Editing Fox Broadcasting Company (section)

====Beginning of the network====
[[File:1987-1993 Fox B&W logo.svg|thumb|right|Logo used from 1987 to 1993]]
In 1985, 20th Century Fox announced its intentions to form a fourth television network that would compete with ABC, CBS, and NBC. The plans were to use the combination of the Fox studios and the former Metromedia stations to both produce and distribute programming. Organizational plans for the network were held off until the Metromedia acquisitions cleared regulatory hurdles. Then, in December 1985, Rupert Murdoch agreed to pay $325&nbsp;million to acquire the remaining equity in TCF Holdings from his original partner, [[Marvin Davis]]. The purchase of the Metromedia stations was approved by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) in March 1986; the call letters of the New York City and Dallas outlets were subsequently changed respectively to [[WNYW]] and [[KDAF]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=For the record |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-03-17-Page-0110.pdf |journal=Broadcasting |via=American Radio History |page=118 |date=March 17, 1986 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> These first six stations, then broadcasting to a combined reach of 22% of the nation's households, became known as the [[Fox Television Stations]] group. With the sole exception of KDAF (which was sold to [[Renaissance Broadcasting]] in 1995, at which time it became an affiliate of [[The WB]]), all of the original [[owned-and-operated station]]s ("O&Os") are still part of the Fox network today. Like the core O&O group, Fox's affiliate body initially consisted of independent stations (a few of which had maintained affiliations with ABC, NBC, CBS, or DuMont earlier in their existences). The local charter affiliate was, in most cases, that market's top-rated independent; however, Fox opted to affiliate with a second-tier independent station in markets where a more established independent declined the affiliation (such as [[Denver]], [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]]). Largely because of both these factors, Fox in a situation very similar to what DuMont had experienced four decades before had little choice but to affiliate with [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] stations in all except a few (mainly larger) markets where the network gained clearance.<ref name="NYTimes1986">{{cite news|title=New Fox Network Signs Up 79 TV Stations Across U.S.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/04/arts/new-fox-network-signs-up-79-tv-stations-across-us.html|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 4, 1986|access-date=June 27, 2015}}</ref> Then-Fox Inc. head Barry Diller was acknowledged to have been the one who created the network, with the ''[[New York Times]]'' noting in October 1986 that Diller's "current obsession is creating a television network to compete each evening with NBC, CBS and ABC."<ref name=gambles/>

The Fox television network officially debuted with a [[soft launch]] at 11:00&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]] and [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific Time]] on Thursday, October 9, 1986. Its inaugural program was a [[late-night talk show]], ''[[The Late Show (1986 TV series)|The Late Show]]'', which was hosted by comedian [[Joan Rivers]].<ref name=gambles>{{cite news|title=Fox's Barry Diller Gambles on a Fourth TV Network|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/05/arts/fox-s-barry-diller-gambles-on-a-fourth-tv-network.html|first=Aljean|last=Harmetz|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 5, 1986|access-date=June 27, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MckrtLdSIxs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/MckrtLdSIxs| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=The Late Show with Joan Rivers debut episode|website=Youtube|date=October 19, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> After a strong start, ''The Late Show'' quickly eroded in the ratings; it was never able to overtake NBC stalwart ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson|The Tonight Show]]''. By early 1987, Rivers (and her then-husband [[Edgar Rosenberg]], the show's original executive producer) quit ''The Late Show'' after disagreements with the network over the show's creative direction, the program then began to be hosted by a succession of guest hosts. After that point, some stations that affiliated with FBC in the weeks before the April 1987 launch of its prime time lineup (such as [[WVTV-DT2|WCGV-TV]] in [[Milwaukee]] and [[WDRB]]-TV in [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]]) signed affiliation agreements with the network on the condition that they would not have to carry ''The Late Show'' due to the program's weak ratings.

Shortly before the official launch of FBC on April 5, 1987, under original Fox Entertainment President Garth Ancier, the network underwent a re-branding to the much shorter "Fox". According to an interview Ancier gave at that time, it was ad man [[Jay Chiat]] who suggested to network executives that, rather than create a brand from scratch, the network ought to use the "Fox" heritage of the previous 80 years and the "searchlight" iconography to link Fox Broadcasting to 20th Century Fox.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schneider |first1=Michael |title=Retro Friday: The original Fox logo |url=https://variety.com/2010/tv/news/retro-friday-the-original-fox-logo-15867/ |work=Variety |date=30 April 2010 |quote=The "FBC" logo didn't last long. According to original Fox Entertainment prexy Garth Ancier, it was legendary ad man Jay Chiat who suggested to execs that rather than create a brand from scratch, the network ought to use the "Fox" heritage of the previous 80 years and the "searchlight" iconography to link Fox Broadcasting to 20th Century Fox.  Besides, if the idea was to launch a network that was an alternative to the Big Three, why not go with an actual brand name?}}</ref> Until late in the game during the 1980s, several station groups like Media Central and [[Pappas Telecasting]] had avoided Fox when the network launched, but joined the network later on.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 19, 1987 |title=Trotting With Fox |pages=15 |work=[[Ledger-Enquirer]]}}</ref><ref name="b&c-kmphfox">{{cite news |last1=Romano |first1=Allison |date=October 20, 2006 |title=Harry Pappas |language=en-us |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/harry-pappas-81222 |access-date=October 7, 2018}}</ref>

The network had its "[[grand opening]]" when it expanded its programming into prime time on April 5, 1987, inaugurating its Sunday night lineup with the premieres of the sitcom ''[[Married... with Children]]'' and the [[sketch comedy]] series ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]''. The premieres of both series were rebroadcast twice following their initial airings (at 7:00&nbsp;p.m. and 7:30&nbsp;pm. Eastern/Pacific, respectively) that night, which [[Jamie Kellner]], who served as the network's president and chief operating officer until his resignation in January 1993, stated would allow viewers to "sample FBC programming without missing ''[[60 Minutes]]'', ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'', or the 8 o'clock movies".<ref>{{cite news|title=Fox to Premiere Prime-Time Shows|url=http://archive.newsok.com/olive/apa/oklahoman/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=DOK%2F1987%2F04%2F05&id=Ar14900&sk=68470E79|newspaper=[[The Oklahoman|The Sunday Oklahoman]]|page=4 (''Television News'')|date=April 5, 1987|access-date=June 14, 2019}}{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Media Business; Fox's Television Head Abruptly Resigns Post|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/05/business/the-media-business-fox-s-television-head-abruptly-resigns-post.html|first=Geraldine|last=Fabrikant|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 5, 1993|access-date=June 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=FOX Launch|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V77hUkPpgc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/8V77hUkPpgc| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|website=Youtube| date=October 3, 2010 |access-date=April 9, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Fox added one new show per week over the next several weeks, with the drama ''[[21 Jump Street]]'' and comedies ''[[Mr. President (TV series)|Mr. President]]'' and ''[[Duet (TV series)|Duet]]'' completing its Sunday schedule.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Fool's Utopia 3.11.10: A Look at FOX Sundays|url=http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/132334/A-Fool%5C%5Cs-Utopia-3.11.10:-A-Look-at-FOX-Sundays.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721033806/http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/132334/A-Fool%5C%5Cs-Utopia-3.11.10:-A-Look-at-FOX-Sundays.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 21, 2012|first=Ron|last=Martin|website=411mania.com|date=March 11, 2010}}</ref> On July 11, 1987, the network rolled out its Saturday night schedule with the premiere of the [[supernatural]] drama series ''[[Werewolf (TV series)|Werewolf]]'', which began with a two-hour pilot movie event. Three other series were added to the Saturday lineup over the next three weeks: comedies ''[[The New Adventures of Beans Baxter]]'', ''[[Karen's Song]]'', and ''[[Down and Out in Beverly Hills (TV series)|Down and Out in Beverly Hills]]'' (the latter being an adaptation of the film of the same name). Both ''Karen's Song'' and ''Down and Out in Beverly Hills'' were canceled by the start of the [[1987–88 United States network television schedule|1987–88 television season]], the network's first fall launch, and were replaced by the sitcoms ''[[Second Chance (1987 TV series)|Second Chance]]'' and ''[[Women in Prison (TV series)|Women in Prison]]''.

In regard to its late night lineup, Fox had already decided to cancel ''The Late Show'', and had a replacement series in development, ''[[The Wilton North Report]]'', when the former series began a ratings resurgence under its final guest host, comedian [[Arsenio Hall]]. ''Wilton North'' lasted just a few weeks, however, and the network was unable to reach a deal with Hall to return as host when it hurriedly revived ''The Late Show'' in early 1988. ''The Late Show'' went back to featuring guest hosts, eventually selecting [[Ross Shafer]] as its permanent host, only for it to be canceled for good by October 1988, while Hall signed a deal with [[Paramount Television]] to develop his own syndicated late night talk show, ''[[The Arsenio Hall Show]]''. Fox aired the [[39th Primetime Emmy Awards]] and would air the next five editions.

Although the network had modest successes in ''Married... with Children'' and ''The Tracy Ullman Show'', several affiliates were disappointed with Fox's largely underperforming programming lineup during the network's first three years, [[KMSP-TV]] in [[Minneapolis]] and [[KPTV]] in [[Portland, Oregon]], both owned at the time by [[Chris-Craft Industries|Chris-Craft Television]], disaffiliated from Fox in 1988 (with KITN (now [[WFTC]]) and [[KPDX]] respectively replacing those stations as Fox affiliates), citing that the network's weaker program offerings were hampering viewership of their stronger syndicated slate.

At the start of the [[1989–90 United States network television schedule|1989–90 television season]], Fox added a third night of programming, on Mondays. The season heralded the start of a turnaround for Fox. It saw the debut of a [[mid-season replacement|midseason replacement]] series, ''[[The Simpsons]]'', an animated series that originated as a series of [[short film|shorts]] on ''The Tracey Ullman Show''. Ranked at a three-way tie for 29th place in the Nielsen ratings, it became a breakout hit and was the first Fox series to break the Top 30. ''The Simpsons'', at 35 years as of 2024, is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series.

In 1989, Fox also first introduced the documentary series ''[[Cops (TV program)|Cops]]'' and crime-focused magazine program ''[[America's Most Wanted]]'' (the latter of which debuted as a half-hour series as part of the network's mainly comedy-based Sunday lineup for its first season, before expanding to an hour and moving to Fridays for the 1990–91 season). These two series, which would become staples on the network for just over two decades, would eventually be paired to form the nucleus of Fox's Saturday night schedule beginning in the [[1994–95 United States network television schedule|1994–95 season]]. Meanwhile, ''Married... with Children'', which differentiated itself from other family sitcoms of the period as it centered on a dysfunctional lower-middle-class family, saw viewer interest substantially increase beginning in its third season after [[Michigan]] homemaker [[Terry Rakolta]] began a boycott to force Fox to cancel the series after objecting to risqué humor and sexual content featured in a [[Married... with Children season 3#ep41|1989 episode]]. ''Married...''{{'}}s newfound success led it to become the network's longest-running live-action sitcom, airing for 11 seasons.