This story is about ABC, one of the oldest broadcast television networks in the world. It was founded back in 1948. It has managed to become one of the top three TV networks in the US. Read more about ABC on manhattan-future.com.
Period of foundation
ABC or American Broadcasting Company is a US commercial TV network owned by The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
ABC was founded in 1943 by E. J. Noble as a radio network. But, in 1948, it began to operate in the field of TV broadcasting. The first official broadcast took place on April 19, 1948. Over the next couple of years, ABC strengthened its position by repeatedly forming alliances with major TV producers, such as Warner Bros. and Disney.
The period of success
In 1962, significant progress was made and ABC launched its first color cartoon series, such as The Jetsons and The Flintstones. In 1965-1966, ABC joined the well-known TV networks NBC and CBS and began to show its own shows in color as well. Also in the 1960s, ABC created its own production company, ABC Films, which made films specifically for the channel.
In general, at that time, the network broadcast such programs as American Bandstand, Shindig!, The View, GMA3, General Hospital, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, This Week, Nightline, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as such films as The Invaders, The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits, The Fugitive, Bewitched, Batman, That Girl, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch, Room 222, The Mod Squad, One Life to Live, All My Children, The Edge of Night, Ryan’s Hope, Happy Days, Barney Miller, Three’s Company, Taxi, Starsky and Hutch, S.W.A.T., Hart to Hart, The Love Boat, Family, Dynasty, etc.
In the 1970s, ABC created ABC Pictures, which also produced many good films, such as Cabaret, Take the Money and Run, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? and others. Due to its significant success in TV broadcasting, ABC emerged as the top-rated broadcaster in the US in 1977.
The period of decline
In the late 1980s, the ABC TV network failed, so in 1986 it was sold for $3.5 billion to The Capital Cities Company. Already in 1996, the company was acquired by The Walt Disney Company and renamed ABC Inc. and oriented its broadcasting towards a family audience.
Despite the large lineup of programs, the network still did not have much success. The situation changed in 1999 when a new program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was launched. However, the success did not last long. Due to the high frequency of broadcasts and the emergence of similar programs, ratings dropped dramatically. The network suffered large losses and could not reach its previous performance for a long time.
The revival period and our times
ABC has been able to restore ratings and, moreover, raise them to an unprecedented level since 2004, launching such well-known TV series as Desperate Housewives, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty, as well as shows such as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Dancing with the Stars, etc.
As for our time, the US TV network ABC remains as popular as ever and broadcasts such modern programs as Press Your Luck, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, The Chase, Generation Gap, Danger!, Danger! Masters, GMA3: What You Need to Know, ABC News Live, as well as such films as Will Trent, The Rookie: Feds, Abbott Elementary, Judge Steve Harvey, Claim to Fame, The Parent Test, The Prank Panel, The Golden Bachelor and many more.
