CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc.
Logo used since October 8, 2020[a]
TypeRadio and television network
CountryUnited States
Affiliates
HeadquartersCBS Building, Manhattan, New York City, New York
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format1080i HDTV
Ownership
OwnerParamount Global
ParentCBS Entertainment Group
Key people
History
FoundedSeptember 18, 1927 (1927-09-18)
Launched
  • Radio: September 18, 1927 (1927-09-18)
  • Television: July 1, 1941 (1941-07-01)
Founder
Former names
  • United Independent Broadcasters, Inc. (1927–1928)
  • Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System (1928)
  • Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (1928–1974)
  • CBS, Inc. (1974–1997)
Links
Websitecbs.com
The evolution of Paramount
1912Famous Players Film Company is founded
1913Lasky Feature Play Company is founded
1914Paramount Pictures is founded as a film distributor
1916Famous Players and Lasky merge as Famous Players–Lasky and acquire Paramount
1920Group W forms with the launch of KDKA-AM
1927CBS is founded; Famous Players–Lasky assumes Paramount's name
1929Paramount buys 49% of CBS
1932Paramount sells back shares of CBS
1950Desilu is founded and CBS distributes its television programs
1952CBS creates the CBS Television Film Sales division
1958CBS Television Film Sales renamed to CBS Films
1966Gulf+Western buys Paramount
1968Gulf+Western acquires Desilu and renames it Paramount Television; CBS Films becomes CBS Enterprises
1970CBS Enterprises renamed to Viacom
1971Viacom is spun off from CBS as a separate company
1985Viacom buys full ownership of Showtime and MTV Networks
1986National Amusements buys Viacom
1989Gulf+Western renamed to Paramount Communications
1994Viacom acquires Paramount Communications
1995Westinghouse buys CBS
1997Westinghouse renamed to CBS Corporation
2000Viacom buys CBS Corporation
2001Viacom buys BET Networks
2005Viacom splits into second CBS Corporation and Viacom
2019CBS Corporation and Viacom re-merge to form ViacomCBS
2022ViacomCBS changes its name to Paramount Global

CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainment Group division of Paramount Global.

Headquartered at the CBS Building in New York City and being part of the "Big Three" television networks, CBS has major production facilities and operations at the CBS Broadcast Center and the headquarters of owner Paramount at One Astor Plaza (both also in that city) and Television City and the CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles. It is sometimes referred to as the Eye Network, after the company's trademark symbol of an eye (which has been in use since October 20, 1951),[1] and also the Tiffany Network, which alludes to the perceived high quality of its programming during the tenure of William S. Paley (and can also refer to some of CBS's first demonstrations of color television, which were held in the former Tiffany and Company Building in New York City in 1950).[2][3]


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  1. ^ "Slanguage Dictionary: E". Variety. February 20, 2013. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Krell, David (May 10, 2015). "The Man Behind the Tiffany Network". David Krell. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  3. ^ "Westinghouse Bids for Role In the Remake: CBS Deal Advances TV's Global Reach". The New York Times. August 2, 1995. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.