FOX Broadcasting Company

It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when TV was dominated by three networks: ABC, CBS and NBC. In the past two decades, the Big Three has been joined by a fourth: FOX, a major player in the broadcast market. Sometimes controversial, always popular, the network is a big reason for the continued success of Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate.

Fox Broadcasting Company, often referred to as Fox for short, was launched in 1986, shortly after Murdoch purchased the 20th Century Fox Movie Studio. Its early hits were outrageous comedies like Married... with Children and The Simpsons (spun off from another Fox hit, The Tracy Ullman Show). As News Corp. bought more stations on which to show Fox programming, the number of shows increased, branching out into reality shows, primetime soap operas and sci-fi thrillers, all basically targeting the key 18- to 34-year-old demographic.

Although American Idol currently rules the reality roost, most of the network's current hits are edgy dramas (House) and irreverent comedies (the late Arrested Development and the very much alive Simpsons). Fox has also gained a foothold in sports programming, broadcasting NFL, MLB and NASCAR races. The one thing Fox does not have is a national news broadcast, something that is probably more easily handled by its sister network Fox News.

SELECTED HITS

--A. Wu