History | Paramount

1910-1919

1914

Adolph Zukor, Daniel Frohman, and W.W. Hodkinson partner to establish Paramount Pictures Corporation.

1920-1929

1928

William S. Paley acquires United Independent Broadcasters Inc., a network of 16 independent radio stations, and changes the name to Columbia Broadcast System (CBS).

1930-1939

1931

CBS’ first television station, W2XAB, begins broadcasting.

1937

CBS is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

1940-1949

1940

W2XAB transmits the first color TV broadcast in the United States from a transmitter atop the Chrysler building.

1948

WCAU-Philadelphia is the first CBS Television Network affiliate. Within the year, there are 30 affiliated stations.

1950-1959

1951

‘I Love Lucy’ premieres on CBS.

1954

CBS creates an official news division: CBS News.

1956

'As the World Turns', the first half-hour serial in television history, premieres.

1956

CBS broadcasts its first Masters®, which later becomes the longest-running annual sports event presented on one network.

1960-1969

1960

CBS is the first network to broadcast the Olympics in the United States, with the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, California.

1961

CBS Sports becomes a division of the CBS Television Network.

1967

CBS begins broadcasting all of its programs in color.

1968

‘Star Trek: The Original Series’ airs first interracial kiss.

1970-1979

1970

Viacom, a division of CBS, becomes incorporated.

1975

Irv Cross joins CBS Sports as the first full-time Black sports analyst.

1975

Phyllis George joins CBS Sports, becoming the first female sportscaster at a major TV network.

1976

Ed Bradley becomes the first Black White House correspondent for CBS News. In 1981, he becomes the first Black correspondent on ‘60 Minutes’.

1976

Viacom launches Showtime, beginning the company’s foray into cable TV.

1978

Leslie Stahl becomes CBS News’ first female White House correspondent.

1979

Nickelodeon launches with its first original program, 'Pinwheel.'

1980-1989

1981

MTV makes its debut as a cable channel.

1984

Lesley Visser joins CBS Sports, beginning a trailblazing career that led her to become the first woman to receive the Sports Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Emmys in 2020.

1985

VH1, MTV’s sister channel, launches.

1988

‘Yo MTV Raps!’ debuts on MTV, introducing rap and hip-hop to an entire generation.

1990-1999

1991

Viacom launches Comedy Central on April 1—April Fool’s Day.

1992

MTV debuts 'The Real World,' the network’s pioneering reality TV series.

1993

Viacom acquires major Hollywood studio Paramount Pictures.

1994

Pedro Zamora becomes one of the first HIV-positive, openly gay men to appear on mainstream television on ‘MTV’s The Real World: San Francisco.'

1994

Paramount Pictures’ ‘Forrest Gump’ hits theaters, featuring characters with mental and physical disabilities.

1994

'Gullah Gullah Island’ debuts on Nick Jr. as one of the first preschool shows to feature a primarily African American cast.

1997

CBS Corporation is established, uniting CBS and Westinghouse Electric Corporation.

1999

Viacom acquires CMT.

1999

'SpongeBob Squarepants' premieres and becomes the longest-running show on Nickelodeon.

2000-2009

2000

Viacom and CBS merge, becoming Viacom Inc.

2000

‘Soul Food,’ starring an all-Black cast, premieres on Showtime and garners multiple NCAAP Image Awards during its four-year run.

2000

‘Dora The Explorer’ premieres on Nickelodeon, featuring a Latina character who uses both English and Spanish to communicate with its preschool audience.

2001

Viacom acquires BET.

2000

‘106 & Park’ debuts on BET.

2000

‘Queer As Folk’ premieres on Showtime, exploring the lives of gay men and women in America.

2001

The first BET Awards takes place.

2003

‘Chappelle’s Show’ premieres on Comedy Central, challenging racial and gender norms.

2005

Viacom launches Logo, the first ad-supported TV channel aimed at the LGBT community.

2005

The Viacom Board of Directors approves the creation of two separate publicly traded companies – CBS Corporation and Viacom Inc.

2006

Katie Couric becomes the first solo female anchor on broadcast evening news on ‘CBS Evening News.'

2007

Viacom 18, one of India’s fastest growing entertainment networks, is founded.

2007

‘Ni Hao, Kai Lan’ premieres on Nick Jr., exposing preschoolers to Chinese culture and the Mandarin language.

2008

EPIX forms.

2009

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ debuts on Logo, which helps bring drag culture into the mainstream and encourages awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQ community.

2009

‘MTV Shuga’ premieres, destigmatizing taboo issues around sexuality in sub-Saharan Africa.