NBC was founded by the Radio Corporation of America on November 15, 1926, which means that the radio network will soon celebrate its centennial birthday. True, NBC didn’t go into the TV business until 1939, but since one medium begat the other, and since my life and career has mostly been shaped by television, allow me to use this special anniversary of one medium to wax nostalgic about the other.
When thinking about NBC’s legacy, two words come to mind: Tradition and Continuity. Meet the Press has been on the air since 1947, The Today Show since 1952, and The Tonight Show since 1954 (the year I was born). I had the pleasure of knowing funny man Steve Allen who created and hosted The Tonight Show for its first three seasons. His intellect and sense of humor set a high bar for all late-night hosts to come, and his footprint is still visible in every interview desk and every comedy sketch. Another late-night entry, Saturday Night Live, has been on air since 1975, and Law and Order SVU is now the longest running prime-time live action series in history. Talk about tradition and continuity.
NBC has had other ground-breaking programs in its storied line-up, including Howdy Doody, the first coast-to-coast kid’s show. And it was NBC that broadcast the first baseball World Series in 1947. In 1957 Nat King Cole became the first African American to host his own variety show, and in 1968 Diahann Carroll became the first Black woman to headline her own sitcom (Julia). Looking for talent shows? The Original Amateur Hour was popular five decades before American Idol.
NBC also pioneered the use of color in prime-time, starting with Bonanza in 1959. It’s difficult for kids today to imagine the excitement that my generation experienced when we first saw the NBC peacock spread its multi-colored feathers as the announcer said, “The following program is brought to you in living color on NBC”. It still gives me goosebumps when I come across those old network intros on Youtube.
In 1951 Red Skelton launched his own variety series on NBC, proving that a successful film star could also host a successful TV series (Though he moved his show to CBS, Red returned to the Peacock network in 1970 to wrap up his 20 year run). Meanwhile, another film comedian, Bob Hope, made his mark with occasional specials such as his annual Christmas time excursions to entertain our troops overseas.
In the 1990’s NBC coined the phrase “Must See TV” with shows like Cheers, The Golden Girls, Designing Women, Friends, Seinfeld, and The Cosby Show.
Along the way, NBC was also known for its over-the-top comedies like Laugh-In and Get Smart, and for providing audiences with reliable nightly news starting with the nation’s first dual, multi-city anchor team on The Huntley Brinkley Report. It’s also the network that gave us light-hearted dramas like Matlock and Rockford, and for being the first television network to give rise to a film franchise in Star Trek.
Today NBC has a dozen owned and operated TV stations, plus 222 affiliate stations, and its current crop of shows includes my friend Dick Wolf’s Law & Order duo and his Chicago trio (Fire, Med, and PD).
I hope to be around in 13 years to celebrate NBC TV’s 100th birthday, by which time, I’ll be watching SNL’s 65th season, and a 75 year-old Mariska Hargitay putting handcuffs on SVU bad guys.
For now, though, I’m just happy to recognize NBC radio for giving birth to the medium I love – television.
Jim Longworth is a columnist for YESWeekly.com, and author of the "TV Creators" series of books. He also serves as judge for the primetime EMMYs, and hosts a weekly TV show for Sinclair stations.
When thinking about NBC’s legacy, two words come to mind: Tradition and Continuity. Meet the Press has been on the air since 1947, The Today Show since 1952, and The Tonight Show since 1954 (the year I was born). I had the pleasure of knowing funny man Steve Allen who created and hosted The Tonight Show for its first three seasons. His intellect and sense of humor set a high bar for all late-night hosts to come, and his footprint is still visible in every interview desk and every comedy sketch. Another late-night entry, Saturday Night Live, has been on air since 1975, and Law and Order SVU is now the longest running prime-time live action series in history. Talk about tradition and continuity.
NBC has had other ground-breaking programs in its storied line-up, including Howdy Doody, the first coast-to-coast kid’s show. And it was NBC that broadcast the first baseball World Series in 1947. In 1957 Nat King Cole became the first African American to host his own variety show, and in 1968 Diahann Carroll became the first Black woman to headline her own sitcom (Julia). Looking for talent shows? The Original Amateur Hour was popular five decades before American Idol.
In 1951 Red Skelton launched his own variety series on NBC, proving that a successful film star could also host a successful TV series (Though he moved his show to CBS, Red returned to the Peacock network in 1970 to wrap up his 20 year run). Meanwhile, another film comedian, Bob Hope, made his mark with occasional specials such as his annual Christmas time excursions to entertain our troops overseas.
I hope to be around in 13 years to celebrate NBC TV’s 100th birthday, by which time, I’ll be watching SNL’s 65th season, and a 75 year-old Mariska Hargitay putting handcuffs on SVU bad guys. 
