Synopses & Reviews
On November 15, 1926, the National Broadcasting Company aired its inaugural radio broadcasta night of entertainment from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. NBCs first president, Merlin H. Aylesworth, enthusiastically kicked off the evening. "Think of it!" he exclaimed. "Ten or maybe twelve million persons may be hearing what takes place in this ballroom tonight."
Little did he know that this was the beginning of a journey that would put NBC into the hearts, minds, and homes of millions of Americans through a medium that had yet to be developed: television. Since that spectacular evening more than seventy-five years ago, NBC has continued to provide the American publicthrough television, radio, and the Internetwith entertainment and information that has paralleled our nations social and political history.
Brought to You in Living Color: 75 Years of Great Moments in Television & Radio from NBC is a visually striking panorama of the news events, personalities, characters, and programs that have punctuated American life from the debut of NBC Radio through its rise to a television powerhouse. Resplendent with rare photos, this volume acknowledges not just the accomplishments of NBC but the achievements of a great many talented individuals who collectively have helped create the seventy-five-year history of the first broadcast network.
This commemorative book opens with NBC Radios broadcasts of the first hit situation comedy, Amos n Andy, Clem McCarthys calling the first broadcast of the Kentucky Derby, FDR calming a nation with his "fireside chats," and Benny Goodman swinging away on Lets Dance.
The fascinating journey continues as television establishes itself as one of the most important components in American life. Youll see how NBC sold mom, dad, and the kids on the value of television with Milton Berles Texaco Star Theater, live coverage of the 1947 World Series, and Buffalo Bobs Howdy Doody. Page by colorful page, youll learn how television ushered in a new era of news, entertainment, and sports through on-air personalities such as David Brinkley, Sid Caesar, and Steve Allen, along with business and programming visionaries such as "General" David Sarnoff, Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, Grant Tinker, Brandon Tartikoff, and Bob Wright.
Brought to You in Living Color is a collection of shared memories that everyone can relate to. Weve all experienced these events in one way or another, and this rich and vibrant book reminds us how: weve woken up to the Today show, understood the markets through CNBC, spent our days with Days of our Lives, laughed with Carson and Leno on The Tonight Show, heard the news from Tom Brokaw, cruised the South Beach strip with Miami Vice, made new friends with Friends, peeked inside the White House with The West Wing, graded politicians on Meet the Press, and felt the glory of sports through the Olympics, Wimbledon, the Super Bowl, the World Series, and other exciting events.
Brought to You in Living Color brings to life NBCs most cherished moments, capturing seventy-five years of NBC magic from its earliest radio broadcasts and the Golden Age of Television to the era of "Must See TV." Visually stunning and engagingly written, this colorful book, like the events, personalities, and programs it chronicles, is an exploration and celebration of both American culture and the nations first broadcast network.
Synopsis
Great Moments in Television & Radio
"Broadcasting is a great resource in a nation of so much diversity, giving everyone equal access to information, education,and entertainment. That's a powerful equation for people in a free society."
Tom Brokaw
Synopsis
Great Moments in Television & Radio
"Broadcasting is a great resource in a nation of so much diversity, giving everyone equal access to information, education,and entertainment. That's a powerful equation for people in a free society."
-Tom Brokaw
About the Author
NBC: NBC has evolved from its beginnings as a radio broadcaster into a diverse, international media company. In addition to the NBC Television Network and thirteen television stations (with an agreement to acquire a fourteenth), the company owns CNBC, operates MSNBC in partnership with Microsoft, and maintains equity interests in a number of additional cable networks. NBC also recently entered into an agreement to acquire Telemundo, the nation's second-largest Spanish-language media company. NBC is owned by General Electric, one of the world's leading corporations, with operations in more than 100 countries and more than 300,000 employees worldwide.
MARC ROBINSON has practiced law, run a product group on Wall Street, pioneered in the field of simplified communications, provided strategic marketing and advertising to top-tier financial firms, and authored over twenty books for the personal finance, children's, and coffee-table book markets. He is the owner of Top Down, a book packager; CEO/founder of MoneyTours, an online personal finance employee benefit; and cofounder of the Latino Education Achievement Project (LEAP).
Table of Contents
Foreword.
Preface.
Introduction.
Chapter 1: (1926-1938) The Birth of the National Experience.
Live From New York...
It's a Radio Network!
Laughter is the Great Unifier.
Network News Begins.
Sport is the Biggest Drawing Card.
Radio City.
A Revolution in Politics.
A Nation Swings to the Music.
Chapter 2: (1939-1945) NBC is Red, Blue, and...White.
Television Goes Public.
America Goes to War.
Thanks for the Memories.
On the Brink Television.
Chapter 3: (1946-1949) Ready, Set, Go!
Take me Out to the Ball Game.
From Stage to Screen.
Mr. Television.
Say Kids, What Time Is It?
Going the Distance: Meet the Press.
Celebrating Holiday Traditions.
Chapter 4: (1950-1955) Seeing is Believing.
The Man with the Vision: Pat Weaver.
Comedy Coast to Coast.
Your Show of Shows.
Say the Secret Word and...
Network TV Finds a Home.
Spectacular Television.
Just the Facts, Ma'am.
Hopscotching the World: The Birth of TV Journalism.
The Today Show--The Garroway Era.
Every Picture Tells a Story.
Peter Pan.
This Could be the Start of Something Big.
Chapter 5: (1956-1963) Television Goes West.
The Quiz Show Scandals.
Westward Ho!
Family Life on the Ponderosa.
The Greatest Game Ever Played: Football Hits the Big Time.
Feel-Good America.
Small Viewers, Big Ideas.
Goodnight, David...Goodnight, Chet.
The Tonight Show--The Jack Paar Era.
The First Television President.
Chapter 6: (1963-1970) Tuned in, Turned On.
The Times They Are A-Changin'.
The New Frontier.
Beam Me Up, Scotty!
Spies Like Us.
The Wonderful World of Color.
Sock it to Me!
The Game Within the Super Game.
The Today Show--The Walters and Downs Era.
You've Got a Long Way to Go, Baby.
Sands Through the Hourglass.
And the Beat Goes On...
He-e-e-e-e-rrre's Johnny!
Chapter 7: (1971-1979) TV Gets Real.
The Fall of Saigon and a President.
Reality Comes to the Mean Streets.
Sanford and Chico.
The Devil Made Him Do It.
Live From New York--It's Saturday Night!
Isn't That Special!
Little House on the Prairie: Folksy Farmers and Family Values.
Staying Up Late--The Midnight Special.
The Genesis of Reality TV: Real People.
Big Events, Big Stars.
The Game That Transformed Sports Television.
Chapter 8: (1980-1986) The Second Golden Age.
Defenders of Quality.
Let's be Careful Out There.
Where Everybody Knows Your Name.
Family Ties.
Cool Cops, a Suave Impostor, and a Private Army on the Run.
Baseball's show of Shows.
Insomniacs Delight.
What a Difference Today Makes.
Lawyers in Love.
Living in a Different World.
Golden Girls--and Boys.
Guess Who's Coming to Prime Time: Bill Cosby.
Chapter 9: (1986-1999) A New Era in Broadcasting.
The Wright Stuff.
Business News, Consumer Tips, and a Rough Start.
Dateline NBC.
Friends and Family.
Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs.
Masters of Their Domain.
Mad About You.
Family Values for a New Generation.
That Was the Decade That Was.
Bob Hope: A Legend in Laughter.
Last Hurrahs.
Chapter 10: (2000-2002) A New Century.
In the Criminal Justice System...
"Sir, I am a Complete Unknown!
No Consolation Prizes, No Lovely Parting Gifts...
Profiting From Experience.
NBC and Microsoft Get Connected.
Saturday Night Alive and Well.
Behind the Medicine.
This Is Today, on NBC.
Meet the Press--The Russert Era.
A New Age in Sports Broadcasting.
America's Olympic Network.
The Personal Drama of Politics.
Jay Leno: Keeping Tonight on Top.
Nightly News, Brokaw Style.
September Eleventh.
Afterword.
Bibliography.
Credits.
Index.