Television in the United States Gray Television, whose 131 stations cover mostly smaller metropolitan areas reaching only 10% of the population. The five major U.S. broadcast television networks are the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), CBS (formerly known as the Columbia Broadcasting System), the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox) and the CW Television Network. The first and elder three (which are colloquially known as the "Big Three") began as radio networks: NBC and CBS respectively began operations in 1924 and 1927, while ABC was spun off from NBC to Edward J. Noble in 1943 as the Blue Network during FCC inquiries over
Noble J. Johnson Noble J. Johnson Noble Jacob Johnson (August 23, 1887 – March 17, 1968) was a United States Representative from Indiana and an Associate Judge and Chief Judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, Johnson attended the public schools. After reading law to be admitted to the bar in 1911, he commenced practice in Terre Haute from 1911 to 1917. He was a deputy prosecuting attorney for the forty-third judicial circuit of Indiana in 1917 and 1918. He served as prosecuting attorney for the same judicial circuit from 1921 to 1924. Johnson