The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) will mark NBC’s 100th anniversary at the 2025 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts gala, set for November 14 at Gotham Hall in New York City.
Founded by RCA on November 15, 1926, NBC was the nation’s first permanent radio network, debuting with a four-hour broadcast carried on 26 stations. Its pioneering Blue and Red networks became the model for syndication, and the Red Network’s evolution into today’s NBC helped shape modern mass media.
The milestone will be highlighted during the LABF ceremony, where Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker will accept the Giants of Broadcasting award on behalf of NBC. Meet the Press, which began on radio in 1945 and moved to television in 1947, remains the longest-running program in U.S. broadcast history.
LABF Co-Chairs Heidi Raphael, Beasley Media Group Chief Communications Officer, and Jack Goodman, longtime Washington communications attorney, praised NBC’s century-long contributions. “For 100 years, NBC has been a pillar of American broadcasting,” they said in a joint statement. “We are thrilled to recognize NBC’s 100th anniversary celebration during this year’s Giants of Broadcasting event and present the award on behalf of the network to Kristen Welker.”
The gala will also honor David Muir, anchor and managing editor of ABC World News Tonight; Lynn Beall, retired TEGNA EVP and COO of Media Operations; radio personality Rick Dees; communications attorney John Feore Jr.; former Cox Radio Group EVP Dick Ferguson; actor Gary Sandy, best known as Andy Travis on WKRP in Cincinnati; and sportscaster Lesley Visser, the first woman enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
ABC News White House Correspondent Steven Portnoy will receive the LABF Excellence in Broadcast Preservation Award for his work safeguarding the history of broadcast journalism.