Television

President Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to appear on television on April 30, 1939 and was seen by about 1,000 viewers. The next day, May 1, four models of RCA television sets went on sale to the general public in various New York City department stores, which were promoted in a series of splashy newspaper ads.

Television began its rapid ascent into the American household. The World Series of 1947 featured two New York teams (Yankees and Dodgers) and local TV sales boomed, since the games were telecast in New York. The early 1950s brought massive success for NBC in the new medium, Also, the network launched Today and The Tonight Show, which would continue to broadcast for over fifty years..

Days of Our Lives was the first soap opera to premiere on colour television

The 1970s started strongly for NBC as they had a string of hits i.e. The Dean Martin Show, The Rockford Files, Quincy, M.E and The Wonderful World of Disney . However the majority of new shows did not run for a second season due to low ratings. In 1974 the network tried to aim its programmes at a younger audience however it was also the launch of successful programme Saturday Night Live.

When US President Jimmy Carter pulled the American team out of the 1980 Summer Olympics, NBC cancelled their planned 150 hours of coverage (which had cost them $87,000,000), and the network's future was in doubt. They had been counting on the expected $170,000,000 in advertising revenues to help them throughout the year and on the broadcasts to help promote fall shows.

Hill Street Blues was a Emmy winning serial police drama (1981 - 1987)
This show was rated poorly in the first season however it was never cancelled but the drama was moved to a Thursday night, which saw a dramatic increase in ratings

The A- Team ( 1983 - 1987) is an American action adventure television series - This was the networks biggest Hit of the Year.

The Cosby Show - (1984 - 1992) was an American Television Sitcom and a huge success, it led to the renewed interest in sitcoms. Cheers was another sitcom though it wasn't much of a success due to low ratings, however after the premiere of the Cosby Show, rating dramatically increased and it earned a top ten rating for the majority of its season.

In the 1988-1989 season, NBC won every week in the ratings for over a full year, an achievement not since duplicated. Two other shows which were popular during the year were Miami Vice and L.A Law

The 1990s

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990 - 1996) was a popular American television sitcom about a streetwise teenager (Will Smith) who is sent to live with wealthy relatives in a Bel Air mansion

Mad About You (1992 - 1999) was another American Sitcom. The series focused mainly on the newlyweds while they dealt with everything from humorous daily details to major struggles.

Frasier (1993 - 2004) was a spin-off from American sitcom Cheers (1982 - 1993).

ER (1994 - Present) is a serial medical drama which takes place at County General Hospital,Chicago,Illinois. ER is NBC's second longest running drama with 13 seasons making it the longest American prime time medical drama of all time.

Friends(1994 - 2004) is an American comedy based in New York City. The finale was one of the most watched series finales in television history, as it was watched by 51.1 Million viewers in the States.

Will & Grace(1998 - 2006) is an American sitcom which

focuses on a gay lawyer and his best friends Though it steadily gained popularity, after Friends had
finished Will and grace soon slipped out of the Top 20.

Scrubs (2001 - Present) is a comedy drama which focuses on the professional and personal lives of characters working at Sacred Heart. Though Scrubs is produced by rival network ABC it is aired on NBC