Today in History: PBS is Founded
PBS Is Founded
October 5, 1970
On October 5, 1970, the Public Broadcasting Service began operations, replacing the previous National Educational Television service. Its first broadcast was The French Chef, starring the now-legendary Julia Child. The program was far from its last. In the coming decades, beloved shows like Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood redefined childrens programming, and PBS groundbreaking 1971 reality series, An American Family, presaged the reality TV era by two decades.
PBS gave world-renowned naturalist David Attenborough a platform to reach American audiences, and a place for astronomer Carl Sagan to explore the wonders of the cosmos. When the Watergate scandal rocked the nation in 1974, it was the only channel with comprehensive coverage of all the proceedings a small taste of the 24-hour news channels of the future. Fifty years later, the service remains funded by American taxpayers and donations from various foundations and viewers like you. It partners with 330 member stations around the U.S., and reaches 126 million people every month.