COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 4833

Television Broad-casting

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

28companies1835–1996founding years28still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedBertelsmann AG
1835
FoundedThe Chronicle Publishing Company, Inc.
1865
FoundedThe Washington Post Company
1889
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedThe Liberty Corporation
1905
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedHubbard Broadcasting Inc.
1923
FoundedJapan Broadcasting Corporation (Nippon Hoso Kyokai)
1926
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedGray Communications Systems, Inc.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedBouygues S.A.
1952
FoundedAsahi National Broadcasting Company, Ltd.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedCorporation for Public Broadcasting
1967
FoundedMultimedia, Inc.
1968
FoundedFisher Companies, Inc.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedClear Channel Communications, Inc.
1974
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedBHC Communications, Inc.FoundedInternational Family Entertainment Inc.
1977
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedCentral Independent Television
1982
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedSaga Communications, Inc.
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedValueVision International, Inc.
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
The Chronicle Publishing Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1865
Publisher of The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chronicle Publishing Company, Inc.
The Times Mirror Company →
Active · founded 1884
The Times Mirror Company ranks among the top five newspaper companies in the United States.
The Washington Post Company →
Active · founded 1889
The Washington Post Company and its subsidiaries are leaders in the news and communications media industry.
The Liberty Corporation →
Active · founded 1905
The Liberty Corporation provides several types of insurance services and owns Cosmos Broadcasting, which operates…
British Broadcasting Corporation Ltd. →
Active · founded 1922 · England
The British Broadcasting Corporation Ltd.
Hubbard Broadcasting Inc. →
Active · founded 1923
Hubbard Broadcasting Inc.
Japan Broadcasting Corporation (Nippon Hoso Kyokai) →
Active · founded 1926 · Japan
The Japan Broadcasting Corporation, better known as NHK, is Japan's national public broadcasting network, as…
Granada Group PLC →
Active · founded 1934 · United Kingdom
Granada Group PLC is a leading U.K.
Gray Communications Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Established in 1946 by James H.
Bouygues S.A. →
Active · founded 1952 · France
Bouygues S.A.
Television Española, S.A. →
Active · founded 1956 · Spain
State-owned Television Española, S.A.
Asahi National Broadcasting Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1957 · Japan
The Asahi National Broadcasting Company, or TV Asahi, as it is more commonly known, is one of Japan's largest national…
Univision Communications Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
Univision Communications Inc.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting →
Active · founded 1967
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting distributes government money to public television and radio stations and to…
Multimedia, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
One of the most profitable media communications companies in the United States, Multimedia, Inc.
Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Company →
Active · founded 1970
Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Company is a holding company whose major subsidiary is The Pfaltzgraff Co., an historic…
Fisher Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
The owner of an unusual combination of businesses, Fisher Companies Inc.
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1974
A fast-growing, diversified media company, Clear Channel Communications, Inc., operates nearly 200 radio stations and…
Ackerley Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1975
Ackerley Communications, Inc.
BHC Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
BHC Communications, Inc.
International Family Entertainment Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Founded in the late 1970s by televangelist and one-time presidential hopeful Pat Robertson, International Family…
Gillett Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Once one of the largest communications conglomerates in the United States, Gillett Holdings, Inc.
Central Independent Television →
Active · founded 1982 · England
Since 1993, Central Independent Television has been an operating unit of one of Great Britain's largest broadcast…
Saga Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
In the Nordic language, "saga" means an ongoing adventure.
Télévision Fran&ccedilse 1 →
Active · founded 1987 · France
Télévision Fran&ccedilse 1 is a diversified multimedia producer and broadcaster, centered around TF1, France's oldest…
ValueVision International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
ValueVision International, Inc.
Fox Family Worldwide, Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
A leading broadcaster to a global audience, Fox Family Worldwide, Inc.
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