Daily Almanac for Wednesday, October 11, 2022

On this date in 1950,Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) received authorization from the FCC to begin transmission of color television broadcasts (courtesy Paramount Global)

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

CBS Broadcasting, Inc., an abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System and commonly shortened to CBS, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network. It is the flagship property of the CBS Entertainment Group division of Paramount Global. The network’s headquarters are at the CBS Building in New York City, with major production facilities and operations at the CBS Broadcast Center and Paramount headquarters One Astor Plaza also in that city and Television City and the CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles.

It is also sometimes referred to as the Eye Network, in reference to the company’s trademark symbol, in use since 1951. It has also been called the Tiffany Network, alluding to the perceived high quality of its programming during the tenure of William S. Paley. It can also refer to some of CBS’s first demonstrations of color television, which were held in the former Tiffany and Company Building in New York City in 1950.

HISTORY

The network has its origins in United Independent Broadcasters Inc., a radio network founded in Chicago by New York City talent agent Arthur Judson in January 1927. In April of that year, the Columbia Phonograph Company, parent of the Columbia record label, invested in the network, resulting in its rebranding as the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System (CPBS).. In early 1928, Judson and Columbia sold the network to Isaac and Leon Levy, two brothers who owned WCAU, the network’s Philadelphia affiliate, as well as their partner Jerome Louchheim. They installed Paley, an in-law of the Levys, as president of the network. With the Columbia record label out of ownership, Paley rebranded the network as the Columbia Broadcasting System. By September 1928, Paley became the network’s majority owner with 51 percent of the business. Paramount Pictures then acquired the other 49 percent of CBS in 1929, but the Great Depression eventually forced the studio to sell its shares back to the network in 1932. CBS would then remain primarily an independent company throughout the next 63 years. Under Paley’s guidance, CBS would first become one of the largest radio networks in the United States, and eventually one of the Big Three American broadcast television networks.CBS ventured and expanded its horizons through television starting in the 1940s, spinning-off its broadcast syndication division Viacom to a separate company in 1971. Westinghouse Electric Corporation then purchased CBS in 1995 and rebranded itself as CBS Corporation. In 1974, CBS dropped its original full name and became known simply as CBS, Inc. The Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired the network in 1995, renaming its corporate entity to its current name CBS Broadcasting, Inc. two years later, and eventually adopted the name of the company it had acquired to become CBS Corporation. In 2000, CBS came under the control of the original incarnation of Viacom, which was formed as a spin-off of CBS in 1971. In 2005, Viacom split itself into two separate companies and re-established CBS Corporation through the spin-off of its broadcast television, radio and select cable television and non-broadcasting assets, with the CBS network at its core. CBS Corporation was controlled by Sumner Redstone through National Amusements, which also controlled the second incarnation of Viacom until December 4, 2019, when the two separated companies agreed to re-merge to become ViacomCBS. Following the sale, CBS and its other broadcasting and entertainment assets were reorganized into a new division, CBS Entertainment Group.

CBS operated the CBS Radio network until 2017, when it sold its radio division to Entercom (now known as Audacy, Inc. since 2021). Before this, CBS Radio mainly provided news and features content for its portfolio of owned-and-operated radio stations in large and mid-sized markets, as well as its affiliated radio stations in various other markets. While CBS Corporation common shareholders (i.e. not the multiple-voting shares held by National Amusements) were given a 72% stake in the combined Entercom, CBS no longer owns or operates any radio stations directly; however, it still provides radio news broadcasts to its radio affiliates and to the new owners of its former radio stations, and licenses the rights to use CBS trademarks under a long-term contract. The television network has over 240 owned-and-operated and affiliated television stations throughout the United States, some also available in Canada via pay-television providers or in border areas over-the-air. CBS was ranked 197th on the 2018 Fortune 500 of the largest American corporations by revenue.

TODAY’S ALMANAC

Question of the Day

How can I get makeup, including lipstick and face powder, out of rugs and off painted walls?

You can remove lipstick, makeup, and other greasy substances by using vegetable oil, shortening, or petroleum jelly. Cover the stain with the oil, let it sit for five to ten minutes, and then wash with warm, soapy water. Make sure to remove all the oil, or you’ll have a different stain to deal with. Hair spray also works as a solvent to remove lipstick and makeup stains. Spray it on, let it sit for a minute, and blot up the stain. If you don’t have hair spray, try alcohol, nail polish remover, or even cold cream.

Advice of the Day

The giving of love is an education in itself. —Eleanor Roosevelt

Home Hint of the Day

To remove marks on porcelain, mix a thick paste of hydrogen peroxide, Bon Ami (or other scratchless cleanser), and a pinch of cream of tartar. Cover the stains with the paste and let sit for 30 minutes. Rub off with a plastic dish pad, then rinse. Repeat as needed.

Word of the Day

Moon’s phases

The continually changing appearance of the Moon, caused by the different angles at which it is illuminated by the Sun. First Quarter: The right half of the Moon is illuminated, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. Full: The Sun and the Moon are in opposition; the entire disk of the Moon is illuminated as viewed from Earth. Last Quarter: The left half of the Moon is illuminated, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. New: The Sun and the Moon are in conjunction; the entire disk of the Moon is darkened as viewed from Earth.

Puzzle of the Day

What did the pig use on its rash?

Oinkment!

Born

  • Johannes Fleischer (botanist) – 1582
  • Sir George Williams (founder of the YMCA) – 1821
  • Henry John Heinz (manufacturer) – 1844
  • Mary Isabella Drever Macleod (pioneer) – 1852
  • Eleanor Roosevelt (U.S. First Lady) – 1884
  • Charles Revson (founder of Revlon) – 1906
  • Jerome Robbins (ballet dancer) – 1918
  • Elmore Leonard (novelist) – 1925
  • Daryl Hall (musician) – 1948
  • Joan Cusack (actress) – 1962
  • Ty Murray (professional cowboy) – 1969
  • Michelle Trachtenberg (actress) – 1985
  • Michelle Wie (golfer) – 1989

Died

  • Meriwether Lewis (explorer) – 1809
  • Chico Marx (comedian) – 1961
  • Jean Cocteau (writer) – 1963
  • Red Foxx (actor) – 1991
  • Richard Denning (actor) – 1998
  • Neal Hefti (composer) – 2008

Events

  • Historic Bartram’s Garden began– 1728
  • Juliana, the first steam-powered ferry in the U.S., began service between NYC and Hoboken, NJ– 1811
  • At the age of 21, Thomas Edison completed his first invention and filed for a patent. It was an electric machine to count votes quickly, but Congress did not buy it– 1868
  • Premiere of Professor Quiz, first radio quiz show in U.S. to give away cash prizes– 1936
  • Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) received authorization from the FCC to begin transmission of color television broadcasts– 1950
  • US Air Force Major Robert M. White flies an X-15 rocket plane to a height of 217,000 feet, a record for winged, man-controlled aircraft– 1961
  • Michael Gallen set a world record by eating 63 bananas in 10 minutes– 1972
  • Saturday Night Live premiered– 1975
  • 19-pound, 2-ounce weakfish was caught near Jones Beach, Long Island, New York– 1984
  • Space Shuttle astronaut, Kathy Sullivan, became the first American woman to walk in space– 1984
  • U.S. President Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize– 2002

Weather

  • Flash floods occurred in Oklahoma and Texas– 1973

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