Brought to You in Living Color: 75 Years of Great Moments in Television & Radio from NBC
On November 15, 1926, the National Broadcasting Company aired its inaugural radio broadcast–a night of entertainment from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. NBC’s first president, Merlin H. Aylesworth, enthusiastically kicked off the evening. "Think of it!" he exclaimed. "Ten or maybe twelve million persons may be hearing what takes place in this ballroom tonight."Little did he know that this was the beginning of a journey that would put NBC into the hearts, minds, and homes of millions of Americans through a medium that had yet to be developed: television. Since that spectacular evening more than seventy-five years ago, NBC has continued to provide the American public–through television, radio, and the Internet–with entertainment and information that has paralleled our nation’s social and political history.Brought to You in Living Color: 75 Years of Great Moments in Television & Radio from NBC is a visually striking panorama of the news events, personalities, characters, and programs that have punctuated American life from the debut of NBC Radio through its rise to a television powerhouse. Resplendent with rare photos, this volume acknowledges not just the accomplishments of NBC but the achievements of a great many talented individuals who collectively have helped create the seventy-five-year history of the first broadcast network.This commemorative book opens with NBC Radio’s broadcasts of the first hit situation comedy, Amos ’n’ Andy, Clem McCarthy’s calling the first broadcast of the Kentucky Derby, FDR calming a nation with his "fireside chats," and Benny Goodman swinging away on Let’s Dance.The fascinating journey continues as television establishes itself as one of the most important components in American life. You’ll see how NBC sold mom, dad, and the kids on the value of television with Milton Berle’s Texaco Star Theater, live coverage of the 1947 World Series, and Buffalo Bob’s Howdy Doody. Page by colorful page, you’ll learn how television ushered in a new era of news, entertainment, and sports through on-air personalities such as David Brinkley, Sid Caesar, and Steve Allen, along with business and programming visionaries such as "General" David Sarnoff, Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, Grant Tinker, Brandon Tartikoff, and Bob Wright.Brought to You in Living Color is a collection of shared memories that everyone can relate to. We’ve all experienced these events in one way or another, and this rich and vibrant book reminds us how: we’ve woken up to the Today show, understood the markets through CNBC, spent our days with Days of our Lives, laughed with Carson and Leno on The Tonight Show, heard the news from Tom Brokaw, cruised the South Beach strip with Miami Vice, made new friends with Friends, peeked inside the White House with The West Wing, graded politicians on Meet the Press, and felt the glory of sports through the Olympics, Wimbledon, the Super Bowl, the World Series, and other exciting events.Brought to You in Living Color brings to life NBC’s most cherished moments, capturing seventy-five years of NBC magic from its earliest radio broadcasts and the Golden Age of Television to the era of "Must See TV." Visually stunning and engagingly written, this colorful book, like the events, personalities, and programs it chronicles, is an exploration and celebration of both American culture and the nation’s first broadcast network.