ABC Network: landmarks
Landmarks
This chronology is indicative only. It covers -
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- antecedents (1892-1926)
- beginnings (1926-1941)
- ABC established (1941)
- the Paramount connection (1951)
- Capital Cities buys ABC (1986)
- Disney buys ABC (1995)
Context is provided by the broader communications and media timeline on this site and by the more detailed profile on Disney.
Antecedents
1892 General Electric (GE) formed through merger of Edison General Electric & Thomson-Houston Electric
1901 Walter Elias Disney born in Chicago
1919 Radio Corporation of America (RCA) incorporated to control patents of General Electric, AT&T, Westinghouse and United Fruit
1919 David Sarnoff becomes General Manager of RCA
Beginnings
1926 NBC established by RCA (50%), GE (30%), Westinghouse (20%)
1926 NBC radio network established
1928 Iwerks modifies Disney's "Oswald The Lucky Rabbit" character, turning it into Mickey Mouse
1928 first silent film featuring the Mouse premieres on Sunset Boulevard
1930 Disney buys Iwerks' 20% share of company for US$2 920
1934 Three Little Pigs wins Academy Award
1934 Federal Communications Commission replaces Federal Radio Commission
1937 Disney's first full-length animated feature film Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs premieres at cost of US$1.5 million
1940 Walt Disney Productions goes public after debt reaches US$4.5 million
ABC established
1941 US Federal Communications Commission forces NBC to sell its 'Blue' radio and television network, which is bought by manufacturer Edward Noble and renamed American Broadcasting Company
1941 Fantasia opens in Chicago
1943 ABC buys WJZ (later WABC) New York
1948 Warner Bros consider buying ABC
1949 United Paramount Theatres established after US Department of Justice forces Paramount and other studios to spin off their cinema operations (eg as United Paramount cinema chain)
The Paramount connection
1951 United Paramount buys ABC, subsequently sells cinemas
1950 first Disney TV special One Hour in Wonderland airs on NBC
1952 Walt Disney forms Walt Disney Inc to develop ideas for a "family park" to be called Disneylandia
1954 Disney and ABC sign agreement about building of Disneylandia
1954 ABC invests US$500,000 in cash, guarantees all WED bank loans and gets 35% ownership of Disneylandia (with all profits from park's food concessions for 10 years
1954 first Disneyland show debuts on ABC network
1955 Disneyland opens in Anaheim, and has 1 million visitors within 6 months
1955 Mickey Mouse Club, Disney's second TV show is launched
1960 Disney buys ABC's one-third interest in Disneyland for US$7.5 million and pay off all loans
1965 ABC agrees to merge with conglomerate ITT
1966 Walt Disney dies of lung cancer and J Edgar Hoover orders name removed from list of FBI's informants
1967 ITT abandons merger with ABC
1969 Disney's The Love Bug
1971 Walt Disney World in Orlando opens
1971 Roy Disney dies
1979 ABC buys Chilton Books
1979 ESPN launched
1980 Capital Cities Communications buys RKO General's Cablecom General for US$139m
1980 buys Albany Democrat Herald, Ashland Tidings and eight non-daily papers
1983 Disney Channel
1984 ABC acquires ESPN from Getty Oil
1984 ABC sells 20% of ESPN to Nabisco (which later sells stake to Hearst)
Capital Cities takeover
1986 Capital Cities Communications buys ABC network for US$3.5 billion to create Capital Cities-ABC
1986 500 millionth theme park visitor
1987 first Disney Store opens
1989 ITT sells telecommunications operations to Alcatel
1990 Goodson sells Milford Citizen to Capital Cities/ABC
1990 first Hollywood Pictures release
1992 Disneyland Paris opens
1994 Disney Interactive formed
1995 Capital Cities/ABC sells 42 weeklies to JRC for US$31m
Disney takeover
1995 Disney buys Capital Cities-ABC for US$19bn