Viacom (1971–2005)
Viacom's original logo, used from 1990 to 2006.
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| Public | |
| Industry | Mass media |
| Fate | Spun off into CBS Corporation and new Viacom |
| Predecessor | Gulf+Western |
| Successor |
CBS Corporation (legal) Viacom (spin-off) |
| Founded | May 3, 1971 |
| Defunct | December 30, 2005 |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, United States |
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Area served
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United States |
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Number of employees
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38,350 (2006) |
| Parent |
CBS (1971–1973) National Amusements (1986–2005) |
| Subsidiaries | List of subsidiaries: CBS Corporation and Viacom |
| Website | www |
Viacom Inc. (originally an initialism of Video & Audio Communications and stylized as VIΛCOM) was an American media conglomerate. During the 1970s and 1980s, Viacom was a prominent distributor of syndicated CBS television series such as I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, The Twilight Zone and All in the Family. They also distributed syndicated shows which originated during the 1980s, with the biggest examples being The Cosby Show and Roseanne (which were produced by Carsey-Werner Productions, who eventually began distributing their own programming). On December 31, 2005, the original incarnation of Viacom split into two new companies, resulting in the creation of CBS Corporation and the current incarnation of Viacom.
The original Viacom began as CBS Films, Inc., the television syndication division of CBS established in 1952 and renamed as CBS Enterprises Inc. in January 1968. The division was spun off and renamed Viacom in 1970, amid new FCC rules forbidding television networks from owning syndication companies (the rules were later repealed).
Viacom's first non-programming acquisition came in 1978 when the company purchased the Sonderling Broadcasting chain, giving it radio stations in New York City, Washington, D.C., Houston, and San Francisco, and one television station, WAST (now WNYT) in Albany, New York.
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