Does anyone know when the networks debuted on television. Not counting the radio years.

If you could I would like to know when these neworks debuted on television.

ABC
NBC
CBS
FOX
The WB
UPN
PAX
NICKELODEON
TBS

Hmmm...I'll take a stab on some of them, but I'm sure there's someone who's a little more precise.

FOX - I believe sometime around 1986 or 1987. A couple of it's first shows were "Married...With Children" and "The Tracy Ulman Show."

Nickelodeon - 1979, it was originally called The Pinwheel Network, because of the children's show "Pinwheel." If you'd like more info on Nickelodeon's origin, here are a couple of really great sites:
http://www.johnsrealmonline.com/classicnick/index.html
http://members.tripod.com/~djfury/nick.html

WB - I think it may have started in 1995 or 1996.

UPN - I think UPN may have debuted around the same time the WB did. Maybe even a little later like 1996 or 1997.

TBS I believe went national somewhere in the time period of late 70s..I have a TV Guide from spring 1981 mentioning Ted Turner's TBS..Before that it was avalable in Atlanta as WTBS 17, and still is as a local station.

PAX was at least started by 1996..One of their early shows "Promised Land" premired that year as a sortaspinoff of "Touched by an Angel"

ABC was the last of the big three neworks to be made. ABC came into being on December 25, 1944 (I think). It was made out of an old NBC network of stations called the 'blue network'. Under order by the FCC, it had been sold for $8,000,000 to a man named Edward Nobel. It was started behind NBC & CBS, so that's one of the reasons that it took until the 1970-1971 season for an ABC show ("Marcus Welby, M.D.") to be #01.

CBS first began regular TV broadcasting on W2XAB in New York 28 times a week on July 21, 1931.

NBC first started broadcasting on July 30, 1930 in NY on TV station W2XBS.

FOX was started in 1985.

Originally posted by Burke Snow Winters
FOX was started in 1985.

Wow! I had no clue it was that early! At least I was close, though, LOL :)

Originally posted by ClassicTV4Ever


WB - I think it may have started in 1995 or 1996.

UPN - I think UPN may have debuted around the same time the WB did. Maybe even a little later like 1996 or 1997. [/B]

actually, UPN was out when i was little.. 1984'ish, and the WB i used to watch full houseo n when i was little i still have the tapes, and that was in the early 80's too

Originally posted by Samsgirl xo


actually, UPN was out when i was little.. 1984'ish, and the WB i used to watch full houseo n when i was little i still have the tapes, and that was in the early 80's too

No, UPN came out around 1996 or so, same as The WB. The channels were not called UPN or The WB before, they were just Independent channels. For example, WWOR and WPIX, they had no primetime stuff, all reruns. Same for Fox, they came out in 1985 (or was it 1987?). They were much better than, since WB and UPN has horrible primetime lineups.

buttttttt.. lol, the wb11 was called the wb11, wpix its still called sometimes today, but they always used wb11 and UPN was still WWOR TV and UPN.. Hmm lol who knows!

Originally posted by Samsgirl xo
buttttttt.. lol, the wb11 was called the wb11, wpix its still called sometimes today, but they always used wb11 and UPN was still WWOR TV and UPN.. Hmm lol who knows!

No WPIX was just WPIX and WWOR was just WWOR in those days.
WB-11 and UPN-9 came about in the mid-90s when WB and UPN were created.
Look it up if you don't believe me.

no no i believe you.. you definatly know more than i do.. its my mind confusing me.. grr, im sorry! lol you live in linden right.. so you'd have gotten the same stations as me!

Originally posted by Samsgirl xo
no no i believe you.. you definatly know more than i do.. its my mind confusing me.. grr, im sorry! lol you live in linden right.. so you'd have gotten the same stations as me!

Yes Linden. Yeah same channels. The best channels in the world, atleast they use to be, lol.

Fox Broadcasting's first show was the late-night "Late Show Starring Joan Rivers" in the fall of 1986. Fox started its prime-time schedule in April, 1987 with a Sunday night schedule that included "Married...With Children" and "The Tracey Ullman Show".

lol pavan.. yea tv sucks now.. i remember when married with children used to be on fox! aww.. the old days

Originaly Posted by PavanBadal
The WB has a horrible Primetime lineup

Watchoo talkin' 'bout PaVan?

lol

TBS was born WJRJ 17 in Atlanta. Ted Turner bought it in 1970 and renamed it WTCG after his company name Turner Communications Group. In 1976, WTCG adopted the "superstation" name and was the second channel to go national via satellite (behind HBO in 1972). When Turner Communications Group changed its name to Turner Broadcasting System in 1979, WTCG's calls were changed to WTBS. I have a TV Guide from fall 1978 which has an ad for WTCG SuperStation. PAX TV I remember started on August 31, 1998. I remember I was happy because they were going to show The Hogan Family. Both UPN and WB started the first or second week of January 1995.