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
Ames Broadcasting Company to Carroll Broadcasting Company. Betty Baudler currently is the owner of Sign Pro and president of Baudler Enterprises. Ames Broadcasting Company Ames Broadcasting Company, also "Lake City Broadcasting" was formed under the owner Betty Baudler Horras, who started out as a bookkeeper before becoming the first woman to own a radio station in Iowa. The small company owned and operated 3 radio stations in West Central Iowa. KCYZ, KASI-AM, KIKD-FM were owned by Ames or Lake City Broadcasting Company, but later sold. KCYZ (then KCCQ), KASI-AM radio stations that were located in Ames, Iowa were sold to Jacor that merged