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May 24, 1980 CBS Sports broadcasts the New York Islanders' Stanley Cup victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
November 21, 1980 The "Who Shot J. R.?" episode of "Dallas" is the most-watched television program up to that time. Ninety million viewers, nearly 80 percent of all television viewers that night, are tuned into the episode. It remains the second most-watched primetime broadcast in television history.
December 11, 1980 "Magnum, P.I." premieres and runs through September 12,1988.
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March 6, 1981 Walter Cronkite retires as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News." During Cronkite's 19 years on the job, he is called "the most trusted man in America."
CBS Sports starts its Road to the Final Four, acquiring the television rights to the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship for three years.
March 9, 1981 Dan Rather takes over as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News." In 2001, Rather becomes the longest-running anchor of a network news program in history.
November 24, 1981 "Simon & Simon" premieres and runs through December 31, 1988.
December 4, 1981 "Falcon Crest" premieres and runs through May 17, 1990.
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January 23, 1982 "CBS Reports: The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception," anchored by Mike Wallace, is broadcast. The program examined charges that U.S. military intelligence in Vietnam consciously suppressed and altered data on enemy strength and numbers prior to the Tet Offensive in January 1968. It also resulted in the famous CBS lawsuit involving Mike Wallace and Gen. William Westmoreland.
January 24, 1982 CBS Sports broadcasts the highest rated (49.1/73) Super Bowl of all time as the San Francisco 49ers, led by Joe Montana, defeat the Cincinnati Bengals, 26-21. Pat Summerall and John Madden call their first Super Bowl together as they go on to be one of the most popular NFL announce teams ever.
March 7, 1982 For the first time ever, the "NCAA Selection Show" is broadcast live to a national audience by CBS Sports.
March 25, 1982 "Cagney & Lacey" premieres and runs through August 25, 1988. It wins two Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series (1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons).
March 29, 1982 In CBS Sports' first-ever broadcast of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game, University of North Carolina, with freshman Michael Jordan, beats Georgetown for the NCAA crown. CBS Sports wins the Outstanding Live Sports Special Emmy Award for its coverage.
October 3, 1982 "CBS News Nightwatch," the first overnight news program on CBS, debuts.
October 25, 1982 "Newhart" premieres and runs through September 8, 1990. The last original episode, which ran in the spring of 1990, features one of television's cleverest plot twists: Dick (Bob Newhart) wakes up with Emily (Suzanne Pleshette), his wife from "The Bob Newhart Show," and tells her that he'd had a strange dream about owning an inn in Vermont (the plot of "Newhart").
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February 28, 1983 The final episode of "M*A*S*H" broadcasts to an audience of 106 million. It is, to this day, the largest ever audience to watch a television broadcast.
April 14, 1983 In an NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game upset, Gary Bender and Billy Packer call North Carolina State's upset of the University of Houston.
Fall 1983 New series include "After MASH" (which premieres September 26 and runs through December 18, 1984) and "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" (which premieres October 3 and runs through September 10, 1987).
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1984-87 Coverage of the NBA on CBS hails a new era that will forever link two of the game's greatest players, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
March 19, 1984 "Kate & Allie" premieres and runs through September 11, 1989.
August/September 1984 CBS Sports provides almost 38 hours of U.S. Open tennis coverage, including "Super Saturday," then the longest continuous coverage of a sporting event in American television history.
September 30, 1984 "Murder, She Wrote" premieres and runs through August 4, 1996.
November 23, 1984 CBS Sports covers Boston College's quarterback Doug Flutie's "Hail Mary" to the end zone for a miraculous comeback victory that seals Flutie's bid as the Heisman Trophy winner.
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April 1, 1985 In the biggest upset in college basketball history, Villanova beats heavily favored Georgetown 66-64 to win the NCAA Championship. Eighth seed Villanova is the lowest-seeded team ever to win the NCAA championship. CBS Sports' broadcast of this game is the second highest rated championship game of all time (23.3/33).
December 3, 1985 The first original television movie musical is "Copacabana," starring Barry Manilow.
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February 25, 1986 The first stereo program on CBS Television is "The 28th Annual Grammy Awards."
April 13, 1986 CBS Sports cameras focus in on 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus as he rediscovers his old form and wins his sixth Masters®.
July 15, 1986 The first stereo venture for news, sports on CBS Radio is the 57th All-Star Game.
September 29, 1986 "Designing Women" premieres and runs through May 24, 1993.
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1987 William S. Paley elected Chairman and Laurence A. Tisch elected President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Inc.
March 23, 1987 The daytime drama "The Bold and the Beautiful" premieres.
March 27, 1987 "The Price Is Right" becomes the daytime game show with the longest continuous run on any one network.
Fall 1987 New series include "Wiseguy" (which premieres September 16 and runs through December 8, 1990) and "Jake and the Fatman" (which premieres September 26 and runs through September 12, 1992).
December 8, 1987 Cathy Barreto becomes the first woman to direct an NFL game at network television level. (Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions)
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January 1988 "48 Hours" launches as a weekly broadcast. Dan Rather is anchor and becomes the first network journalist to anchor both a daily evening news broadcast and a weekly news program at the same time.
November 14, 1988 "Murphy Brown" premieres and runs through August 10, 1998. It wins two Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series (1989-90 and 1991-92 seasons). It wins a Peabody Award in 1992. (See September 21, 1992)
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February 5-8, 1989 "Lonesome Dove," the highly rated and critically acclaimed mini-series based on the Larry McMurtry novel, is broadcast. It wins a Peabody Award for Outstanding Accomplishment.
June 3, 1989 In the midst of Chinese student protests in Tiananmen Square, CBS viewers watch as Correspondent Richard Roth is taken off to jail for his coverage of the event and as Chinese authorities cut the electricity to CBS News offices in Beijing during a live broadcast.
Fall 1989 Among the new series are "Major Dad" (which premieres September 17 and runs through September 13, 1993) and "Rescue 911" (which premieres September 5 and runs through September 3, 1996). "Rescue 911" is credited with helping many viewers respond successfully to their own emergencies.
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