American Broadcast Network

Glossy version of current logo

The **American Broadcast Network** (known as **ABN**)is an American public broadcasting television network. The company was founded in 1964 succeeding American Television Company, and Champion Television Group. It was run by Sabana-Winston Television Distribution in 1964. Sabana-Winston Television Distribution was rebranded as Sabana American Broadcast Holdings (or SABH) in 1985 until 2014 and is part of the ABN Domestic Television Corporation. SABH recently became rebranded as Champion Digital Broadcasting. It is the de facto member of Sabana Global Broadcast Services (SGBS) representing North America and U.S. Territories.

ABN operates the 24-hour motorsports cable network, The Racing Channel (TRC) under the ABN Sports banner. The company also operates the national cable news network, ABN News. ABN.com is the network's primary Internet web page with links to their respected divisions' web pages including TRC3.com, a live interactive web streaming service for out-of-market viewers.

ABN's headquarters are located in Seattle, Washington for coverage in the Western United States with a branch campus in Charlotte, North Carolina that covers the Eastern United States. After the construction of the newly erected NASCAR Plaza in downtown Charlotte in 2008, ABN moved to set up the new WABN studios into the new building at 550 South Caldwell Street. Each campus houses the different division of Champion Digital Broadcasting including ABN, ABN Women, ABN Maxx, The Racing Channel, UBC, G-ABN and Mundovision among others. Both campuses also house the ABN  Animation Network, Altitude Game Studios, ABN Digital Entertainment and Sabana Global Broadcasting Services. The two campuses each house KABN and WABN for the west and east coast feeds. Due to length limitations in Seattle and Charlotte, two main truck terminals nearby the campuses were built to accommodate them.

## History

The American Broadcasting Network launched on March 4, 1964 with live Via Satellite Coverage of The 1964 Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament from The Sunnyside Garden in New York City. The event was carried live over 125 Independent TV Stations (most of them struggling), as well as the network's three start-up stations in New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle. Programming was very scattered for the first two years, mostly involving live amateur and collegiate sporting events. One weekly program that began on the network's Houston, TX affiliate, KFJZ; *Texas Rasslin' (*later changed to *Wrestling Champions*) became ABN's first regularly scheduled program on Monday nights. ABN was the first American Television Network to broadcast live Canadian Football League games beginning in August of 1964. On September 18, 1964 the network debuted *ABN Movie Night;* A Double-Feature program that began at 7pm Eastern on Friday Nights when no live sports were telecast. The start time was a full half-hour ahead of the competing networks Prime Time start. Outside the live sporting events and Movie Night, programming was left to the individual affiliates until 1966.

ABN had its first high profile event on April 9, 1965 when it televised the grand opening of The Houston Astrodome, and the exhibition game between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. The event was a solid ratings winner, coming in a close second to CBS, and beating out the other networks in viewership that night.

In the Summer of 1966, a man named Jack Scantlin pitched the idea of bringing his Quotron system, displaying delayed Stock Market prices on a electronic screen, to television. Stock Brokers saw an opportunity to promote their services to a greater audience. The network saw a chance to have programming unique in Daytime Television. *The Stock Market Observer* debuted on November 14, 1966, and would be an ABN Daytime staple for the next 35 seasons! It was a live eight-hour programcovering Wall Street news and activity from the NYSE Opening Bell, to the Closing Bell at the Pacific Stock Exchange. The top half of the hour was national coverage, while the bottom half was local coverage helmed by individual stations. Sports dominated the network schedule in the evening hours. Amateur and Collegiate contests, an occasional Pro Game, and Harness Racing From Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, NY.

In-between the Stock Market coverage, and the sporting events, came a most unusual program at 5pm Eastern/4pm Central from 1966-1969. *Kiddie A Go Go* was sort of a pint-sized *American Bandstand* with children mostly between the ages of 6 and 12 doing the dancing. Mixed in with the music were stories and skits with puppets. The show was the creation of Elaine and Jack Mulqueen (Elaine served as host in her role as the pixie, "Pandora") The show began on WENR-TV , the ABC affiliate in Chicago on Saturday Afternoons after *Bandstand*. The Mulqueens wanted to expand their show to other stations, but ABC rejected their pilot for a national version. Then ABN President, Howard Schapiro felt that since *The Mickey Mouse Club* had gone off the air, younger viewers really had no place to go on Network Television in the late afternoon. He offered the Mulqueens a five day a week slot, and made sure the top rock bands of the day stopped by the set to perform for the kids while they were in town performing elsewhere in the Windy City.

In 1968, it was the network's Houston station, KFJZ's relationship with The Houston Astros and The Astrodome, that helped score the first College Football Bowl game for the network: *The Astro Bluebonnet Bowl*. ABN broadcast the game as a New Year's Eve Tradition for 5 years. They would lose to game to ABC for the next 3 years, 1973-75. (The Bowl Committee regretted that three-year deal. Each time, ABC moved the day and start time of the game to fit their schedule). When the ABC deal expired, ABN re-negotiated, vowing to put the game back in Prime Time on New Year's Eve! It remained there until the final Astro Bowl Game in 1987.

1968 was also the year ABN entered the New Year's Eve Countdown Special field that CBS had all to itself with Guy Lombardo since 1956. The network made a splash that first year with the *NYE Astroball*, starting it at 11pm Eastern, a full half hour ahead of CBS, then booking 3 top name Swing Orchestras: Duke Ellington, Les Brown, and The Firehouse Five Plus Two. The early start time, combined with SMU vs Oklahoma Football game in Prime Time as a lead-in, propelled ABN to #1 that night for the first time in their four-year history! Then fast rising Morning Radio DJ's in Houston, Mac Hudson and Irv Harrigan got national recognition hosting this special every year until 1987.

## **ABN News**

From its very beginning, ABN considered itself a "counter-programming" network. Presenting and scheduling programs in a way the other networks did not. Their weekly *Movie Night* Showcase had longer movie segments, saving the commercials for the "Intermissions" before the movie, and at the end of each hour. They encouraged their sponsors to be creative as possible, selling ad time for 1 minute "mini-movies" to sell their products. Network television never paid much attention to the goings on with Wall Street until the live daytime *Stock Market Observer* program debuted in 1966. This same approach was kept in mind when ABN expanded their news coverage at the local level on June 5, 1967. By then, for the most part, affiliates had established 6pm, considered 'the dinner hour' as the best time for their evening newscasts, but those in charge at ABN knew they everyone in America did not all have that same rigid schedule. Many were still either at work or still getting home. And still many families were refusing to eat in front of the TV. With all this in mind, the ABN stations found 7pm a perfect time slot for a 30-minute alternate time newscast. It was a Top 10 ratings leader in several markets. *ABN Move Night* altered its format slightly on Friday Evenings, keeping the 7pm start time (as most 'First Features' were meant for Family Viewing) but inserted a 30-minute Window for news at 9pm Eastern/8pm Central.

When ABN was ready to take its newscast to a national level on September 14, 1970, they countered against the other four networks by scheduling *The ABN Evening News* 30 minutes *ahead* of the others at 6pm Eastern/5pm Central.

## Expansion

1980 - ABN starts expanding into Holman Union beginning with station BHSNV-TV.

1981 - ABN forms SGBS to distribute programming to 20 countires and territories.

1988 - ABN begins expanding into Dahrconian territory with the first ABN station, DNABE-TV in Starfire City.

1995 - ABN begins high defnition expansion fully implementing HD programming in 1997.

2005 - ABN begins ultra high definition expansion fully implementing Ultra HD programming in 2014.

2008 - ABN goes into full digital HD prgramming one year before the analog to digital transition.

2011 - ABN makes plans to expand into New Tokyo, home of the Pokemon universe beginning in the Kanto region further expanding into the Johto, Sinnoh, Kalos and Unova regions.

2013 - Equestria, Quilava City, Inkopolis, Umi City, Townsville, Torchic City, Hundred Acre Wood, Hyrule all added to ABN's expanding coverage.

2014 - Slobakia, Saniel, Wahnatania Island,

2015 - ABN begins expansion into the Cheyenna Republic.

2016 - ABN begins Hyper HD expansion to be fully implemented in 2017.

## Competition with other networks

ABN's mainly competes with major and mid-major networks like DuMont, RDN, DBC, Acme, UDC, XYZ, Pax TV, and Omni Broadcasting Network. There is no direct competition between ABN and other major networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, The CW, PBS, Ion Television, MyNetworkTV and. The network on some occasions will work directly with those who are not among ABN's chief competitors,

## ABN station WBRP destroyed

Baltimore ABN television station WBRP was the unfortunate site of the April 27-May 2 riots as a result of Mr. Freddie Gray who died as a result of a broken spinal column towards his neck area while being transported by Baltimore city police officers. Gray was arrested the week before his death on April 19th in Baltimore, but the legacy of this insurrection is greatly heartfelt. The entire WBRP building was gutted from inside and outside. Equipment was damaged beyond repair. The Ultra HD studio was set ablaze, the newsroom gutted, the digital video archives of over 6,000 news events covered by WBRP over the years now gone without a trace. Several staff members of WBRP were severely injured or killed during the rioting in Baltimore. ABN's closest competitors in the city also were affected by the rioting, looting and civil unrest by several protesters inciting violence, combating police in SWAT and riot gear, damaging 200 small businesses who cannot commence in commercial practice in Baltimore, school children caught in the crosshairs, one mother's desperation to save her son from becoming a part of the miscreants involved in the insurrection, and a desperate motive to find answers. The building suffered significant structural damage and collapsed while firefighters battled the blaze. Nothing from WBRP could be saved. The building located near the area where Mr. Freddie Gray was put into custody was deemed a total loss. Even their digital transmitters from nearby suffered significant structural damage from the rioters. Of the WBRP staff killed as a result of the riots:

* Shaniah Walsh, news director, age 28, University of Miami graduate in broadcasting, 4-year Baltimore resident
* Christopher Candice, associate news editor, age 55, University of Maryland School of Journalism graduate from 1979, member of the National Association of News Journalists, 20-year Baltimore resident
* John Hicks-Wynman, videographer, age 22, University of Maryland School of Journalism graduate from 2011, 7-year Baltimore resident
* Fred Tamby, reporter, age 43, University of Montana School of Journalism graduate from 1988, 15-year Baltimore resident
* Thomas Trauncy, WBRP station manager, age 61, University of Baltimore-Maryland graduate from 1973, 35-year Baltimore resident
* James McFadden, WBRP 6 and 11 PM sportscaster and chief sports editor, University of Massachusetts graduate from 1980, 25-year Baltimore resident

Of the WBRP staff injured as a result of the riots, 15 were sent to Baltimore hospitals; the range of injuries include minor to fatal (5 minor, 4 sustainable, 2 fatal).

ABN CEO Billy Fortner and Champion Digital Broadcasting COO Taylor Winston shared their thoughts on a May 4th appearance of an ABN News program:

*Fortner: I am befuddled, shocked beyond any kind of belief, nothing in this kind of circumstance can quell the anger I have for those miscreants who decided it was okay to do this just because they thought the mayor of Baltimore thought it was okay, by which of no means whatsoever it was. This is the darkest days of American history we are witnessing and one of our own working for our affiliate in Baltimore has lost a score of people who were doing their damnest to get out of this no-win situation while covering the riots. The building is completely destroyed, nothing to save, nothing to recover. All there is left of the WBRP building is charred remains, twisted metal, broken concrete, all pieces of a television family now shattered and scarred forever of this sheer lunacy from those people who performed this sort of insurrection in the city of Baltimore. I can't believe this has happened and as a CEO of American Broadcast Network, I dare anyone to find an excuse for this because there is none. Our president said it best. Like him or hate him all you want, but to emphasize his words, "this is not excusable". There is no excuse to be found in this incident and I pray for the people of Baltimore and the state of Maryland to seek the truth! Seek the truth! Not seek opinions. Opinions are what the mainstream media shindigs like Fox News use all the time. We are about the truth! And until they accept the truth, we will continue to bring the truth to the people of Baltimore, Maryland and this whole country as we try to find ways to move forward from this and try to finish the rest of 2015 as peaceful as we can.*

Several other members of the WBRP staff who were not directly involved had since gone on to work for other nearby stations in Trenton, New Jersey, New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Taylor Winston says *we have lost a great television family in Baltimore. The legacy of WBRP is now being carried forward thanks to many of our other fellow stations nearby and far away reaching out to the members of WBRP affected by this tragedy. They were not the result of Mr. Freddie Gray's death. They were not the smoking gun. But they were thrust into a scene of chaos and insurrection and some paid the ultimate price. Those resonsible for the attrocities committed in Baltimore must pay dearly for their crimes against humanity's finest citizens. We will move forward. We're America's Most Trusted Television Leader because we're about the truth, not about the opinions from mainstream news, sports and meteorological media. We seek the one and only truth that the Good Lord from above has shown in years past. We strive to bring the truth to the American people. We urge of you to continue supporting American Broadcast Network as we surge forward into better days ahead. Let us not repeat the examples of these people who performed these cowardess, duplicitous, collective lawlessness leaving the city of Baltimore broken. But we know they will rebuild. We know what we must do. We must do what is humanly possible to continue living our lives in spite of the cringing circumstances before us. This is why we are here. And for Baltimore, we will do what is necessary to raise WBRP back from the brink, but if it cannot be possible, then we must move on and make America find their inner being with the Good Lord above. It is the best that we can do now.*

WBRP viewers were urged to use the hashtag "#WeAreWBRP" in support of rebuilding the station on their social media outlets including FlickTV.

While the new station north of the city was built, ABN loaned their Ultra HD production vehicle to WBRP to continue broadcasting during the construction.

ABN stations across the country rallied together for a fundraiser event. Proceeds from the ABN Hot Summer Nights Concert Series were utilized in rebuilding WBRP. ABN viewers were urged to visit ABN.com and click "Help WBRP" on the main page. ABN's networks and the Champion Digital Broadcasting team are working together to rebuild what the rioters in Baltimore destroyed.

In mid-August, WBRP began their first broadcast from their new studios in northern Baltimore away from the site of the riots.