Television special

As the industry matured, this trend reversed; by the 1950s, most networks aimed to provide stable, routine, and proven content to their audiences.

Television executives, such as CBS president James Aubrey, sought to avoid any disruption in viewing habits which might cause viewers to move to another network.

[5] These stand-alone broadcasts, usually 90 minutes in length, were designed to attract large, new audiences and bring prestige to the network.

To address this, Weaver used his "magazine" style which involved selling segments of each show to a different sponsor, a practice which would evolve into the modern "commercial".

In the era before cable and home video, television audiences often had to wait an entire year or more to see a special program or film that had a great impact on first viewing.