On September 18, 1927, the radio network that would become CBS made its first broadcast. Operating as the Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System, it launched from WOR in Newark, New Jersey, with a network of 16 affiliated stations and an opening program featuring the Howard Barlow Orchestra.
The new network entered a broadcasting world already dominated by NBC. Its founders sought to build a competing national service by linking stations and distributing shared programming, initially including music, opera, and other live entertainment. The arrangement gave audiences in many cities access to the same programs while helping advertisers reach listeners beyond a single local market.
The venture’s early history was financially precarious, and its name soon evolved into the Columbia Broadcasting System—CBS. Under later leadership, CBS became one of the defining American radio networks and eventually expanded into television, news, and entertainment. Its September 1927 debut marks an important early step in the rise of nationwide commercial broadcasting.
Image: actress Jeanette MacDonald standing with a CBS Radio microphone
