Pacitalian Broadcasting Corporation

This article refers to Pacitalia's largest television broadcaster, as this is the most common use for the three-letter abbreviation in NS. For other uses, see PBC (disambiguation).

The Pacitalian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known by the abbreviation PBC, is Pacitalia's largest television broadcasting network, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

PBC History

The Pacitalian Broadcasting Corporation was established in 1924 by the Government of Pacitalia as the nation's first short-wave civilian radio transmission network, after intense lobbying by the group known as Pacitalians For Radio Introduction. In the Radio Creation Act, the government stipulated that no less than ten long-range transmission stations should be set up, under the name of the Pacitalian Broadcasting Corporation. The act also stated that the company would be 100% state-owned for at least 10 years.

A Fledgling Network

On September 1, 1924, the PBC first came into existence with stations in Timiocato, Nortopalazzo, Mandragora, Saronno, Sambuca, Puntafora, Il Monterio, Capagatta, Athalone and Amita. Each station had an approximate broadcast range of 315km on the AM frequency. Listenership during the first five years was solid as the PBC introduced good programming with interesting hosts such as conservative talk host Paolo Martozini and his liberal counterpart, Alberto Azpa. News was a staple of PBC in its early years, with fifteen-minute news bulletins taking place at 9:00 a.m., Noon, 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m..

In November 1928, the network expanded to fourteen stations with the addition of smaller transmission bases in Puerta Vallarta, Mazatilano, Lucifora and Murago. The average daily reach (ADR) of the corporation between 1924 and 1930 was 26.3 million, a solid number that continued on through the economic recessions of the 1930s.

In 1934, the act's statement that the network stay fully public for 10 years expired, and fifty percent of the network was sold to the Central American Broadcasting Group. A further twenty percent was sold to the company in 1937.

Radio broadcasting continued to steam ahead at full power into the 1940s, with the addition of over forty retransmission stations for the ten primary and four secondary network affiliates. Listenership increased to around 40 million in 1943, and further to 42 million in 1945.

PBC Moves Forward

At the end of 1946, television sales in Pacitalia jumped drastically, but there was one problem - there were no broadcasters in Pacitalia capable of television broadcasting, which meant televisions were basically useless except for picking up local independent affiliates that had recently set up and had little or no interesting programming.

Another reform in media started in February 1947, with the beginning of peaceful protests by Pacitalian Families for Broadcasting Progression. The organisation argued that Pacitalia to progress well as a society, an advanced media form was needed to keep the nation up to par with other nations. At first, PBC executives disagreed with the group, saying television was too expensive and cumbersome for the network to attempt any move into television. However, as other nations began the move into television, PBC in the next two months realised their judgment the first time around was shortsighted and immediately began the creation of television broadcasting facilities in Timiocato, Nortopalazzo, Sambuca, Il Monterio and Athalone, with Timiocato being the main centre of broadcast.

It took just over two years, but it was more because of the thoroughness of a television operation desired by the executives than slowness on the part of the company. On January 1, 1950; PBC began its first transmissions as a television network, beaming long-wave television signals to 65 million homes around the country. Ironically, despite the PBC's wariness that it would be behind by international standards by starting its television broadcasting system at that date, were defied by fate - they were one of the first to start up successfully.

Television Expansion

Colour television was introduced to Pacitalia in 1957. PBC, the sole broadcaster at the time, jumped on the chance to broadcast in colour and hence updated its logo/ident on January 1, 1958.

Through the 1960s and 1970s the corporation continued to expand under the Central American Broadcasting Group, which also acquired Moepoeian state broadcaster MPTV in 1973. Programs like game shows, sitcoms and dramas began to populate PBC programming. In 1976, PBC expanded its news bulletins to half-hour and hour broadcasts (the hourly ones at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m., the half-hour ones at 7:30 a.m., Noon and 3:00 p.m.).

In the late 1970s, more Pacitalian-produced movies began to air on PBC, and late-nights became a source of controversy when PBC began airing rather risqué movies at 1 and 2 in the morning. The movies were pulled from the airwaves by a government order in 1979.

In 1982, rival private television network PTN (Pacitalian Television Network) began operations, which of course stole viewers away from PBC. In response, PBC diversified its operations, setting up PBC 2 and PBC 3 and renaming the original network to PBC 1. This monopoly on the television airwaves was objected by PTN but since PBC was still partially state-owned, no action was taken. The government sold off its remaining holdings to Central American Broadcasting Group in 1984.

(to be continued)