History and Milestones
– ABC began as the NBC Blue Network in 1943.
– The split from NBC was ordered by the FCC to increase competition in radio broadcasting.
– Regular television news broadcasts on ABC started in 1948.
– ABC News consistently ranked third in viewership until the early 1970s.
– ABC had fewer affiliate stations compared to CBS and NBC.
– Roone Arledge became president of ABC News in 1977.
– Arledge created popular programs like 20/20, World News Tonight, and Nightline.
– In 1998, ABC News sold its stake in Worldwide Television News to the Associated Press.
Controversies and Scandals
– Scandal erupted over ABC News’ decision to kill a report about Marilyn Monroe.
– The decision was made by Roone Arledge, possibly due to his ties to Ethel Kennedy.
– The report contained eyewitness accounts of Monroe’s relationships with the Kennedy brothers.
– Geraldo Rivera left ABC due to the decision to kill the broadcast.
– The decision resulted in criticism from Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters.
21st Century Developments
– ABC Radio was relaunched as ABC Audio in 2015.
– ABC News acquired FiveThirtyEight from ESPN in 2018.
– GMA3: What You Need To Know was launched as an extension of Good Morning America.
– ABC News Live, a news-focused streaming channel, was launched on Roku.
– ABC News Digital and Live Streaming were transferred to the Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International segment.
ABC News Programs and Productions
– What Would You Do? (formerly Primetime: What Would You Do?)
– Popcorn with Peter Traves
– The Generic Detective
– The Con (co-production with The Intellectual Property Corporation)
– Wild Crimes (co-production with Highway 41 Productions)
Partnerships and Personnel
– ABCNews.com launched in 1997 as a joint venture between Starwave and ABC.
– ABC News Live is a 24/7 streaming video news channel operated by ABC News.
– Former services include Satellite News Channel, ABC News Now, and Fusion.
– ABC News had personnel like Lisa Fletcher, Tony Perkins, and Howard K. Smith.
– ABC News maintained partnerships with Yahoo News, the Nine Network in Australia, and TVNZ 7 in New Zealand.Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_News
