Classic Network Era

378 Words2 Pages
The television network segment discusses the role of the big three during the classic network era. The classic network era lasted through the mid-1940s until the mid-1980s when the multi-channel era was born (Mittell, p. 10). The classic network era began when the radio industry transitioned into the television industry (Mittell, p. 10). NBC, CBS, and ABC emerged as the major networks during the classic network era, also known as the big three (Mittell, p. 10). During this era, the big three controlled most of the programming across the nation. The classic network era gave rise to the television programming formats, advertising, and political information (Mittell, p. 10). Many of the standards set in the classic network era still exist today.