Earlier this week, during NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey announced plans for the network to celebrate its 100th anniversary during the 2025-2026 TV season. No concrete details were revealed but Fey joked the special will be six hours long, twice the length of the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special the network aired in February.
Here’s an except from NBCUniversal’s official press release about its upfront presentation:
NBCUniversal to Deliver The Biggest Moments in Media Against the Backdrop of its 100th Year
NBC’s 100th year includes Sunday Night Football’s 20th Season, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Kentucky Derby, Live from the Red Carpet, 24/7 news coverage, and late-night hits like SNL and The Tonight Show. With a once-in-a-lifetime television event, “NBC 100” will be a star-studded variety special commemorating 100 years of culture-defining content, from iconic moments to unforgettable stars.
Back in 2017, NBC marked its 90th anniversary with a three-hour special titled “The Paley Centers Salutes NBC’s 90th Anniversary,” which I found incredibly underwhelming. Before that, FOX aired a 25th anniversary special in 2012.
(via Deadline Hollywood)
Close to 50 years ago I saw NBC’s 50th anniversary special, which actually traced the history back to early radio. At the time people who’d been 1930s radio stars were still alive and were included in the special, so it was an entertaining history lesson. If I recall correctly later anniversary shows spent a couple minutes mentioning that things happened a long time ago, then had film clips of stuff that were broadcast within the last few years. I won’t watch the 100th anniversary special because I can go to YouTube to see and hear episodes of both the radio and TV shows that interest me, without needing to remember recent popular series I wouldn’t watch if I was paid to do so.
This is more of an audio obscurity. There is a transcription of a song using the NBC chimes as a motif. The song is called I Love You and the vocalist sounds like Kenny Baker from the Jack Benny show. It turned up on an anniversary program in the seventies. No one is sure of the provenance of the record. The song was recreated on SNL in the seventies with vocal by Garrett Morris.
I Remember NBC fiftieth anniversary.in 197six,i remember the sixtieth as well as seventy fifth anniversaries.