Variety looks back at how NBC became home for TV specials

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorOn October fourteenth, twenty twenty-six, Variety published a look at how NBC became America's home for television specials, from Bob Hope to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

2. 

   Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorVariety says Hope's first NBC special got poor reviews, the host was awkward, and the sketches did not work on a home screen.

3. 

   Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorAnd it was a hit regardless. That is how empires begin, Hank.

4. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt was a hit with viewers. That is the whole story.

5. 

   Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorExactly. Bad reviews, a nervous host, and the public adored it. Everything since then has stood on those wobbly foundations.

6. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWobbly.

7. 

   Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThe critics were shouting into a void, and the void changed the channel to a parade.

8. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe special was called The Frigidaire Star Spangled Revue. American television began as a refrigerator commercial people sat through willingly.