Late-night television is one of the dayparts in television broadcast programming . It follows prime time and precedes the overnight television show graveyard slot . The slot generally runs from about 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., with variations according to the time zone and broadcaster.
159-459: The Colbert Report ( / k oʊ l ˈ b ɛər r ɪ ˌ p ɔːr / kohl- BAIR rih-por ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focused on a fictional anchorman character named Stephen Colbert , played by his real-life namesake. The character, described by Colbert as
318-509: A 16:9 widescreen presentation, CBS and The CW were the only remaining networks that framed their promotions and on-screen graphical elements for a 4:3 presentation, though with CBS Sports' de facto 16:9 conversion with Super Bowl 50 and their new graphical presentation designed for 16:9 framing, in practice, most CBS affiliates ask pay-TV providers to pass down a 16:9 widescreen presentation by default over their standard definition channels. This continued for CBS until September 24, 2018, when
477-418: A fictional anchorman character named Stephen Colbert , played by his real-life namesake, satirized conservative personality-driven political pundit programs like the O'Reilly Factor and Hannity on FOX News . The character first made appearances on the short-lived sketch comedy series The Dana Carvey Show in 1996, described as "a self-important, trench-coated reporter who does on-location stories in
636-441: A " Colbert Report, Sport Report, Special Repor-t ", in which Colbert devotes a section of an episode, and sometimes the entire episode to a special subject. The third segment is almost always an interview with a celebrity guest, often an author or government official. Unlike the late night talk show standard of the guest walking out to the host's desk, Colbert instead runs to a separate area of the set to interview his guest, basking in
795-467: A "caustic right-wing bully." The character exists not in opposition to political leaders, but to common ignorances; for example, his insistence that then-presidential candidate Barack Obama had Socialist leanings was based on public misconceptions. In parodying the cult of personality , the Colbert character also developed a real-life equivalent, creating what was dubbed the "Colbert Nation". While giving
954-571: A "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot", is a caricature of televised political pundits . Furthermore, the show satirized conservative personality-driven political talk programs, particularly Fox News 's The O'Reilly Factor . The Colbert Report is a spin-off of Comedy Central's The Daily Show , where Colbert was a correspondent from 1997 to 2005. The program, created by Colbert, Jon Stewart , and Ben Karlin , lampooned current events and American political happenings. The show's structure consisted of an introductory monologue and
1113-476: A 1980s new wave group, Stephen & the Colberts, and released a fictional music video from the band for the song "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)". The show's popularity resulted in Colbert headlining the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner , which he performed in character. The controversial, searing routine targeted President George W. Bush and the media, and was greeted with chilly reception from
1272-483: A capacity of 150. NEP Studio 54 on 54th Street is owned by NEP Broadcasting which is New York City's largest production facility and also owns The Daily Show set at NEP Studio 52 two blocks south on 52nd Street . Aside from the set, the show's production offices have been described as "loft-like" and "all overhead pipes and exposed brick." Following the show's conclusion, the building was used for The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore . The set for The Colbert Report
1431-489: A comedy team, they really get into it. They couldn't help themselves," said Fenhagen. These references included the United States Constitution , a miniature Ten Commandments , and a CliffsNotes guide to American government. The set was described as "part Riefenstahlesque homage to the star, part symbologic gallery— where alert viewers are rewarded with snarky jokes at every turn." Above a fireplace
1590-413: A commercial broadcast network, since most primetime classical music specials were relegated to PBS and A&E by this time. The program was a concert commemorating the re-opening of Carnegie Hall after its complete renovation. A range of artists were featured, from classical conductor Leonard Bernstein to popular music singer Frank Sinatra . To compete with NBC, which produced the televised version of
1749-645: A culture of victimization of these hosts. They feel like they’re the ones who are the story, and they are being attacked by the powers that be or by some nefarious cabal. That’s all based upon one person. That’s how it came about, just me and the camera. Colbert on the character The host of The Colbert Report is Stephen Colbert, a "self-important right-wing commentator", portrayed by his real-life namesake. The character incorporates aspects of Colbert's real life, but primarily parodies cable news pundits , particularly Bill O'Reilly of Fox News ' The O'Reilly Factor , whom he refers to as "Papa Bear". To this end,
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#17327722227901908-423: A difference." Head writer Allison Silverman reiterated this trait in a later interview, commenting, "There is an essential innocence to his character." Colbert initially felt the character might not be sustainable in a longer format. Despite this, The Colbert Report was designed as an extension of the satiric goals of The Daily Show , combining it with general silliness and character-driven humor. To make sure there
2067-426: A faux- right-wing spin. The program typically continues with Colbert addressing a specific topic. Colbert often calls to "Jimmy", a reference to program director Jim Hoskinson, to roll video clips. That topic will often lead into a "The Word" segment, which juxtaposes Colbert's commentary with satirical bullet points on-screen, a parody of The O'Reilly Factor ' s "Talking Points Memo". On occasion he will conduct
2226-436: A fixture in the late-night lineup." At its peak, the show averaged 1.5 million viewers each evening. The intensity of the fictional Colbert anchorman character was gradually toned down over the course of the show's run, as the host believed he would eventually need to move beyond it. He began to regard it as an act of discipline to perform as the character, later remarking, "to model behavior, you have to consume that behavior on
2385-411: A group of staff coders and independent contractors developed Scripto software to collaborate on scripts in real time. By 1 p.m., the show held a second production meeting to go over scripts and determine which pieces to edit. Scripts were "hopefully" completed around 4 p.m., and a rehearsal with the entire staff would begin at 5:30 p.m. or occasionally earlier. Afterward, final changes were made to
2544-631: A guest interview, in which the Colbert character attempts to deconstruct his opponent's argument. The show was taped in New York City 's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, and the program's set is "hyper-American", epitomizing the character's ego. The show was taped and broadcast Monday through Thursday, with weeks taken off at multiple points in a given year for breaks. The Colbert Report saw immediate critical and ratings successes, leading to various awards , including multiple Emmy and Peabody Awards . The show's cultural influence often extended beyond
2703-534: A half-hour break for local news and features the game shows The Price Is Right and Let's Make a Deal , soap operas The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful , and talk show The Talk . CBS News programming includes CBS Mornings from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. weekdays and CBS Saturday Morning in the same period on Saturdays; nightly editions of CBS Evening News ;
2862-414: A health segment; "The Sport Report" with the "t" in both Sport and Report silent, a sports segment; and "The ThreatDown", in which Colbert lists the five greatest threats to America, and others. His newest segment, "Thought for Food" deals with the consumption of specific foods across the world. Sometimes, there is a " Colbert Report Special Repor-t " (the final 't' pronounced with special emphasis), or even
3021-467: A hit program on par with The Daily Show , and were counting on Colbert after a string of failures. The Colbert Report drew 1.13 million viewers for its premiere episode, 47 percent greater than the average for that time slot over the previous four weeks, and 98 percent of the viewership of The Daily Show , which had Comedy Central's second-largest viewership. Averaged over its opening week, The Report had 1.2 million viewers per episode, more than double
3180-408: A later date, were often forgotten because of the pace of news. Ideas with considerable potential were put in the "hopper" to be developed and rewritten, while more fully formed ideas were placed in the "pantry." Good jokes would still be sacrificed if they did not fit the character's specific point of view, which was deemed the inverse of what "any logical person" feels. At least one writer has described
3339-457: A liberal bias, noting that he himself was uninterested in modern politics. He believed that political issues reflect basic human behavior, which he viewed as his satirical specialty, noting, "If I thought I had a political point, I'd be in big trouble." In another interview, Colbert remarked, "I'm not someone with a particular political ax to grind. I'm a comedian. I love hypocrisy." The Colbert Report premiered on October 17, 2005. The first guest
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#17327722227903498-588: A little-known German-American filmed production in 1965 (which was subsequently repeated three times and starred Edward Villella , Patricia McBride and Melissa Hayden ), and beginning in 1977, the Mikhail Baryshnikov staging of the ballet, starring the Russian dancer along with Gelsey Kirkland – a version that would become a television classic, and remains so today (the broadcast of this production later moved to PBS). In April 1986, CBS presented
3657-453: A mere two months later by popular demand, this time on videotape, rather than live. In later years, the program was shown as a standalone special on PBS ; the current DVD of the telecast omits the commentary by Charles Kuralt but includes additional selections not heard on the CBS telecast. In 1986, CBS telecast Carnegie Hall: The Grand Reopening in primetime, in what was then a rare move for
3816-558: A new television special. Under the agreement, CBS would videotape Presley's concerts during the summer of 1977; the special was filmed during Presley's final tour at stops in Omaha, Nebraska (on June 19) and Rapid City, South Dakota (on June 21 of that year). CBS aired the special, Elvis in Concert , on October 3, 1977, nearly two months after Presley died in his Graceland mansion on August 16. Since its inception in 1978, CBS has been
3975-405: A parody of cable news pundits. When fellow Daily Show star Steve Carell left the show to pursue a film and television career, Comedy Central worked to keep Colbert at the network. Colbert pitched The Colbert Report to the channel in 2004. Stewart pushed Comedy Central to pick up the show, and Colbert was given an eight-week tryout. Following the show's immediate success, the show "quickly became
4134-413: A pebble that we throw into the puddle of the news, and then we report on our own ripples." Ideas for each show were considered in the morning pitch meeting, which could range from "harrowing" to smooth. Described as having "demanding standards", Colbert is quoted as remarking, "Let's make it perfect and then cut it." Although dozens of ideas were either chosen for the show or deleted, other ideas, saved for
4293-698: A primary feed CBS affiliate has not yet upgraded their transmission equipment to allow content to be presented in HD. A small number of CBS stations and affiliates are also currently broadcasting at 1080p via an ATSC 3.0 multiplex station to simulcast a station's programming such as WNCN through WRDC in Durham, North Carolina , WTVF through WUXP-TV in Nashville , and KLAS-TV through KVCW in Las Vegas , Nevada . CBS began its conversion to high definition with
4452-458: A producer for the interview segments, advised guests to talk with Colbert as though he were a "harmless drunk at the next bar stool." Guests would typically take their seats around 7 p.m., when a warm-up comedian (perhaps Jared Logan or Paul Mecurio ) delivered jokes. Colbert, out of character, held a brief question and answer session with the audience prior to taping. Taping lasted as long as three hours but usually ended around 9 p.m., at which point
4611-608: A regular basis. It became very hard to watch punditry of any kind, of whatever political stripe." With his contract set to end in December 2014, he had already decided to leave the show when he was contacted by CBS to replace David Letterman as the host of The Late Show franchise. The show's ending was announced concurrently with Colbert's jump to CBS in April 2014. The last episode of the Report aired on December 18, 2014. The show
4770-430: A separate company in 1971. In 1974, CBS dropped its original full name and became known simply as CBS, Inc. The Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired the network in 1994, renaming its legal name to the current CBS Broadcasting Inc. two years later, and in 1997 adopted the name of the company it had acquired to become CBS Corporation . In 1999, CBS came under the control of the original incarnation of Viacom , which
4929-497: A sharper political focus to the humor than the show previously exhibited. Colbert recalled that Stewart specifically asked him to have a political viewpoint, and to allow his passion for issues to carry through into his comedy. Colbert became a fixture on The Daily Show , occasionally hosting in Stewart's absence. In 2003, the program began running advertisements for a fictional program titled The Colbert Réport , starring Colbert as
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5088-697: A short interview with someone having to do with the topic. The format of the middle segment varies, but it is normally a visual presentation or skit. Often, these skits are parts of recurring segments , which may include " Better Know a District ", in which Colbert interviews a U.S. Representative from a certain district of the United States; "Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger", in which Colbert voices his approval or disapproval of prominent people and news items; "Cheating Death with Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A.",
5247-496: A short piece starring Colbert, advertising a fictional program titled The Colbert Réport , was added into the program. In these sketches, Colbert began to amplify his character to parody news pundits. Colbert anchored many sketches in his persona, including "Even Stepvhen", in which he debated current issues with fellow correspondent Steve Carell , often devolving into petty name-calling and insults. Colbert and Carell were viewed as potential breakout stars by staff, and when Carell left
5406-509: A slightly abbreviated version of Horowitz in Moscow , a live piano recital by pianist Vladimir Horowitz , which marked his return to Russia after over 60 years. The recital was televised as an episode of CBS News Sunday Morning (televised at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time in the U.S., as the recital was performed simultaneously at 4:00 p.m. in Russia). It was so successful that CBS repeated it
5565-515: A solid hour of skewered news and punctured pomposity." Variety 's Brian Lowry commented that the show had an "impressive start with a topnotch premiere followed by a respectable second outing." Paul Brownfield of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "In the run-up to the show it all sounded a bit hard to get your head around, but in the flesh the show zinged, at least this first week." The Boston Globe 's Matthew Gilbert praised
5724-464: A sports anthology series that fills certain weekend afternoon time slots before (or in some cases, in place of) a major sporting event. CBS' daytime schedule is the longest among the major networks at 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours. It is the home of the long-running game show The Price Is Right , which began production in 1972 and is the longest continuously running daytime game show on network television. After being hosted by Bob Barker for 35 years,
5883-511: A subchannel of a co-owned/co-managed full-power television station. CBS also maintains a sizeable number of subchannel-only affiliations, the majority of which are with stations in cities located outside of the 50 largest Nielsen-designated markets; the largest CBS subchannel affiliate by market size is KOGG in Wailuku, Hawaii , which serves as a repeater of Honolulu affiliate KGMB (the sister station of KOGG parent KHNL). Nexstar Media Group
6042-439: A syndicated Saturday morning block exclusive to ABC stations and later produced a block for CBS' sister network The CW that received its debut the following year, to launch a new Saturday morning block featuring live-action reality-based lifestyle, wildlife, and sports series. The Litton-produced CBS Dream Team block, aimed at teenagers 13 to 16 years old, began broadcasting on September 28, 2013, replacing Cookie Jar TV. The block
6201-653: A three-year agreement with DIC Entertainment , which was acquired later that year by the Cookie Jar Group , to program the Saturday morning time slot as part of a deal that included distribution of select tape-delayed Formula One auto races. The KOL Secret Slumber Party on CBS replaced Nick Jr. on CBS that September, with the inaugural lineup featuring two new first-run live-action programs, one animated series that originally aired in syndication in 2005, and three shows produced before 2006. In mid-2007, KOL,
6360-414: A way that suggests his own presence is the real scoop." His skits included “Waiters Who Are Nauseated by Food,” “Germans Who Say Nice Things” and “Skinheads From Maine.” Colbert joined Comedy Central 's The Daily Show in 1997, a year following its launch, then hosted by Craig Kilborn . When Jon Stewart became the program's host in 1999, The Daily Show developed a markedly different style, bringing
6519-447: Is "Baby Mumbles" by Cheap Trick . Colbert phoned guitarist Rick Nielsen during development of the show to discuss the theme, noting that he loved the band's song " I Want You to Want Me "; the show's theme music is largely that song's melody backwards. Following the opening sequence, Colbert most often proceeds with a run-through of recent headlines in a manner parodying traditional news broadcasts, similar to The Daily Show but with
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6678-410: Is a portrait of Colbert; it originally showed Colbert standing in front of the same mantel with another portrait of himself. On the show's first anniversary, the portrait was replaced by one of Colbert standing in front of the mantel with the first portrait above it, and with each successive year, it became Colbert standing in front of the previous year's painting. The graphics used throughout the show and
6837-449: Is a very thin one indeed." Heather Havrilesky of Salon was effusive, remarking, "Not only does Colbert maintain his persona without skipping a beat throughout the entire show, but he’s got great comic timing, the show’s writers are brilliant, and the whole thing is pure foolish, bizarre, idiotic fun." Barry Garron of The Hollywood Reporter dubbed it an "auspicious debut", writing, "The new show dovetails nicely with its lead-in to present
6996-524: Is also provided most weekend afternoons. Due to the unpredictable length of sporting events, CBS occasionally delays scheduled primetime programs to allow the programs to air in their entirety, a practice most commonly seen with the NFL on CBS . In addition to rights to sports events from major sports organizations such as the NFL , PGA , and NCAA , CBS broadcasts the CBS Sports Spectacular ,
7155-462: Is also true of the United States–based cable channel Cartoon Network , which targets children and young teens during daytime and primetime hours, but changes over to its Adult Swim brand in late-night slots, which targets young adults with its content. CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. , commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System ),
7314-644: Is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainment Group division of Paramount Global and is one of the company's three flagship subsidiaries, along with namesake Paramount Pictures and MTV . Headquartered at the CBS Building in New York City and being part of the " Big Three " television networks, CBS has major production facilities and operations at
7473-436: Is served by Boston O&O WBZ-TV and Burlington, Vermont , affiliate WCAX-TV ). CBS maintains affiliations with low-power stations (broadcasting either in analog or digital) in a few markets, such as Harrisonburg, Virginia ( WSVF-CD ), Palm Springs, California ( KPSP-CD ), and Parkersburg, West Virginia ( WIYE-LD ). In some markets, including both of those mentioned, these stations also maintain digital simulcasts on
7632-640: Is shared with its U.S. counterpart, whilst the Australian version also features numerous full seasons of local Network 10 shows, all commercial-free. It was announced in September 2020 that the service would be rebranded as Paramount+ in early 2021, and would feature content from the wider ViacomCBS library following the re-merger between CBS and Viacom. The name was also extended to international markets and services such as 10 All Access. The rebrand to Paramount+ took place on March 4, 2021. CBS' master feed
7791-586: Is the Colbert Report ." The show's original opening title sequence began with an eagle diving past the host, following by images of Americana, stock footage of Colbert, and words describing Colbert flying by (some of which have been used as The Word). The first word used was "Grippy", and has changed to include, among others, "Megamerican", "Lincolnish", "Superstantial", "Flagaphile", and "Factose Intolerant". The May 4 episode in 2009 featured hints planted by J. J. Abrams about when and where Colbert would be in
7950-468: Is the largest operator of CBS stations by numerical total, owning 49 CBS affiliates (counting satellites); Tegna Media is the largest operator of CBS stations in terms of overall market reach, owning 15 CBS-affiliated stations (including affiliates in the larger markets in Houston , Tampa and Washington, D.C. ) that reach 8.9% of the country. CBS provides video-on-demand access for delayed viewing of
8109-517: Is the show where we said, oh, there is unlimited open field running." In February 2007, Ben & Jerry's unveiled a new ice cream flavor in honor of Stephen Colbert, named Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream . All proceeds were donated to charity through the Stephen Colbert AmeriCone Dream Fund, which distributed the money to various causes. In June 2007, Colbert broke his left wrist while performing his warm-up for
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#17327722227908268-415: Is transmitted in 1080i high definition , the native resolution format for CBS Corporation's television properties. However, seven of its affiliates transmit the network's programming in 720p HD, while seven others carry the network feed in 480i standard definition either due to technical considerations for affiliates of other major networks that carry CBS programming on a digital subchannel or because
8427-599: The Army 's basic training regimen. On the first of the four episodes, Colbert had his head shaved on stage by General Ray Odierno who was jokingly "ordered" to do so by President Barack Obama , who appeared on the episode via a pre-recorded segment from the White House . In 2010, while in character, Colbert appeared before judiciary subcommittee hearing on the issue of farm workers and immigration . The New Yorker used Colbert's testimony before Congress as an example of
8586-747: The CBS Broadcast Center and the headquarters of owner Paramount at One Astor Plaza (both also in that city) and Television City and the CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles. It is sometimes referred to as the Eye Network , after the company's trademark symbol of an eye (which has been in use since October 20, 1951), and also the Tiffany Network , which alludes to the perceived high quality of its programming during
8745-552: The Mary Martin Broadway production of Peter Pan , CBS responded with a musical production of Cinderella , with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II . Based upon the classic Charles Perrault fairy tale , it is the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical to have been written for television. It was originally broadcast live in color on CBS on March 31, 1957, as a vehicle for Julie Andrews , who played
8904-518: The New York Comedy Festival in 2013, some writers admitted to procrastinating until the last hour before rehearsal to complete their sections; Colbert confirmed that, in the program's early days, segments such as "The Word" were scripted entirely during the rewrite before rehearsal. Both writers read their dialogue aloud to see whether they thought the Colbert character would say it. As writers were working on their respective scripts,
9063-494: The Persian Gulf , and "Farewellison" for the final episode of former producer Allison Silverman. The show's opening credits depict the Colbert character clutching an American flag. On January 4, 2010, a new opening debuted. The opening begins and ends with an eagle as before, but features new background renderings, new shots of Stephen Colbert, and is now colored in an American, red white and blue motif. The show's theme music
9222-483: The Pillsbury Bake-Off , an annual national cooking contest, was broadcast on CBS as a special. Hosts for the broadcast included Arthur Godfrey , Art Linkletter , Bob Barker , Gary Collins , Willard Scott (although under contract with CBS' rival NBC), and Alex Trebek . The Miss USA beauty pageant aired on CBS from 1963 to 2002, during a large portion of that period, the telecast was often emceed by
9381-660: The "third" Colbert: "Colbert was thoughtful and sincere—and had ruined the whole thing. By speaking honestly, he had become the very thing he was mocking, a celebrity testifying before Congress." Beginning in June 2011, the show created a long-running gag that involved Colbert starting his own actual super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow , described by the character as "100 percent legal and at least 10 percent ethical." In 2012, Colbert interviewed illustrator/author Maurice Sendak , who managed to get him to break character ; show staff and Colbert himself retrospectively labeled
9540-403: The 1940s to 1951, consisted of an oval spotlight which shone on the block letters "CBS". The present-day Eye device was conceived by William Golden, based on a Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign and a Shaker drawing. While the logo is commonly attributed to Golden, some design work may have been done by CBS staff designer Georg Olden , one of the first African-Americans to attract some attention in
9699-411: The 1970s, was used for the title logo). The word "SPECIAL", in all caps and repeated multiple times in multiple colors, slowly zoomed out from the frame in a spinning counterclockwise motion against a black background, and rapidly zoomed back into frame as a single word, in white, at the end; the sequence was accompanied by a jazzy though majestic up-tempo fanfare with dramatic horns and percussion (which
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#17327722227909858-490: The 1980s. The "Reach for the Stars" campaign used during the 1981–82 season features a space theme to capitalize on both CBS's stellar improvement in the ratings and the historic launch of the space shuttle Columbia . 1982's "Great Moments" juxtaposed scenes from classic CBS programs such as I Love Lucy with scenes from the network's then-current classics such as Dallas and M*A*S*H . From 1983 to 1986, CBS (by now firmly atop
10017-472: The 2010–11 season, while ABC was broadcasting its entire schedule in HD by the 2011–12 midseason). All of the network's programming has been presented in full HD since then (except for certain holiday specials produced before 2005 – such as the Rankin-Bass specials – which continue to be presented in 4:3 SD, although some have been remastered for HD broadcast). On September 1, 2016, when ABC converted to
10176-474: The Colbert character as Jesus Christ . In the set, "virtually every inch emblazoned with Colbert's name or the initial C"; his name, initials and the name of the show appear on the desk's plasma screen , on the rafters above the desk, and the desk itself is shaped like a giant "C". The background includes faux artifacts from the character's backstory, which are seldom seen by viewers. "I kept saying, 'People might not really notice this.' But when you're working with
10335-606: The Columbia Phonograph Company, parent of Columbia Records ' record label, invested in the network, resulting in its rebranding as the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System ( CPBS ). In early 1928, Judson and Columbia sold the network to Isaac and Leon Levy, two brothers who owned WCAU , the network's Philadelphia affiliate, as well as their partner Jerome Louchheim. They installed William S. Paley, an in-law of
10494-586: The Cosby Kids , Jim Henson's Muppet Babies , Garfield and Friends , and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . In 1997, CBS premiered Wheel 2000 , a children's version of the syndicated game show Wheel of Fortune which aired simultaneously on the Game Show Network . In September 1998, CBS began contracting the time out to other companies to provide programming and material for its Saturday morning schedule. The first of these outsourced blocks
10653-577: The Dome ) and Netflix . Notably, however, CBS is the only major broadcast network that does not provide recent episodes of its programming on Hulu (sister network The CW does offer its programming on the streaming service, albeit on a one-week delay after becoming available on the network's website on Hulu's free service, with users of its subscription service being granted access to newer episodes of CW series eight hours after their initial broadcast), due to concerns over cannibalizing viewership of some of
10812-534: The Grenadines . The network has a national reach of 95.96% of all households in the United States (or 299,861,665 Americans with at least one television set). Currently, New Jersey , New Hampshire and Delaware are the only U.S. states where CBS does not have a locally licensed affiliate (New Jersey is served by New York City O&O WCBS-TV and Philadelphia O&O KYW-TV; Delaware is served by KYW and Salisbury, Maryland , affiliate WBOC-TV ; and New Hampshire
10971-662: The Levys, as president of the network. With the Columbia record label out of ownership, Paley rebranded the network as the Columbia Broadcasting System . By September 1928, Paley became the network's majority owner with 51 percent of the business. Paramount Pictures then acquired the other 49 percent of CBS in 1929, but the Great Depression eventually forced the studio to sell its shares back to
11130-542: The Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA pageants and moving them to that network as part of an initial five-year contract, which began in 2003 and ended in 2015 after 12 years amid Trump's controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants during the launch of his 2016 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination . On June 1, 1977, it was announced that Elvis Presley had signed a deal with CBS to appear in
11289-436: The Restless became the first daytime soap opera to broadcast in HD on June 27, 2001. CBS' 14-year conversion to an entirely high-definition schedule ended in 2014, with Big Brother and Let's Make a Deal becoming the final two series to convert from 4:3 standard definition to HD (in contrast, NBC, Fox, and The CW were already airing their entire programming schedules – outside of Saturday mornings – in high definition by
11448-735: The Snowman are the only two pre-1990 animated specials remaining on CBS; the broadcast rights to the Charlie Brown specials are now held by Apple, The Grinch rights by NBC, and the rights to the Garfield specials by Boomerang . All of these animated specials, from 1973 to 1990, began with a fondly remembered seven-second animated opening sequence, in which the words "A CBS Special Presentation" were displayed in colorful lettering (the ITC Avant Garde typeface, widely used in
11607-508: The Sunday political talk show Face the Nation ; early morning news program CBS Morning News ; and the newsmagazines 60 Minutes , CBS News Sunday Morning , and 48 Hours . On weeknights, CBS airs the talk shows The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late Late Show with James Corden (until 2023, which is now replaced by game show After Midnight ). CBS Sports programming
11766-817: The United States and Canada, the term is synonymous with the late-night talk show , a type of television comedy talk show and variety show . Thus, the late-night programming block is considered more important in North America. On most major-network stations, a late-night news bulletin airs at the beginning of the block. Due to the complications of effects of time zones on North American broadcasting , live professional sporting matches such as baseball , hockey , and basketball played in Pacific and Mountain Time Zone cities, such as Denver , Los Angeles , Phoenix , Portland , and Seattle , are often played in
11925-587: The United States named "Canton", with many attracting negative responses from each respective area's local government and residents. The same year, the show filmed a tongue-in-cheek Christmas special titled A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! . In 2009, Colbert filmed a series of four episodes for the troops in Baghdad , Iraq . He had a suit tailored for him in the Army Combat Uniform pattern and went through an abbreviated version of
12084-862: The United States, some also available in Canada via pay-television providers or in border areas over-the-air. As of 2013 , CBS provides 87 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours of regularly scheduled network programming each week. The network provides 22 hours of primetime programming to affiliated stations Monday through Saturday from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Sunday from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time (7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sunday in Central/Mountain time). The network also provides daytime programming from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific weekdays (subtract 1 hour for all other time zones), including
12243-772: The World Turns , Love of Life , Search for Tomorrow , The Secret Storm , The Edge of Night , and Capitol . CBS broadcast the live-action series Captain Kangaroo on weekday mornings from 1955 to 1982, and on Saturdays until 1984. From 1971 to 1986, CBS News produced a series of one-minute segments titled In the News , which aired between other Saturday morning programs. Otherwise, CBS's children's programming has mostly focused on animated series such as reruns of Mighty Mouse , Looney Tunes , and Tom and Jerry cartoons, as well as Scooby-Doo , Fat Albert and
12402-535: The Year by the American Dialect Society and for 2006 by Merriam-Webster . The character's forceful nature confused some in the program's early days. During an appearance on the segment " Better Know a District " in the show's first season, a frustrated Barney Frank declined to continue, deeming the conversation too dumb. In one early episode, the Colbert character purported to be a former member of
12561-424: The act, a sense that we’re all in on the joke." Colbert himself acknowledged that he "rarely hit it as hard as I used to," noting that "You have to be vigilant to stay ignorant." He noted that his own personal opinions can occasionally align with his character's, when liberal guests' agendas appeared based on dislike rather than logical argument. Politician and former vice president Al Gore accidentally referred to
12720-599: The app were limited until the release of its Google Play and Windows 8 apps in October 2013, expanded the selections to include full episodes of all CBS series to which the network does not license the streaming rights to other services. On October 28, 2014, CBS launched CBS All Access , an over-the-top subscription streaming service – priced at $ 5.99 per month ($ 9.99 with the no commercials option) – which allows users to view past and present episodes of CBS shows. Announced on October 16, 2014 (one day after HBO announced
12879-451: The applause and glory meant for the guest. On the interview segment of the show, Colbert frequently attempts to nail his guest by using various rhetorical devices and fallacies to prove them wrong. The real-life Colbert once remarked that his personal favorite segment of the program were the interviews, which involved more listening on his end in order for the character to "ignorantly deconstruct" his opponent's argument. The third segment of
13038-470: The audience. Although President Bush shook Colbert's hand after his presentation, several of Bush's aides and supporters walked out during Colbert's speech, and one former aide commented that the President had "that look that he's ready to blow." Colbert's performance quickly became an Internet and media sensation. According to Vanity Fair , the speech transformed Colbert as a "folk hero" for liberals, and
13197-455: The average for the same time the previous year, when the time slot was occupied by Too Late with Adam Carolla . The show regularly began attracting over one million viewers with near immediacy. The show also drew more young men, a powerful demographic, than other late-night hosts (at that time, Jay Leno , David Letterman , and Conan O'Brien ). Within a year, The Colbert Report began averaging 1.5 million viewers per night. In early 2008, in
13356-440: The character a certain mythos was part of the show's inception, show producers did not set out to create a loyal following for the character itself; the joke was that the character thought he had an influence, but that was a figment of his ego-riddled imagination. Despite his appearance of always being in charge, Colbert is vulnerable: he feels deeply threatened by those wielding more power than he, and he suffers from "arctophobia",
13515-579: The character could extend beyond one season without growing tiresome. While positively reviewing the program as a whole, Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune echoed these sentiments: "The biggest question hanging over The Colbert Report is whether the show’s sendup of the pomposity and fear-mongering of cable news blowhards will be as appealing in the long term." Melanie McFarland of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer summarized
13674-500: The character even incorporates O'Reilly's mannerisms, described as his "pen-wielding, hand-stabbing gestures." O'Reilly's use of "talking points"—illustrated onscreen text reflecting the host's opinions—are parodied on The Colbert Report with the segment "The Word". He initially incorporated long-winded, verbose metaphors to parody CNN correspondent Aaron Brown. In addition, the character was also heavily inspired by Stone Phillips , Bill Kurtis and "especially" Geraldo Rivera . "I loved
13833-509: The children's service of AOL , withdrew sponsorship from CBS' Saturday morning block, which was subsequently renamed KEWLopolis. Complementing CBS's 2007 lineup were Care Bears , Strawberry Shortcake , and Sushi Pack . On February 24, 2009, it was announced that CBS would renew its contract with Cookie Jar for another three seasons through 2012. On September 19, 2009, KEWLopolis was renamed Cookie Jar TV . On July 24, 2013, CBS agreed with Litton Entertainment , which already programmed
13992-578: The day following the 2004 Emmy Awards to first discuss the concept. The one-line pitch Colbert, Karlin and Stewart developed was "Our version of the O'Reilly Factor with Stephen Colbert." Herzog committed to an eight-week tryout period without a pilot. By the time of the 2004 election, the character was fully developed. In creating the character, which is designed to be repellant but entertaining, Colbert conferred with Stewart and Karlin. In expressing his hope that his character not be "an asshole," Stewart remarked, "You're not an asshole. You're an idiot. There's
14151-809: The early 1970s, and is occasionally broadcast on various cable networks to this day; both versions are available on DVD. CBS was also the original broadcast home for the primetime specials produced by the National Geographic Society . The Geographic series in the U.S. started on CBS in 1964, before moving to ABC in 1973 (the specials subsequently moved to PBS – under the production of Pittsburgh member station WQED – in 1975 and NBC in 1995, before returning to PBS in 2000). The specials have featured stories on many scientific figures such as Louis Leakey , Jacques Cousteau , and Jane Goodall , that not only featured their work but helped make them internationally known and accessible to millions. A majority of
14310-683: The eloquent commentaries of Bernstein. The specials were nominated for several Emmy Awards , including two wins in 1961 and later in 1966, and were among the first programs ever broadcast from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts . Over the years, CBS has broadcast three different productions of Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker – two live telecasts of the George Balanchine New York City Ballet production in 1957 and 1958 respectively,
14469-842: The episode Stephen becomes immortal after accidentally killing " Grimmy " during the opening of the segment of " Cheating Death with Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A. ". This leads to Stephen singing " We'll Meet Again " in its entirety along with a large group of famous friends including Jon Stewart , Jeff Daniels , Sam Waterston , Big Bird , Charlie Rose , Terry Gross , Keith Olbermann , Tom Brokaw , Alan Alda , Yo Yo Ma , Ken Burns , Cyndi Lauper , Patrick Stewart , Randy Newman , Doris Kearns Goodwin , Henry Kissinger , Alex Trebek , Mandy Patinkin , Lesley Stahl , George Lucas , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Gloria Steinem , Elijah Wood , Jake Tapper , Bob Costas , Smaug and Cookie Monster . Reviews of The Colbert Report upon its 2005 premiere were positive, although critics were generally skeptical that
14628-518: The fear of bears, which he refers to as "giant, marauding, godless killing machines". He will alert the audience to what he perceives as the latest national threat (the subject of a recurring bit, "ThreatDown"), only to justify his own fears and impose those onto his audience. As the show progressed, Colbert gradually began to tone down the character, allowing guests in interviews to "get his or her own message across." The show's longevity created what The New York Times described as "a winking quality to
14787-403: The first time. That year, The Colbert Report attracted $ 52.1 million in advertising for an audience whose median age was 39.4, about a year younger than The Daily Show . In 2014, the final year of the show's run, ratings were down three percent (coinciding with a general ratings slide for cable television). The series finale on December 18, 2014, was watched by 2.4 million viewers, making it
14946-483: The following interview to 'the French Guy'. In a subsequent Newsweek interview, O'Reilly said that he "feels it's a compliment" to have Colbert parody him because Colbert "isn't mean-spirited" and does not "use [his] platform to injure people". Later, Colbert replied on-air, "I like you too. In fact, if it wasn't for you, this show wouldn't exist." Colbert disagreed that the show's emphasis on politics represented
15105-420: The formerly elided final "t"s ( / ˈ k oʊ l b ər t r ə p ɔːr t / ); a similar move was made by The Daily Show which returned to air as A Daily Show . During this period, he staged a mock feud between himself, Jon Stewart, and Late Night host Conan O'Brien over who made Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee . In 2008, Colbert made a series of jokes directed at various towns in
15264-417: The host of one of the network's game shows including Bob Barker from 1967 to 1987 (at which point Barker, an animal rights activist who eventually convinced producers of The Price Is Right to cease offering fur coats as prizes on the program, quit in a dispute over their use), succeed by Alan Thicke in 1988, Dick Clark from 1989 to 1993, and Bob Goen from 1994 to 1996. The pageant's highest viewership
15423-509: The hour-long series The Young and the Restless , which debuted in 1973, and the half-hour series The Bold and the Beautiful , which debuted in 1987. CBS has long aired the most soap operas out of the Big Three networks, carrying 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours of soaps on its daytime lineup from 1977 to 2009, and still retains the longest daily schedule. Other than Guiding Light , notable daytime soap operas that once aired on CBS include As
15582-466: The introduction of the Eye logo, featuring special IDs of logo versions from previous CBS image campaigns being shown during the network's primetime lineup. CBS historically used a specially-commissioned variant of Didot , a close relative to Bodoni , as its corporate font until 2021. CBS has developed several notable image campaigns, and several of the network's most well-known slogans were introduced in
15741-498: The job as "all-consuming", leaving no time for outside activities. Colbert himself eventually became withdrawn from morning meetings as the show continued on and he mulled a decision to leave. Usually by 11 a.m., a rough outline for the show was completed and writers sent off in pairs to create scripts that would be polished throughout the day. First, writers would scan news articles for ideas and partner together in pairs, with one "keeping track of possible jokes." During an appearance at
15900-790: The late 1960s to the early 1970s). The eye logo has served as inspiration for the logos of Associated Television (ATV) in the United Kingdom, Canal 4 in El Salvador, Televisa in Mexico, France 3 , Latina Televisión in Peru, Fuji Television in Japan, Rede Bandeirantes and TV Globo in Brazil, and Canal 10 in Uruguay. In October 2011, the network celebrated the 60th anniversary of
16059-800: The late-night time slot. On cable television , programming strategies in this time slot include timeshift channel of prime time programs and, in the case of children's television series channels, sign-on and sign-off and allowing more adult-oriented fare for the overnight hours under another brand. Two examples are the children's channels Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon , which changes over to Adult Swim and Nick at Nite , respectively, at an hour when most pre-adolescent children go to sleep. Adult Swim and Nick at Nite typically airs series programming, such as reruns of sitcom , that may have coarser language and more adult themes than Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. After 11:00 p.m., Japan airs adult talk or variety shows as well as late-night anime . This
16218-422: The launch of its over-the-top service HBO Now ) as the first OTT offering by a USA broadcast television network, the service initially encompassed the network's existing streaming portal at CBS.com and its mobile app for smartphones and tablet computers ; CBS All Access became available on Roku on April 7, 2015, and on Chromecast on May 14, 2015. In addition to providing full-length episodes of CBS programs,
16377-596: The launch of its simulcast feed CBS HD in September 1998, at the start of the 1998–99 season . That year, the network aired the first NFL game broadcast in high-definition, with the telecast of the New York Jets – Buffalo Bills game on November 8. The network gradually converted much of its existing programming from standard definition to high definition beginning with the 2000–01 season , with select shows among that season's slate of freshmen scripted series being broadcast in HD starting with their debuts. The Young and
16536-416: The midst of the writer's strike , Colbert posted an eleven-percent gain over its averages from the following fall. From 2012 to 2013, viewership decreased from 1.2 million to 1.1 million. In 2013, The Colbert Report was the second most-watched late-night talk show (behind The Daily Show ) among the demographic of adults 18–49, beating competition The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in that demographic for
16695-415: The most watched episode ever in the show's history. The finale was the most watched cable program of the night in its time slot, beating The Daily Show which was seen by two million viewers. The Colbert Report received numerous awards and accolades throughout its run. The show was nominated for four Emmy Awards in its inaugural year, but lost to The Daily Show . The Report was nominated each year for
16854-462: The multiple-voting shares held by National Amusements) were given a 72% stake in the combined Entercom, CBS no longer owns or operates any radio stations directly; however, it still provides radio news broadcasts to its radio affiliates and the new owners of its former radio stations, and licenses the rights to use CBS trademarks under a long-term contract. The television network has over 240 owned-and-operated and affiliated television stations throughout
17013-415: The network converted its on-screen graphical elements to a 16:9 widescreen presentation for all non-news and sports programs. Litton Entertainment continues to frame the graphical elements in their programs for Dream Team within a 4:3 frame due to them being positioned for future syndicated sales, though all of its programming has been in high definition. The CBS television network's initial logo, used from
17172-494: The network in 1932. CBS would then remain primarily an independent company throughout the next 63 years. Under Paley's guidance, CBS would first become one of the largest radio networks in the United States and eventually one of the Big Three American broadcast television networks. CBS ventured and expanded its horizons through television starting in the 1940s, spinning off its broadcast syndication division Viacom to
17331-643: The network include Beat the Clock and To Tell the Truth . Two long-running primetime-only games were the panel shows What's My Line? and I've Got a Secret . The network is also home to The Talk , a panel talk show similar in format to ABC's The View . It debuted in October 2010. As of the show's thirteenth season, the panel features Sheryl Underwood , Amanda Kloots , Jerry O'Connell , Akbar Gbajabiamila , and Natalie Morales who serves as moderator. CBS Daytime airs two daytime soap operas each weekday:
17490-572: The network's most prominent programs; however, episode back catalogs of certain past and present CBS series are available on the service through an agreement with CBS Television Distribution. Upon the release of the app in March 2013, CBS restricted streaming of the most recent episode of any of the network's programs on its streaming app for Apple iOS devices until eight days after their initial broadcast to encourage live or same-week (via both DVR and cable on demand) viewing; programming selections on
17649-402: The network's programming through various means, including via its website at CBS.com; the network's apps for iOS , Android , and newer version Windows devices; a traditional VOD service called CBS on Demand available on most traditional cable and IPTV providers; and through content deals with Amazon Video (which holds exclusive streaming rights to the CBS drama series Extant and Under
17808-493: The news. He is veracious in his approach, while often ridiculously overblown in his statements. The character is egomaniacal , fact-averse ("factose intolerant"), God-fearing, and hyper-patriotic. He claims to be an independent who is often mistaken for a Republican , but uniformly despises liberals and generally agrees with the actions and decisions of the Republican Party. Colbert's character has been described as
17967-455: The next 30 years. The CBS eye has since become a widely recognized symbol. While the logo has been used in different ways, the Eye device itself has never been redesigned. As part of a then-new graphical identity created by Trollbäck + Company that was used by the network during the 2006–2007 network television season, the eye was placed in a "trademark" position on show titles, days of the week and descriptive words, an approach highly respecting
18126-407: The persona as a "character" in a 2011 interview on the show, and in 2013, Colbert further blurred the lines between his character and real life when he spoke regarding the death of his mother on the program. In doing so, many commentators referred the show's longevity and the development of a "third" Colbert — one a faux pundit and one informed by the performer's own life. In the show's credits, Colbert
18285-414: The postwar graphic design field. The Eye device made its broadcast debut on October 20, 1951. The following season, as Golden prepared a new "ident", CBS President Frank Stanton insisted on keeping the Eye device and using it as much as possible. Golden died unexpectedly in 1959, and was replaced by Lou Dorfsman , one of his top assistants, who would go on to oversee all print and on-air graphics for CBS for
18444-565: The press." Nevertheless, there were more negative reviews: USA Today 's Robert Bianco opined that the show "tried too hard", writing, "Unfortunately, in just two weeks on the air, this half-hour spoof of a no-spin-zone type show has already stretched Colbert's character and the artifice that supports it past its natural breaking point." The New Yorker remarked that the show remained funny throughout its entire run. The Colbert Report currently scores favorable reviews, with 65/100 on Metacritic (first season), while its viewers' ranking on
18603-953: The primetime of the Pacific and Mountain Time Zones but late night in the Central and Eastern time zones, and their lateness often contributes to a perceived East Coast bias in sports media. In the United Kingdom , the late-night spot is from 11:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and not seen as a priority; ITV , Channel 4 and Channel 5 air repeat programs in the time slot, and the BBC 's channels ( BBC One , Two , Three and Four ) primarily show BBC News , air movies, or repeats. Similarly, Australian and New Zealand television primarily air American late shows, lower-priority imported series, late movies or overflows of sports programming in
18762-519: The quality of their material and had never looked at the names on writing packets submitted for employment. Subjects considered too dark were not even considered for comedic material; for example, the show would poke fun at press coverage of a tragedy, rather than the tragedy itself. Issues discussed on the show were later reported on actual newscasts, in turn allowing the show to comment on its own impact, creating an echo chamber of sorts. This led Colbert to describe his show, "at its purest expression, [as]
18921-525: The rest of its run for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series , but lost each time to The Daily Show until 2013— breaking the longest winning streak for a television show in Primetime Emmy Award history. Colbert subsequently referenced his win on his program as the conclusion of Stewart's "reign of terror." The Report also won the award the following year, and received a subsequent nomination in 2015. Late night television In
19080-471: The runner-up by more than 14 million votes. He was, however, disqualified, as the name of the bridge was intended to be a memoriam. Later that year, he began a mock feud with indie rock group the Decemberists over the subject of who was the first to challenge fans to create a green screen video; the fake conflict culminated in a guitar solo competition against Decemberists guitarist Chris Funk on
19239-410: The script. The final rewrite would take place in a "small, red, poorly ventilated room" until 6:45 p.m. Before interviewing his guests, Colbert met with them in the green room and acknowledged that he was playing a character, noting that the persona is "willfully ignorant of what you know and care about" and urging the guest to "honestly disabuse me of what you see as my ignorance." Emily Lazar ,
19398-599: The segment one of the show's more memorable moments. The Los Angeles Times called the September 2013 interview with political commentator and former CIA official Philip Mudd Colbert's "most awkward interview", stating Mudd "could barely disguise his contempt" for Colbert. President Barack Obama guested during the show's final month, in a show taped from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. ; Obama sat in Colbert's seat and presided over " The Wørd " segment. The final episode aired on December 18, 2014. In
19557-497: The series in 2004 to start a US version of The Office , Comedy Central made attempts to keep Colbert at the network. Stewart and Karlin were already looking to expand the Daily Show franchise and their production company, Busboy. The duo supposedly came up with the idea for The Colbert Report after watching coverage of the sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Bill O'Reilly . Colbert met with network president Doug Herzog
19716-543: The service allows live programming streams of local CBS affiliates in 124 markets reaching 75% of the United States. CBS All Access offered the most recent episodes of the network's shows the day after their original broadcast, as well as complete back catalogs of most of its current series and a wide selection of episodes of classic series from the CBS Television Distribution and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks program library to subscribers of
19875-564: The service. CBS All Access also carried behind-the-scenes features from CBS programs and special events. Original programs aired on CBS All Access included Star Trek: Discovery , The Good Fight , and Big Brother: Over the Top . In December 2018, the service was launched in Australia under the name 10 All Access , due to its affiliation with CBS-owned free-to-air broadcaster Network 10 . Due to local programming rights, not all content
20034-580: The show has been hosted since 2007 by actor and comedian Drew Carey . The network is also home to the current incarnation of Let's Make a Deal , hosted by singer and comedian Wayne Brady . CBS is the only commercial broadcast network that continues to broadcast daytime game shows. Notable game shows that once aired as part of the network's daytime lineup include Match Game , Tattletales , The $ 10/25,000 Pyramid , Press Your Luck , Card Sharks , Family Feud , and Wheel of Fortune . Past game shows that have had both daytime and prime time runs on
20193-443: The show is on occasion a musical guest. Prominent musical guests have included Metallica , Paul McCartney , Rush , Green Day , Paul Simon , Crosby Stills & Nash , Pavement , Cat Stevens , Yo-Yo Ma , Radiohead and Black Star . Afterwards, Colbert ends the show with parting words to the audience or, if short for time, a simple "that's it for the report everybody, good night". It’s all about this [character] because there’s
20352-399: The show was edited and sent to Comedy Central for broadcast. As the show was being edited, the staff met one last time to work through details for the next show. The Colbert Report was taped and broadcast four nights a week, Monday–Thursday. The show's taping studio, at 513 W. 54th Street in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, was used for The Daily Show until July 2005, and has
20511-427: The show's early reaction: "Critics and bloggers either loved the premiere or declared themselves to be unmoved, but that's the standard reaction after any late-night program's debut. A truer measure will be seen in coming weeks, after the hype wears off and the ratings lose their exuberance." Gilbert Cruz of Entertainment Weekly noted that "Colbert proves that the line between serious TV journalism and utter nonsense
20670-411: The show's final episode of the year, featuring guest appearances from guitarist Peter Frampton , New York Governor-Elect Eliot Spitzer , and Dr. Henry Kissinger . Colbert later recalled it as the show's "craziest" moment, changing the way the staff viewed the program: "Because you realize the character believes anything he thinks, says, [or] cares about is important, anything fits on the show. [...] That
20829-459: The show's production and graphics team compiled music, footage, and props needed for the show. To collect video clips, the show cross-referenced transcripts of hours and hours of archived TiVo recordings of news programs. In 2011, the show switched to Snapstream software, which streamlined the TV clip search and compilation process, allowing for searching closed captioning for select words. In addition,
20988-548: The show's studio and at-home audience, like Colbert's poll to name a bridge in Hungary after himself. Many of the writers had improv training and at one point put together "improv evenings" at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre once a month. The Report's writing staff was predominantly male and white; Colbert acknowledged this lack of diversity, but contended that he hired writers based solely on
21147-573: The show's traditional viewing audience, including Colbert running for U.S. President twice, co-hosting a rally at the National Mall , presenting a controversial performance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner , and establishing a real Super PAC that raised over a million dollars. The show also inspired various forms of multimedia, including music and multiple best-selling books. The Colbert Report , hosted by
21306-548: The show's wordplay, summarizing, "Colbert's a clever creation, and a necessary one, and he deserves an opportunity to offend as many people as possible with his pompous blather." Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times commented that the show was a welcome addition to the Comedy Central lineup, remarking, "What puts Mr. Colbert over the top is that he is not just impersonating well known television personalities, he also uses parody to score larger points about politics and
21465-539: The show. It was the subject of an extended bit on the program, including the creation of the "Wriststrong" wrist band , based on Lance Armstrong 's " Livestrong " wrist band, which donated all proceeds to the Yellow Ribbon Fund . Colbert remained on the air without writers during the Writers Guild of America strike in 2007–08. Colbert modified the pronunciation of the show's name, pronouncing both of
21624-407: The simplest show, then it's "The Joy Machine" as opposed to "The Machine". Considering the speed at which we do it, we'll get caught in the gears really quickly unless we also approach it with joy. Stephen Colbert describing the show's production, 2009 The show's writing was grounded in improv , employing a "yes to everything" mentality. Much of the humor derived from extended improv games with
21783-486: The site is higher at 8.7/10. In a 2009 academic analysis of the show's popularity, Temple University researcher, Heather LaMarre found that the show appealed to both liberals and conservatives, concluding, "there was no significant difference between the groups in thinking Colbert was funny, but conservatives were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberals were more likely to report that Colbert used satire and
21942-554: The sole broadcaster of The Kennedy Center Honors , a two-hour performing arts tribute typically taped and edited in December for later broadcast during the holiday season. CBS has 15 owned-and-operated stations, and current and pending affiliation agreements with 228 additional television stations encompassing 50 states, the District of Columbia, two U.S. possessions (Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and Bermuda and St. Vincent and
22101-745: The specials were narrated by various actors, notably Alexander Scourby during the CBS run. The success of the specials led in part to the creation of the National Geographic Channel , a cable channel launched in January 2001 as a joint venture between the National Geographic Society and Fox Cable Networks . The specials' distinctive theme music, by Elmer Bernstein , was also adopted by the National Geographic Channel. From 1949 to 2002,
22260-459: The studio itself are saturated with American flags , bald eagles , Captain America's shield , and other patriotic imagery. Typically, Colbert starts with the audience cheering and teasers regarding the show's topics and guest; each headline is structured to be a deliberate pun. The series of puns are followed by a verbal metaphor that promotes the show and is almost always finished with, "This
22419-542: The tenure of William S. Paley (and can also refer to some of CBS's first demonstrations of color television , which were held in the former Tiffany and Company Building in New York City in 1950). The network has its origins in United Independent Broadcasters, Inc. , a radio network founded in Chicago by New York City talent agent Arthur Judson in January 1927. In April of that year,
22578-564: The time of the deal, Nickelodeon and CBS were corporate sisters through the latter's then parent company Viacom as a result of its 2000 merger with CBS Corporation. From 2002 to 2005, live-action and animated Nickelodeon series aimed at older children also aired as part of the block under the name Nick on CBS . Following the Viacom-CBS split, the network decided to discontinue the Nickelodeon content deal. In March 2006, CBS entered into
22737-422: The title role; that broadcast was seen by over 100 million people. It was subsequently remade by CBS in 1965, with Lesley Ann Warren, Stuart Damon, Ginger Rogers , and Walter Pidgeon among its stars; the remake also included the new song "Loneliness of Evening", which was originally composed in 1949 for South Pacific but was not performed in that musical. This version was rebroadcast several times on CBS into
22896-707: The two separated companies agreed to re-merge to become ViacomCBS (now known as Paramount Global). Following the sale, CBS and its other broadcasting and entertainment assets were reorganized into a new division, CBS Entertainment Group. CBS operated the CBS Radio network until 2017 when it sold its radio division to Entercom (now known as Audacy, Inc. since 2021). Before this, CBS Radio mainly provided news and feature content for its portfolio of owned-and-operated radio stations in large and mid-sized markets, as well as its affiliated radio stations in various other markets. While CBS Corporation common shareholders (i.e. not
23055-798: The value of the design. The logo is alternately known as the "Eyemark", a branding used for CBS' domestic television syndication division , under the Eyemark Entertainment name, in the mid-to-late 1990s after Westinghouse Electric bought CBS, but before the King World acquisition (which Eyemark was folded into), and subsequent merger with Viacom; Eyemark Entertainment was the result of the merger of MaXaM Entertainment (an independent television syndication firm which Westinghouse acquired shortly after its merger with CBS in 1996), Group W Productions (Westinghouse Broadcasting's own syndication division), & CBS Enterprises (CBS's syndication arm from
23214-417: The way Geraldo made reporting a story seem like an act of courage," Colbert told a reporter in 2012. The core principle of The Colbert Report is that Colbert is a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot." The character believes that he himself is the news: rather than a vessel to deliver the news to the audience, or a general member of the media, the character sees himself as more important than
23373-727: The works of Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel), beginning with How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 1966, as well as several specials based on the Garfield comic strip during the 1980s (which led to Garfield getting his Saturday-morning cartoon on the network, Garfield and Friends , which ran from 1988 to 1995). Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer , produced in stop motion by Rankin/Bass , has been another annual holiday staple of CBS; however, that special first aired on NBC in 1964. As of 2011 , Rudolph and Frosty
23532-405: Was Stone Phillips , a partial influence on the character. In the debut episode, Colbert coined the word truthiness , defined as "a quality characterizing a 'truth' that a person making an argument or assertion claims to know intuitively 'from the gut' or because it 'feels right' without regard to evidence , logic , intellectual examination, or facts." Truthiness was named the 2005 Word of
23691-435: Was called "The Eagle's Nest" and reflects and facilitates Colbert's self-aggrandizing style. It was designed by Jim Fenhagen, and was intended to both capture the character's ego and be "hyper-American." Elements incorporated into the set included architectural lines converged to Colbert's desk, and radial beams coming out from behind his chair. Colbert's main influence for the set was Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper , with
23850-580: Was credited with a title, which deliberately became increasingly cumbersome as the show progressed: Her Excellency The Rev. Sir Doctor Stephen Tyrone Mos Def Colbert, D.F.A., Heavyweight Champion of the World ✱✱ featuring Flo Rida La Premiere Dame De France . When O'Reilly appeared on The Daily Show before the second episode of The Colbert Report aired, he commented, "Before we get started, somebody told me walking in here, you got some French guy on after you making fun of me?", and made several references in
24009-838: Was edited incidental music from the CBS crime drama Hawaii Five-O , titled "Call to Danger" on the Capitol Records soundtrack LP). This opening sequence appeared immediately before all CBS specials of the period (such as the Miss USA pageants and the annual presentation of the Kennedy Center Honors ), in addition to animated specials. CBS was also responsible for airing the series of Young People's Concerts , conducted by Leonard Bernstein . Telecast every few months between 1958 and 1972, first in black-and-white and then in color beginning in 1966, these programs introduced millions of children to classical music through
24168-455: Was formed as a spin-off of CBS in 1971. In 2005, Viacom split itself into two separate companies and re-established CBS Corporation through the spin-off of its broadcast television, radio and select cable television and non-broadcasting assets, with the CBS network at its core. CBS Corporation was controlled by Sumner Redstone through National Amusements , which also controlled the second incarnation of Viacom until December 4, 2019, when
24327-418: Was later described by Frank Rich as the "defining moment" of the 2006 midterm elections. Adam Sternbergh of New York , a year after the show's debut, deemed the character "something very close to what he's parodying, a kind of Bill O'Reilly for the angry left." In 2006, Colbert encouraged fans to vote for his name to be the new name of a bridge in Hungary, which was being decided via an online poll, beating
24486-414: Was no overlap in subject matter with The Daily Show , Karlin made trips between the studios during the show's early days to supervise scripts. For the first several years of the program, Colbert made an appearance at the end of each Daily Show in split-screen, having a short discussion with Stewart preceding his show. I call the show, jokingly, "The Joy Machine", because if you can do it with joy, even in
24645-471: Was not serious when offering political statements". Malcolm Gladwell discussed LaMarre's findings in his Revisionist History podcast, "The Satire Paradox" (2016). The ratings of The Colbert Report , from its premiere, benefited from the lead-in The Daily Show provides, which at the time of the show's debut averaged 1.3 million viewers per night. Comedy Central had previously struggled to produce
24804-557: Was recorded in the early 1980s when it regularly topped the Nielsen ratings on the week of its broadcast. Viewership dropped sharply throughout the 1990s and 2000s, from an estimated viewership of 20 million to an average of 7 million from 2000 to 2001. In 2002, Donald Trump (owner of the Miss USA pageant's governing body, the Miss Universe Organization ) brokered a new deal with NBC, giving it half-ownership of
24963-488: Was renamed CBS WKND in 2023. CBS was the original broadcast network home of the animated primetime holiday specials based on the Peanuts comic strip, beginning with A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965. Over 30 holiday Peanuts specials (each for a specific holiday such as Halloween ) were broadcast on CBS until 2000 when the broadcast rights were acquired by ABC. CBS also aired several primetime animated specials based on
25122-433: Was replaced on Comedy Central's late-night lineup by The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore , another spinoff of The Daily Show . The character first made appearances on the short-lived sketch comedy series The Dana Carvey Show in 1996, described as "a self-important, trench-coated reporter who does on-location stories in a way that suggests his own presence is the real scoop." When The Daily Show ran short on time,
25281-468: Was the CBS Kidshow , which ran until 2000 and featured programming from Canadian studio Nelvana such as Anatole , Mythic Warriors , Rescue Heroes , and Flying Rhino Junior High . After its agreement with Nelvana ended, the network then entered into a deal with Nickelodeon to air programming from its Nick Jr. block beginning in September 2000, under the banner Nick Jr. on CBS . By
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