Is CBS Evening News Number One in the Ratings?

[Markxxx]

I believe that the Columbia Broadcasting System does not exists anymore. I think that CBS is the legal term.

In 1974 it became CBS Inc. When Westinghouse bought it, they changed the name of the whole company to CBS Corporation. It came under the control of Viacom who spun it off into a separate company called CBS Corporation.

 

[rwells2265]

From here on out, it is to be referred to by its full, original name, The Columbia Broadcasting System.

Actually, it was United Independent Broadcasters, then the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System until Paley - er, I mean William S. Paley - took over the network after a year or so, and dropped the "Phonographic."

It was usually announced on-air as being "The Columbia Chain" until World War II. But calling it "CBS" is perfectly OK with 99.999999% of the population. ;D

I was always fond of the "Columbia Chain" label, myself.

I thought about adding all that, but my intent was to tweak the self-imposed Hall Monitor Of The Interwebz, so I used the "KISS" principle.

"This ... is The United Independent Broadcasters Phonographic Broadcasting Chain!"

--Russell

 

[bpatrick]

I've heard various CBS radio broadcasts from the '30s to the '50s.
In the '30 and (at least) the first half of the '40s, the announcers
would say, "This is the Columbia Broadcasting System." By the late
'40s it was "This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System." I did
hear one, on WJSV's "Day From The Golden Age Of Radio" (9/21/39),
introduce the Bob Chester Orchestra in a late-night remote from Ohio,
simply saying, "CBS presents..." and no effort to say "Columbia Broadcasting
System." (Off-topic, but Glenn Miller had difficulty getting bookings in the
Ohio/Indiana/Illinois area because Chester sounded like him and was the local
favorite.)

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

I've heard various CBS radio broadcasts from the '30s to the '50s.

And, of course, for a good part of the "Golden Age of Radio", New Yorkers listened to those CBS programs on WABC!

 

[bpatrick]

IIRC, Bill Paley bought the ABC initials from something called Atlantic
Broadcasting Company. There's an urban legend that Leonard Goldenson
wanted the WABC call letters and that Paley thought, of course, now we
can be WCBS. I don't think it happened quite that way, since the ABC
station in New York used the WJZ (its Blue Network calls) calls well into
the '50s, while the old WABC had become WCBS by the end of the '40s.
In fact, I think Ed Noble still owned ABC when CBS made the call switch.

 

[fybush]

The WABC calls predated CBS' ownership of the station. It was put on the air by radio manufacturer A.H. Grebe in Richmond Hill, Queens, and was originally WAHG, using Grebe's initials. It was Grebe who changed the calls from WAHG to WABC in 1926 when he renamed his company the Atlantic Broadcasting Corporation. When UIB/CBS started in 1927, its first New York affiliate was WOR. Paley didn't buy a New York O&O until 1929, when he had a choice of several signals and ended up with Grebe's WABC.

And the ABC name for the former NBC Blue Network indeed predated Goldenson's involvement by several years. As you note, it was Edward J. Noble who bought the Blue from NBC in 1943, and who renamed it ABC in 1944 after buying the rights to the "ABC" names from several regional networks who were using variations in different regions. CBS' WABC became WCBS in 1946. Goldenson didn't come into the picture until his United Paramount Theaters (UPT) merged with ABC in 1953, which is also when WJZ became WABC.

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

CBS' WABC became WCBS in 1946.

What would really make the story really complete is if WCBS (then in Springfield, IL) were a Blue (later ABC) affiliate. But my trusty Tom Kneitel book is of no aid on that count since the network isn't shown. But if anyone would know, it would be you, Scott!

 

[Mario500]

^WCBS-AM in Springfield, Illinois was an affiliate of the Blue Network, according to past editions of Radio Annual and the Broadcasting Yearbook.

 

[Mario500]

By the way, the call letters "WCBS" for the station in Springfield, Illinois stood for "Wider Coverage Better Service by 1939 (according to a copy of Radio Annual for that year) and by 1947 the station had been renamed WCVS.