Progressive Broadcasting System

Last updated

The Progressive Broadcasting System (PBS) was a short-lived radio network of the early 1950s. "[C]atering to smaller radio stations," [1] the company had hoped to affiliate with around 1,000 radio stations in the United States which did not already have affiliation agreements with the "Big Four" national radio networks of those days: NBC, CBS, ABC, and Mutual, as well as LBS, second in size to Mutual.

Contents

Time announced the company's formation on September 4, 1950. Broadcasts began November 26, 1950. [2]

Operation

Progressive planned to offer programming for 10 hours of the day on as many as 350 radio stations. At a press conference August 10, 1950, Progressive President Larry Finley told reporters, "Advertising will be local, except for the night programs, and there will be no network option time." [3] The network's flagship station was KGFJ in Hollywood. [3]

Two hundred stations were needed for the network to break even. However, only "about 100 stations" joined, and the network folded at the end of its schedule on January 31, 1951. [4]

Organization

After "nearly two years of planning and organization," PBS had capitalization of $1,500,000 and was incorporated in California. [5]

Executives of the network included Miller McClintock, chairman and chief executive; [6] Larry Finley, president; Donald Withycomb, executive vice president; Edgar H. Twalmley, vice president in charge of the eastern division; Robert B. White, vice president in charge of the central division; [5] B.B. Robinson, vice president in charge of finance; [7] Kolin Hagar, eastern district manager; [8] and Nat Linden, chief of production. [9]

Programming

Billing its offerings as "The world's greatest daytime network radio programming," [10] PBS made programming ("aimed primarily at the housewife" [5] ) available to affiliates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. [11] Programs offered were much like those of other networks, "including an array of soap operas, quiz shows, children's features, variety shows and audience participation programs." [3]

Public service

On December 15, 1950, President Harry S. Truman proclaimed "the existence of a state of national emergency." [11] Afterward, PBS officials sent a letter to approximately 60 agencies and departments of the federal government saying that "its program lines [would be] kept open until 11 p.m. and offering those evening hours to the government for any messages or programs which PBS can take to its member stations in support of defense and emergency activities." [11]

Initial program lineup

The following is the lineup of programs with which PBS launched its operation. [3]

ProgramStarLengthDays
Grand Motel (soap opera) Marc Lawrence 15 minutesMonday - Friday
This Is Mine (soap opera) Barbara Britton 15 minutesMonday - Friday
Betty Carr, Detective (soap opera) Hope Emerson 15 minutesMonday - Friday
Cindy (soap opera) Jeanne Cagney 15 minutesMonday - Friday
Taylored Lady (fashion news)Estelle Taylor30 minutesMonday - Friday
Mary Grove At Home (home economics)Mary Grove15 minutesMonday - Friday
My Secret Desire (audience participation) Ann Dvorak 30 minutesMonday - Friday
Mel Tormé Time (music) Mel Tormé 30 minutesMonday - Friday
Our Best to YouTom Hanlon30 minutesMonday - Friday
Hart of Hollywood (studio tours)Maurice Hart30 minutesMonday - Friday
Great American QuizHal Sawyer30 minutesMonday - Friday
Bar None Ranch Cottonseed Clark 30 minutesMonday - Friday
Movietown NewsCharlotte Rogers15 minutesMonday - Friday
Uncle Remus (children's stories)Jimmy Scribner15 minutesMonday - Friday
World of Sports Lou Nova 15 minutesMonday - Friday
Young Ideas Harry Von Zell 30 minutesSaturday
The Old SkipperCaptain Hix15 minutesSaturday
Club TimeBob McLaughlin3 hoursSaturday
Mindy Carson Show Mindy Carson 15 minutesSaturday
Vic Damone Show Vic Damone 30 minutesSaturday
Hugh Said It Hugh Herbert 30 minutesSunday
Progressive Music Stan Kenton 30 minutesSunday
Connie Haines Entertains Connie Haines 1 hourSunday
Mel Torme Time (Sunday Version)Mel Tormé1 hourSunday
Frankie Laine Show Frankie Laine 2 hoursSunday
Page Pages You Page Cavanaugh 30 minutesSunday

Related Research Articles

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Private corporation funded by the American people

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an American non-profit corporation created in 1967 and funded by the American taxpayer, as stated under their logo in use since 2000, to promote and help support public broadcasting. The corporation's mission is to ensure universal access to non-commercial, high-quality content and telecommunications services. It does so by distributing more than 70 percent of its funding to more than 1,400 locally owned public radio and television stations.

National Educational Television Former American television network

National Educational Television (NET) was a United States educational broadcast television network that operated from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970. It was owned by the Ford Foundation and later co-owned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It was succeeded by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which has memberships with many television stations that were formerly part of NET.

Mutual Broadcasting System Former American radio broadcasting network

The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, Mutual was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow. For many years, it was a national broadcaster for Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and Notre Dame football. From the mid-1930s and until the retirement of the network in 1999, Mutual ran a highly respected news service accompanied by a variety of popular commentary shows. During the late 1970s, Mutual pioneered the nationwide late night call-in radio show and introduced the country to Larry King.

Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which was broken up in 2007; Cumulus owned the portion of the network that was purchased by Citadel Broadcasting that year.

WBIX Portuguese-language radio station in Boston

WBIX – branded Nossa Rádio USA – is a commercial Brazilian Portuguese radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston. Owned by the International Church of the Grace of God, the WBIX studios are located in the Boston suburb of Somerville, while the station transmitter resides in Quincy, on the southern banks of the Neponset River near the Southeast Expressway. Besides its main analog transmission, WBIX is available online.

Griffin Communications Media company in Oklahoma

Griffin Communications is a media company based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company began as a subsidiary of successful Muskogee-based Griffin Foods, which features a popular line of pancake and waffle syrups and other foods.

HBO American pay television network

Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television network owned by WarnerMedia Studios & Networks and the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc. Maintaining a general entertainment format, programming featured on the network consists primarily of theatrically released motion pictures and original television programs as well as made-for-cable movies, documentaries, occasional comedy and concert specials, and periodic interstitial programs.

WGBH Educational Foundation Public broadcasting organization in Boston

The WGBH Educational Foundation, also known since August 2020 as simply GBH, is a Boston-based public broadcasting group. Established in 1951, it operates all of the PBS member stations in Massachusetts, including its flagship WGBH-TV, sister station WGBX-TV, and a group of NPR member stations in the state. It also owns WGBY-TV in Springfield while New England Public Media operates WGBY-TV under a program service agreement.

The Yankee Network was an American radio network, based in Boston, Massachusetts, with affiliate radio stations throughout New England. At the height of its influence, the Yankee Network had as many as twenty-four affiliated radio stations. The network was co-founded by John Shepard III and his brother Robert, in 1929–1930. The beginnings of what became the Yankee Network occurred in the mid-1920s, when John Shepard's Boston station WNAC linked by telephone land lines with Robert Shepard's Providence, Rhode Island station WEAN, so that the two stations could share or exchange programming. Those two stations became the first two Yankee Network stations. In 1930, they were joined by the first affiliated radio stations, including WLBZ in Bangor, Maine; WORC in Worcester, Massachusetts; WNBH in New Bedford, Massachusetts; and WICC in Bridgeport, Connecticut. During the 1930s, the network became known for developing its own local and regional news bureau, the Yankee News Service. The Yankee Network and the Yankee News Service operated until February 1967.

DZRB-AM Radio station in Metro Manila, Philippines

DZRB, on-air as Radyo Pilipinas (RP1), is a radio station owned and operated by the Philippine Broadcasting Service, an agency under the Presidential Communications Operations Office. It serves as the flagship station of the Radyo Pilipinas network. The station's studios are located at the 4/F, PIA/Media Center Building, Visayas Ave., Brgy. Vasra, Diliman, Quezon City, and its transmitter is located at Brgy. Marulas, Valenzuela City. It operates from 4am to 10pm on weekdays and 4am to 8pm on weekends.

Paramount Television Network Former American television network

The Paramount Television Network (PTN) was a venture by American film corporation Paramount Pictures to organize a television network in the late 1940s. The company built television stations KTLA in Los Angeles and WBKB in Chicago; it also invested $400,000 in the DuMont Television Network, which operated stations WABD in New York City, WTTG in Washington, D.C., and WDTV in Pittsburgh. Escalating disputes between Paramount and DuMont concerning breaches of contract, company control, and network competition erupted regularly between 1940 and 1956, and culminated in the dismantling of the DuMont Network. Television historian Timothy White called the clash between the two companies "one of the most unfortunate and dramatic episodes in the early history of the television industry."

WRNL Radio station in Richmond, Virginia

WRNL is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia. WRNL features a sports radio format and is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc.. The station's studios, offices and transmitter are all co-located just north of the Richmond city line on Basie Road in unincorporated Henrico County.

Major League Baseball on Mutual was the de facto title of the Mutual Broadcasting System's (MBS) national radio coverage of Major League Baseball games. Mutual's coverage came about during the Golden Age of Radio in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. During this period, television sports broadcasting was in its infancy, and radio was still the main form of broadcasting baseball. For many years, Mutual was the national radio broadcaster for baseball's All-Star Game and World Series.

KFIV Radio station in Modesto, California

KFIV is a broadcast radio station in the United States. Licensed to Modesto, California, it has a talk format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.

WGRI is a radio station broadcasting an Urban gospel format, licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The station is currently owned by Christian Broadcasting System, Ltd. The station's transmitter is located in Covington, Kentucky, where the station was originally established and broadcast until 1960.

PBS American public television network

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and television program distributor. It is a nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational television programming to public television stations in the United States, distributing series such as American Experience, America's Test Kitchen, Antiques Roadshow, Arthur, Barney & Friends, Between the Lions, Cyberchase,Clifford the Big Red Dog, Downton Abbey, Elinor Wonders Why, Finding Your Roots, Frontline, The Magic School Bus, The Kidsongs Television Show, Masterpiece Theater, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Nature, Nature Cat, Nova, the PBS NewsHour, Peg + Cat, Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, Teletubbies, Keeping up Appearances and This Old House.

The MGM Theater of the Air was a one-hour radio dramatic anthology in the United States. It was broadcast on WMGM in New York City and syndicated to other stations via electrical transcription October 14, 1949 – December 7, 1951. It was carried on Mutual January 5-December 27, 1952.

<i>The Frank Sinatra Show</i> (radio program)

The Frank Sinatra Show was a title applied—in some cases specifically and in other cases generically—to several radio musical programs in the United States, some of which had other distinct titles as indicated below. Singer Frank Sinatra starred in the programs, some of which were broadcast on CBS, while others were on NBC.

Dan Seymour (announcer)

Dan Seymour was an announcer in the era of old-time radio and in the early years of television and later became an advertising executive.

The Don Lee Network, sometimes called the Don Lee Broadcasting System was an American regional network of radio stations in the old-time radio era.

References

  1. "Network of Small Stations Planned". Janesville Daily Gazette. August 11, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved September 5, 2015 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. "(WLIO ad)". The Evening Review. November 20, 1950. p. 21. Retrieved September 5, 2015 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. 1 2 3 4 Coville, Gary (November 2011). "Now You Hear It . . . . Now You Don't". Radiogram. 36 (9): 8–13.
  4. "New Radio Network Suspends Operations". The Plain Speaker. February 1, 1951. p. 14. Retrieved September 5, 2015 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. 1 2 3 "PBS Opening" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 9, 1950. p. 28. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  6. "Personals . . " (PDF). Broadcasting. January 15, 1951. p. 71. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  7. "Name Robinson" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 18, 1950. p. 78. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  8. "Allied Arts" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 6, 1950. p. 71. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  9. "Air-casters" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 11, 1950. p. 56. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  10. "PBS ad" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 9, 1950. p. 19. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 "PBS Defense Plan" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 28, 1950. p. 28. Retrieved 6 September 2015.