GRADE  THE  NEWS

In 1927, when David Sarnoff did not see fit to include any of talent agent Arthur Judson's clients in his roster of stars for the new NBC radio networks, Judson defiantly founded his own network—and thus the birth of CBS. (n.d.b, U.S. Network) Very shortly after which, William S. Paley bought the network. “Paley's greatest gift, however, was in recognizing talent. He soon signed singers such as Bing Crosby, Kate Smith and Morton Downey for the network. Unfortunately, as soon as some of them gained famed at CBS they were lured away by the far richer and more popular NBC” (n.d.b, U.S. Network). “CBS made media history beginning in the late 1920s. Realizing that the key to radio success was large audiences that would attract advertisers, Paley offered programming free to affiliated stations in return for having a certain part of their schedules devoted to sponsored network shows. (n.d.b, Erickson). During the 20’s CBS television was known as the “Tiffany Network” because of the high quality and sophistication in their programs (n.d.b, Erickson). Later in the 1970’s CBS’s Walter Cronkite, anchored the evening newscast and was known by many viewers as the “most trusted man in America” (n.d.b, Erickson). CBS and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation got together in the 80’s to form a venture that “included ownership and operation of CBS Studio Center, and for the first time in almost twenty years a new name appeared on the sign above the main gate, CBS/Fox Studios. (n.d, CBS Studio Center). During November 1995, CBS was sold for $5.4 billion to the Westinghouse Corporation. This effectively brought to close CBS’s history as an independent company (n.d.b, U.S. Network). “This firm, which had once been one of the world’s largest makers of electrical equipment, converted itself in the 1990s into a media company through the purchase of CBS and other firms. To mark this transformation Westinghouse in 1997 dropped its own corporate name and assumed the name CBS Corporation” (n.d.b, Erickson).

 

Who owns them?

CBS has been owned by CBS Corporation since late 1995. However, before then they were an independently owned corporation. However, they were bought out for $5.4 billion dollars (n.d.b, Erickson).

 

How many are owned by the same parent company? Independently owned?

CBS Corporation “has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television, cable television, local television,” and many more (Free Press). Some that might be more recognizable are the CW (a joint venture between CBS and Warner Bros.), CBS entertainment, Simon & Schuster, CBS Films, Smithsonian Network, and Free Press Publishing House (Free Press).

 

What is their annual revenue and where do they get it from?

During the year of 2013 the CBS corporation reported their annual revenue at 15.2 million (CBS Corporation). Upon further observation, one can see what venues are the real money makers for this corporation. Entertainment brings in roughly 8.6 million, Cable Networks: 2.1 million, Local Broadcasting 2.7 million, Outdoors America: 1.3 million, and Publishing just shy of 1 million (CBS Corporation).

 

What’s their reader/viewer share?

Although the between the top three evening news segments, CBS’s Evening News has the smallest audience. However, that didn’t stop it from growing during 2012. According to Pew Research’s latest survey, ratings grew by 5% and share rose to 8.1 (n.d., Guskin, Jurkowitz, & Mitchell). On average, it has 6.14 million viewers.

 

Is there a particular story that “made” this news venue particular popular?

“On September 11, Pelley was among the first reporters to arrive on the scene of the twin towers. His award-winning live reports from Ground Zero and the subsequent search and recovery operations exhibited his innate ability to provide a deeper understanding of news events” (2014, CBS). Later, during the national outbreak of meningitis in the fall of 2012, “Pelley made news with his "60 Minutes" interview with a whistleblower from the company where the tainted medicine was manufactured” (2014, CBS). Because of his experience as a serious reporter his position as managing editor of the CBS Evening News has become more respected and trusted.

 

Was there a story that this news venue is particular well known for scooping?

According to the Washington Post, CBS news was able to steal the story of the Tiananmen Square out from under the world. “It was a monumental drama that played out on televisions around the world. In America, millions turned to “CBS Evening News” to follow the Chinese awakening and subsequent crackdown: Anchored by Dan Rather and produced by Tom Bettag, it was the only show of its kind originating from Beijing during the height of the protests” (May, Streissguth). The Post says that, “As the military rampaged, CBS News correspondent Richard Roth narrated the scene over a cellphone to the network’s New York headquarters” (May, Streissguth).

 

How does the news site frame itself? How is it perceived (conservative/liberal/moderate/completely unreliable/well-respected for fairness/etc)?

CBS calls itself “America's Most Watched Network”, however this is not true. In a study done by Pew Research Center, it was found that of the three Big Sister News Networks CBS is actually the one with the smallest audience. (2014, Engel). “Used by 29% of respondents in the Pew Research Survey, its audience’s ideological composition largely mirrors that of all respondents. The average consumer being mixed between liberal and conservative” (2014, Engel). However, Business Insider reports that “CBS has audiences that lean left [liberal]” (2014, Engel). However, Jeremy Cluchey, from Media Matters, says that, “CBS Evening News broadcasts since the November 2, 2004, presidential election found that the program featured Republicans and conservatives more often than Democrats and progressives” (2005, Clucey).