SBC

The Silverish Broadcasting Company, or SBC for short, is a Silverish radio and broadcast television network headquartered in Torrena City, Lochena. The radio network, the first and oldest in Silverio World, launched on April 16, 1926, while the television channel launched on July 23, 1941 (Broadcasts were suspended on December 7, 1941 due to WWII; SBC would not resume TV broadcasts until 1947) by Tecere Natze and Mek Ashberg. It is the second-largest television network in Silverio World by ratings, just behind SNT.

1926-1941: Radio era
The Silverish Broadcasting Company can trace its roots back to 1926 with the merger of four cornerstone radio stations in Silverio World: KSBS in Silverio land, RDJF in Haundrea, RTBS in Torrena City and KJR in Fluenotora. SBC established itself over the 1920s and 1930s on radio, as the Silverish Broadcasting Company. Through a partnership with RCA, Silverio World got a start into Radio as far back as the early 1920s.

During the radio era, the SBC aired two different networks:


 * SBC Red Programme, the main network which carried news, sports and popular music. The flagship of the Red Programme was KSBS in Silverio land (now KSBC-AM).
 * SBC Blue Programme, the second network, which carried spoken-word programmes as well as classical music. The flagship of the Blue Programme was RDJF in Haundrea.

In 1936, the network launched the Green Programme, which mostly focused on local news and happenings. However, following a demonstration of television at a RCA event in Silverio land, SBC wanted to get into television. However, they didn't have the funds to make it happen. So in 1939, they reached out to the Silverish government to secure funding to launch an experimental TV station. However, the Silverish government was skeptical following the failure of KGA-TV in 1935, so SBC eventually moved its presence to Lochena, where they would establish a market there.

1941-1949: Early TV years
On July 23, 1941, RSBC-TV signed on in Torrena City, Lochena as the first SBC TV station. This station would initially air only 3 hours of programming from Monday to Friday. However, when the Silverish government joined World War II on February 12, 1942, all TV stations were ordered off the air. SBC would help during the war effort, building radio towers and radar equipment for the Silverish armed forces. The station would not resume operations until June 1, 1946, over four years after the network temporarily closed. Over the next several years, SBC would open stations in Silverio land, Haundrea, Fluenotora, Belladonna Cove and Caresa. SBC would also bring over some of their radio programming to television, giving SBC a notable head start over rival network SNT, which had to rely on the government to survive. As a result, most advertisers initially preferred to sponsor SBC programs over SNT programs. By 1949, SBC was on the crisp of going national.

1949-1959: SBC goes Nationwide
At the start of 1949, SBC only had six stations. By the end of 1950, SBC had over 50 TV stations in every corner of Silverio World. SBC experimented with cable television to bring its programs across the country. They were the first station in Silverio World to time-shift programs, with separate feeds for Eastern and Western Silverio World. However, all programming was live, so Western viewers got a kinescope recording of programs produced for the east. In 1951, the Silverio land-Tianin Television Cable Link was completed, linking all the stations in the East. By 1954, another cable link connected Silverio land with Caresa and Fluenotora. By 1955, SBC had more than 76 TV stations across the country, with 90 percent coverage. 1956 saw SBC lose to SNT in the ratings because that network had picked up I Love Lucy, the most popular program of the era. SBC responded by airing a knockoff of Lucy called Rene's House, which unfortunately wasn't very successful. However, it was still significant because it was the first SBC program to be filmed in color when it aired in 1957. However, despite that failure, the network picked up Oxford Street from SNT and aired the show until 1960 when it returned to SNT. In 1958, the network aired the very first television game show in Silverio World, the Suzhoi Motor Car Trivia Hour. However, because of controversies surrounding the giveaways of cars during the show, the show was quickly cancelled. Even though the SBC suffered a rough decade in the 1950s, the 60s would be the network's peak.

1959-1965: A new identity
In 1959, SBC debuted a new logo and brand identity. It consisted of the SBC letters in the Helvetica typeface, being one of the first companies to use the newly-introduced typeface. Helvetica would be SBC's corporate typeface for decades to come. Along with this change came with less reliance on domestic shows and more focus on American imports. The network started importing programs by airing I Love Lucy (much to the dismay of SNT) and Leave it to Beaver. By 1962, SBC had a station in every Silverish media market. Despite importing most of its programming from the United States, SBC continued its commitment into making domestic shows. In 1963, the network aired Leur Evans, a drama series about the life of Leur Evans. The ratings were pretty good, and it made SBC produce more content. By 1964, SBC was the preferred TV network in 1 in 5 Silverish households. However, the following year, something would change the network forever.

1965-1972: Color broadcasting and decline
In 1965, SBC began broadcasting in color full-time. Prior to this, color broadcasts were only seen for part of the day, or if viewers had expensive color TV sets. Despite this, SBC's ratings would slip, declining from 80/100 to 62/100 by 1969. Viewers were getting tired of the network airing American imports, and not focusing on domestic programming. Despite the lower ratings, the network continued to survive. However, in 1971, the network would be hit with the largest media acquisition in Silverish history.

1972-1989: The rise of Salute Media
In 1971, the Salute Group, the owners of the Silverio land Review and various other newspapers around Silverio World, acquired SBC and its subsidiaries for SP 110.2 million. The group would enter the television and radio business through its new subsidiary, Salute Media. The network would own half of SBC's stations, giving the corporation a major controlling interest in the network. Salute Media would decide the network's programming for the next 40 years, taking control of the local news divisions at the network, and eventually acquiring SNT and TVN stations in addition to SBC stations. The network would rise in the ratings, and the network would be saved from bankruptcy. American imports continued under Salute Media, with Charlie's Angels and M.A.S.H. airing on the network for the next several years. In 1977, Salute Media and SBC would form a media partnership with American network NBC. The network would air several programs from the network, including St. Elsewhere, The Facts of Life, and other TV shows. It would also allow SBC to use NBC's promotional material. This partnership lasted until 1995. By 1980, SBC launched a dedicated children's block, SBC Funhouse. The network always had a children's block, but it did not have its own dedicated branding until now. Notable programs include Todd and Larry, Science and Adventure, various Scooby Doo shows and others. By 1985, SBC had gained back its market share it had in 1965, but not before SNT dropped a ratings bombshell of a TV show with True Lives, the most successful Silverish television program of the era. Salute Media wasn't going to go down without a fight, and as the network raced towards the 1990s, the network would have to reinvent itself to gain its market share back.

1989-1995: The SBC-SNT rivalry, Part 1
In 1989, SBC debuted The Class of 59, a new sitcom set in a fictional Soldinan high school in the 1950s. The network would propel itself to new heights with this series. Also debuting was Seinfeld and The Lighthouse of Larry Landona. While these shows dominated SBC's primetime lineup in the 1990s, they were no match for SNT's True Lives and TVN's Baywatch. In a publicly-heated feud between SNT and SBC, SBC snatched True Lives from SNT for the network's fall 1992 lineup. However, the network, by the mid 1990s, was in desperate need of a new look. There were some starts. In 1994, the network debuted Friends, one of the decade's most popular shows. This would be the last show to be imported from NBC, as the network would eventually switch allegiances to TVN in 1995. However, SBC's NBC programs would still air on SBC.

1995-2000: New on-air look and new partnership with Boca
On July 14, 1995, SBC discontinued its 36-year-old Helvetica logotype and replaced it with three shapes: a red rhombus for S, a blue square with B, and a green circle for C. The logo debuted in the fall of 1995. The network was also approached by Boca Pictures to supply programming for the network.