - WICU TV channel 12 in Erie, PA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-03-15 - WLWD (now WDTN) TV channel 2 in Dayton, OH (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-03-18 - WGAL TV channel 8 in Lancaster, PA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-03-21 - WTVJ TV channel 4 in Miami, FL (NBC/CBS) begins broadcasting
1949-04-03 - WLWS (now WCMH) TV channel 4 in Columbus, OH (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-05-29 - Candid Camera, TV comedy Variety, moves to NBC
1949-06-06 - WKY (now KTVY) TV channel 4 in Oklahoma City, OK (NBC) 1st broadcast
1949-06-14 - WROC TV channel 8 in Rochester, NY (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-06-24 - "Hopalong Cassidy" becomes 1st network western (NBC)
1949-07-02 - "Red Barber's Clubhouse" sports show premieres on CBS (later NBC) TV
1949-07-07 - "Dragnet" premieres on NBC radio; also a TV series in 1951 & 1967
1949-07-10 - WJAR TV channel 10 in Providence, RI (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-08-15 - WOTV TV channel 8 in Grand Rapids, MI (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-09-01 - KMTV TV channel 3 in Omaha, NB (CBS/NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-09-15 - WJAC TV channel 6 in Johnstown, PA (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
1949-10-16 - WDAF TV channel 4 in Kansas City, MO (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-10-31 - WOC (now KWQC) TV channel 6 in Davenport, IA (NBC) 1st broadcast
1949-11-15 - KRON TV channel 4 in San Francisco, CA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-11-15 - WSAZ TV channel 3 in Huntington-Charleston, NV (NBC) 1st broadcast
1949-12-01 - WKTV TV channel 2 in Utica, NY (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949-12-11 - WOAI (now KMOL) TV channel 4 in San Antonio, TX (NBC) 1st broadcast
1950-01-30 - "Robert Montgomery Presents" dramatic anthology premieres on NBC TV
1950-02-15 - WSYR (now WSTM) TV channel 3 in Syracuse, NY (NBC) begins broadcasting
Actor & Director Mel Brooks 1950-02-25 - "Your Show of Shows" with Sid Caesar & Imogene Coca premieres on NBC Writers include Mel Brooks, Neil Simon & Woody Allen
1950-07-10 - "Your Hit Parade" premieres on NBC (later CBS) TV
1950-07-20 - "Arthur Murray Party" premieres on ABC TV (later DuMont, CBS, NBC)
1950-09-30 - WSM TV channel 4 in Nashville, TN (NBC) begins broadcasting
1951-02-03 - "Victor Borge Show," debuts on NBC TV
1951-05-14 - Ernie Kovacs Show, TV Variety debut on NBC
1951-06-09 - "Doodles Weaver Show," debuts on NBC-TV
1951-06-22 - Gene Rayburn & Dee Finch show premieres on NBC radio
1951-06-30 - "Victor Borge Show," last airs on NBC-TV
1951-07-02 - Bob & Ray show premieres on NBC radio
1951-09-04 - NBC extends to become a 61 station coast-to-coast network

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Famous Birthdays

Birthdays 1 - 60 of 60

1867-03-25 - Arturo Toscanini, Parma Italy, temperamental conductor (NBC)
1890-08-05 - Erich Kleiber, Vienna Austria, conductor (NBC Symphony 1945-46)
1890-08-12 - Al Goodman, Nikopol Russia, orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour)
1907-09-29 - Richard Harkness, Artesian SD, newscaster (Story of the Week, NBC)
1908-02-13 - Pauline Frederick, journalist/correspondent (UN, NBC TV)
1910-05-12 - Gordon Jenkins, Webster Grove Mo, orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour)
1911-08-09 - Robert McCormick, Danville Ky, NBC newscaster (Current Opinion)
1911-12-10 - Chet Huntley, Cardwell Mont, newscaster (NBC Huntley-Brinkley Report)
1915-11-26 - Earl Wild, Pitts Pa, composer/pianist (Caesar's Hour, NBC Symph 1942)
1919-01-25 - Edwin Newman, NYC, newscaster/journalist/author (NBC-TV, Comment)
1920-04-28 - Nan Merriman, US/Neth singer (Arturo Toscanini NBC Orch)
1920-07-10 - David Brinkley, Wilmington NC, NBC news anchor (Huntley-Brinkley)
1920-07-17 - Bill Monroe, New Orleans La, newscaster (NBC-TV, Congressional Report)
1921-09-12 - Frank McGee, Monroe La, news anchor (NBC Evening News)
1921-10-13 - Harper MacKay, Boston Mass, orchestra leader (NBC Follies)
1923-02-02 - Mary Elizabeth "Liz" Smith, Tx, journlist/author (WNBC, NY Daily News)
1924-12-23 - Floyd Kalber, Omaha Neb, newscaster (NBC Weekend News Anchor-1973)
1926-01-11 - Grant Tinker, broadcasting executive (NBC-TV)
1927-01-27 - Nancy Dickerson, journalist (NBC)
1927-07-14 - John William Chancellor, Chicago Ill, news anchor (NBC, VOA)
1927-11-05 - Robert Abernethy, Geneva Switz, Newscaster (NBC News Encore)
1927-11-29 - Vin[ce] Scully, sportscaster (NBC Baseball Game of the Week)
1928-01-08 - Sander Vanocur, Cleve Ohio, news anchor (NBC Weekend News)
1928-02-09 - Roger Mudd, Wash DC, news ancher (CBS Weekend News, NBC Evening News)
1928-03-24 - Byron "Yanks" Janis, McKeesport Pa, pianist (NBC Symphony Orch)
1929-01-07 - Douglas Kiker, NBC newsman (1970 Peabody Award)
1930-03-05 - Lorin Maazel, Neuilly France, conductor (NBC Symphony Orch 1941)
1930-06-09 - Marvin Kalb, NYC, educator/newscaster (CBS/NBC, Meet the Press)
1931-01-19 - Robert MacNeil, Montreal, news anchor (NBC Weekend News, 1965-67)
1931-06-21 - Lawrence K Grossman, News president (NBC-TV)
1932-02-01 - John Hart, Denver Colo, newsman (CBS News Retrospective, NBC News)
1933-12-28 - Jack Perkins, Cleve Ohio, newscaster (Prime Time Sunday, NBC Magazine)
1935-09-10 - John Palmer, Kingsport Tenn, news anchor (NBC Weekend News)
1936-03-12 - Lloyd Dobbins, Newport News Va, newscaster (NBC News Overnight)
1936-05-12 - Tom Snyder, Milwaukee Wisc, newscaster (Tommorow, NBC Weekend News)
1936-10-12 - Tony Kubek, shortstop (NY Yankees)/sportscaster (NBC-TV, Madison Square Garden)
1937-09-13 - Fred Silverman, broadcasting exec (ABC/NBC/CBS)
1938-09-20 - Pia Lindstrom, critic (WNBC-TV)/journalist (From Russia With Love)
1939-08-28 - Cassie Mackin, newswoman (NBC TV)
1939-11-19 - Garrick Utley, Chic Ill, newscaster (1st Tuesday, NBC Weekend)
1940-02-03 - Jim Hartz, newscaster (NBC-TV, Innovations)
1940-02-06 - Tom Brokaw, Yankton SD, news anchor (NBC Nightly News 1982- )
1940-07-23 - Don Imus, radio disc jockey (WNBC)
1940-12-15 - Nick Buoniconti, NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins)/sportscaster (NBC)
1943-06-12 - Marv Albert, NYC, "Yes!" sportscaster (NBC-TV)/back biter
1944-08-15 - Linda Ellerbee, Bryan Texas, newscaster (Weekend, NBC Overnight)
1946-08-20 - Connie Chung, TV news anchor (NBC, CBS)
1946-10-20 - Connie Chung, Washington DC, news ancher (NBC, CBS)
1946-10-30 - Andrea Mitchell, NYC, newscaster (NBC-TV, Summer Sunday USA)
1947-10-12 - Chris Wallace, Chic Ill, newscaster (NBC Weekend News)
1948-02-02 - Jessica Savitch, Kennet Sq PA, news anchor (NBC)
1949-01-13 - Brandon Tartikoff, TV exec (NBC)
1949-03-12 - Mary Alice Williams, news reporter (NBC-TV)
1950-10-31 - Jane Pauley, Indianapolis Indiana, newscaster (Today, NBC Weekend)
1953-02-26 - Bree Walker, news anchor (WNBC TV, KNBC TV)
1953-12-27 - Arthur Kent, newscaster [Scud Stud], (NBC-Gulf War coverage)
1954-08-20 - Al Roker, Queens NY, weatherman (NBC, Today)
1954-12-02 - Stone Phillips, news host (NBC Dateline)
1962-03-24 - Star Jones, attorney/TV hostess (NBC, Inside Edition)
1962-06-13 - Hannah Storm, sports journalist (CNN, NBC)

Famous Deaths

Deaths 1 - 17 of 17

1957-01-07 - Al White, choreographer (NBC Comedy Hour), dies
1957-01-16 - Arturo Toscanini, Italian US conductor (NBC), dies in NYC at 89
1972-01-10 - Al Goodman, Russian/US orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour), dies at 81
1974-03-20 - Chet Huntley, newscaster (NBC Huntley-Brinkley Report), dies at 62
1983-10-23 - Jessica Savage, Margate NJ, newscaster (NBC Weekend), dies at 36
1983-10-24 - Jessica Savitch, news anchor (NBC-TV), dies at 35
1984-05-01 - Gordon Jenkins, orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour), dies at 73
1986-10-22 - Jane Dornnacker, WNBC-AM NYC helicopter traffic reporter, dies doing a live traffic report as her copter crashes
1990-02-18 - Hulk, fictional character in "Death of Incredible Hulk" on NBC, dies
1991-08-14 - Douglas Kiker, newscaster (NBC-TV), dies of a heart attack at 61
1994-04-03 - Betty Furness, actress/news consumer reporter (WNBC), dies at 78
1994-04-03 - Pat Harper, NYC news anchor (WPIX, WNBC), dies
1994-04-17 - Peter Hacker, US journalist/actor (NBC, Broadcast News), dies at 69
1995-08-16 - John Cameron Swayze, news anchor (NBC), dies at 89
1996-07-12 - John Chancellor, news anchor (VOA, NBC), dies at 68
1997-08-27 - Brandon Tartikoff, TV exec (NBC), dies at 48
Television Journalist Tim Russert (2008-06-13) 2008-06-13 - Tim Russert, American television host, NBC News Meet the Press moderator, dies at 58