THE MARKET ordered NBC to sell one of its Although television viewing remains two networks. Noble named America’s number-one leisure time his new entity the American activity, the fight for viewers has Broadcasting Company. It was become increasingly competitive. owned by United Paramount With four major networks, Theatres, and then by Capital two smaller “weblets” and Cities Communications, before local independent stations, its present owner, The Walt targeted cable networks, satellite delivery sys- Disney Company, acquired it tems, and digital recording devices, this highly in 1996 for $19 billion. competitive marketplace also faces the continued After early years of strug- growth of the Internet and new technologies, gling, ABC eventually overtook VCRs, DVDs, movies, video games, MP3s, and its competitors in the mid- to land-based and satellite-delivered radio. late 1970s, thanks to a string of For the networks, this continued fragmenta- successful urban, contemporary tion of the audience represents a problem and a series like Happy Days, Laverne challenge. For some, defining and narrowing their & Shirley, Charlie’s Angels, and audience has been the answer. For ABC, this present- Family, as well as the develop- day climate has created an opportunity to differ- ment of Monday Night Football, entiate and reposition its brand as the one offering still television’s number-one the broadest, most wide-reaching, and most acces- sports franchise. sible of choices — a brand whose programming Further success in ABC mix brings people and families back together to Sports and ABC News under the leadership of watch television. Roone Arledge brought the network to even greater prominence. ACHIEVEMENTS ABC remains one of America’s broadest and most establishment of the first-ever separate AM and FM THE PRODUCT innovative television brands because of the com- broadcast radio divisions. ABC created new pro- The ABC Television Network is the broadcast bined growth of its diverse and distinctive pro- gram styles in the 1970s like made-for-television network division of ABC Inc., a division of The gramming, and a patient, successful brand strategy. movies and multi-part mini-series, like Rich Man, Walt Disney Company. Other ABC Inc. proper- This year, ABC reaches its milestone 50th year in Poor Man and the unprecedented eight-day tele- ties include cable networks such as ESPN, the vision event, Roots. Disney Channel, ABC Family, Toon Disney, and ABC also changed the way people watched SoapNet; syndicated TV programmer, Buena Vista television with program innovations like Monday Television; Touchstone Television; ABC Radio, Night Football, The Wide World of Sports, and late the ABC Radio Network, and Radio Disney; Walt night’s Nightline. And with the success of Who Disney Television International; and Hyperion, Wants to Be a Millionaire, ABC reinvigorated the Disney’s trade publishing division. primetime game show and spawned a new wave of reality programming. HISTORY In its rich 50-year history, ABC has broad- cast some of the most popular shows on television, like The Lone Ranger, Leave It to Beaver, Batman, Marcus Welby, M.D., providing a quality mix of news, sports, and enter- The Untouchables, Happy Days, Laverne tainment programs. and Shirley, The Love Boat, The Brady That success has deep roots. ABC developed Bunch, Charlie’s Angels, Dynasty, thirty- groundbreaking program partnerships like those something, The Wonder Years, Roseanne, in the 1950s with The Walt Disney Company, with Home Improvement, Twin Peaks, NYPD shows like Disneyland and The Mickey Mouse Club, Blue, The Drew Carey Show, The Practice, and Warner Brothers, who produced action westerns Alias, and more. like Cheyenne, Kings Row, and Wyatt Earp. The network began in 1943, when In the 1960s, ABC achieved incredible suc- businessman Edward Noble of Rexall cess with aggressive risk-taking and pioneering Drugs bought NBC’s Blue Radio Network broadcast and technological innovations like the for $8 million after the U.S. government 12 more provocative dramas and ABC developed a revolutionary approach hard-hitting newsmagazines at towards promoting both horizontally and vertically 10:00 p.m. across the week. With traditional television promo- ABC News has experi- tion mostly focused on keeping viewers watching enced a resurgence in popular- through the night (vertical approach), ABC has ity, acclaim, and growth. Good added a promotional strategy for their “family Morning America has increased friendly” shows that air every weeknight at 8:00 its audience by double digits. p.m. This concept was introduced as ABC’s “Happy World News Tonight with Peter Hour” promotion that “claims ownership” of the Jennings experienced greater 8:00 p.m. hour, establishing a horizontal block total audience growth than both across the week. of its competitors combined. Finally, ABC’s new programming philosophy, Newsmagazines 20/20 and a return to the family-friendly brand it stood for Primetime are revitalized and years ago, will strike an emotional connection with experiencing continued success. an American culture looking for a return to ABC Daytime marked a sense of community and family. its unparalleled 25th year as the num- BRAND VALUES ABC-TV’s products appeal to all demograph- ber-one network in Daytime televi- For 50 years, ABC has been ics and every member of the family. The ABC sion with women 18–49. a network that is real, Entertainment lineup boasts such top-rated audi- In Late Night, ABC announced broad, accessible, diverse, ence favorites as The Wonderful World of Disney, the debut of the highly anticipated fun, smart, reflective, and NYPD Blue, The Practice, My Wife and Kids, Jimmy Kimmel Live, immediately inviting. The programming According to Jim, and Alias. ABC’s Daytime offers following Nightline. is a genuine reflection of popular serial dramas General Hospital, All My ABC Sports began its unprece- that brand attitude and of Children, and One Life to Live, as well as The View. dented streak of championship the diverse population that ABC News features the most informative and event broadcasts that features the tunes in each day. In its 50th most respected journalists in broadcasting with Super Bowl, NBA Finals, the Stanley anniversary year, the brand is Peter Jennings, Ted Koppel, Barbara Walters, Diane Cup, the Bowl Championship Series, now looking back as much as it is Sawyer, Charles Gibson, and more. Programs and more. looking ahead in delivering audiences include Good Morning America, World News PROMOTION the kind of programs that struck a chord with its Tonight, Nightline, 20/20, Primetime, and Sunday’s Distinctive promotion, marketing, and branding, viewers throughout its history. The ABC brand political forum, This Week. in concert with programming, have proven to be prides itself on producing the best storytelling and ABC Sports features an unrivaled schedule of the drivers of the ABC brand. delivering the highest-quality programming. season-long sports coverage and big championships The focus of ABC’s promotional efforts starts Photos: ©2002 ABC Photography Archives that include Monday Night Football and The Super with its own on-air and paid media. Much of that Bowl; the NBA Finals; NCAA College Football and promotion will work even harder this year with Bowl Championship Series; NCAA Basketball; The the broadcast of television’s top-rated Super THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT British Open; the Indianapolis 500; NHL Hockey Bowl and the Academy Awards. ABC and Stanley Cup; the U.S. and World Figure Skating Great strides have been taken in leveraging Championships, and more. the synergistic opportunities ❍ Movie stars such as Billy Crystal (Soap), And in ABC’s popular afforded by their corporate Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies), and Robin entertaining and educational parent, The Walt Disney Com- Williams (Mork & Mindy) all had their first children’s programming, the pany. This association has major television break on comedies that ABC Kids lineup offers ani- resulted in an enormous array aired on ABC in the 1970s and 1980s. mated character-based pro- of added media exposure, ❍ grams and fun interstitial reaching viewers through The eight-day mini-series Roots in 1976 attracted 130 million Americans and repre- programming that reaches theme parks, hotel rooms, and sented an astounding 44.9 rating and 66 millions of American children. retail store promotional events; percent share of all those who were watch- radio, cable, home video, and ing television — a mini-series record that RECENT DEVELOPMENTS DVD cross-promotion; mag- stands today. ABC Entertainment’s newly azine and direct mail; and ❍ invigorated primetime pro- Internet partnerships. ABC’s Barbara Walters was the first woman ever hired as an early evening news gramming philosophy in its ABC has also developed anchor when she co-anchored the ABC 50th anniversary year is countless successful cross-pro- Evening News with Harry Reasoner. rededicated towards the brand’s historical strength motional partnerships with advertisers and spon- — strong, smart, inclusive comedies targeted sors, with shared extended media exposure for ❍ ABC’s first number-one show in all of tel- towards young adults, but that the entire family ABC shows through unique consumer promotions, evision was Marcus Welby M.D., winning can watch, beginning at 8:00 p.m.; more adult innovative integrated product placement, and pro- that distinction during the 1970–71 season. comedies and escapist dramas at 9:00 p.m.; and gram entitlement opportunities. 13.