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Indeed NBC is a leading TV station in America, and is popular with many Americans due to its diverse programs and shows. Headquartered in the Rockefeller Center in New York, National Broadcasting Company/ NBC has some really unique colors in form of a logo, and this has led to some referring the station to as the “Peacock Network”. The fact that the station was founded in the year 1926 means that this is undoubtedly one of the oldest broadcast networks in the whole of America.
It may surprise many Americans to note that initially, the station used to be so much associated with David Sarnoff, who in most cases used it to enhance the sale of consumer electronics. But anyway, the first actual broadcasts of NBC were around the time that the British King and Queen visited New York’s world fair. That aside, the very first time that the NBC can be said to have broadcast its most ambitious program, was during the pre war era when there was a republican convention from Philadelphia in 1940. This broadcast was aired live to Schenectady and New York. But still, during this time the cost of running a TV station was still too high and the station failed to expand and grow as expected. There was a lack of regular programming, and the sets used were unaffordable to most people. In fact, the only places one would be lucky to find a set was either in bars and hotels, or other places where people would congregate to view certain sporting events or news items.
Nowadays, NBC is available to over 112 million households in the USA, and it is estimated that over 96 percent of all those with TV sets in their homes watch the station each day. Besides, NBC has other subsidiary TV stations within the USA, and the territories around. One thing that has distinguished the station from most other stations in America is its prominence on news items, and the frequency with which they air their news items. This house policy of availing as much news items to their viewers has its origin to the days when the network was still a radio station. Some of their most popular news productions include Early Today, The Today Show, Dateline NBC, and Meet The Press. The news division of this network has of late gone ahead and expanded to other channels that include CNBC, MSNBC, and another one still that deals with weather news. Suffice it to note that CNBC is meant to quench the thirst of audiences thirsty for current and detailed business news, while MSNBC offers general news to audiences from far and wide.
The scheduling and programming at NBC is unique, with the station operating on a regular network system of programming on an 87 hour basis. 22 hours are dedicated to programming of stations that are affiliated to NBC. The station combines programs that are ideal for small children, adults, and even teenagers who are fond of soap operas and entertainment. For example the world famous soap opera, Days Of Our Lives, has been airing on the station for decades, since 1965. They also air several daytime dramas, and some of them included Another World, Santa Barbara, and many more. But one program that was quite popular but got aired briefly was Search for Tomorrow, aired between 1982, and 1986. Since its creation, NBC has always tried to air programs that are ideal for children. One of the most famous children programs aired by the station included The Price Is Right, which used to be a popular show between 1956 and 1963. Today, there are cartoon shows, and even the latest animated movies, which are mostly aired on weekends. However, it was not until 2002 that NBC struck a deal with Discovery Communication’s Discovery Kids channel, to air some kid’s programs that were sort of educational. These programs included versions with themes ideal for kids, before proceeding to include some series that were animated.
But away from the programming at NBC, perhaps one thing that is noticed and attracts much attention is their logo. So one may wonder, when was it invented? Has it been there for as long as the station been there, and such like questions. But the simple truth is that NBC has over the years used different logos for their station. But even the early logos were almost similar to the present one, only that it was later decided that the logo should incorporate those images of the peacock.
Nowadays, one can get international broadcasts of NBC in Canada, through cable television, or through satellite TV providers. Thus one can get the sane broadcasts that are being made in the USA. To crown it even more, the broadcasts can also be received in Latin America, Europe, and in the Middle East.
Unlike most networks other network stations that air programs that are exclusively produced by other producers, NBC is one of the few TV stations that have produced their own in house programs. This is to say that much as they rely on other programs produced elsewhere, they also have produced some notable productions that have been rated highly. They include Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Crossing Jordan, and also Get smart. These programs, although aired a while back, were a hit and became a must watch for most viewers.
In this time and moment, NBC has numerous affiliate broadcasters allover the world, which broadcast their programs under as subsidiaries of NBC. These affiliate broadcasters include La Sexta in Spain, TV Azteca in Mexico, TVN for Chile, and Rede Record of Brazil. Besides, they also broadcast in Venezuela through RCTV and Venesion. In other words, there are numerous broadcasters around the world that broadcast same programs by NBC.
Finally, it is worth noting that NBC has a reputation for bringing famous people and celebrities in their station, where the public can know what they want to know about them. For example, CNBC, a division of NBC that deals exclusively in business items invites experts in stock trading, or experts to shed more light during the recent global economic meltdown that affected America and the world at large.
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