Sentry Broadcasting Corporation

The Sentry Broadcasting Corporation, often shorted to SBC or just Sentry, is a Bensonian television network, owned by the Sentry Organization. It is the largest television network in the country in viewership, production and ad revenue.

It is the fourth-largest television network in South Sierra, behind Hopeland's IBS, Vera Cruz's Rede Globo and Hopeland's NBN, in increasing order.

History[edit | edit source]

Pre-network years[edit | edit source]

What is now the central O&O of SBC is nearly as old as television in Bensonia, as the initial scramble for television licenses was mainly drawn upon newspapers. The Associated Newspapers, who founded Inca Television in 1950, were an example of this kind of management. Soon afterwards, the Sentry Organization applied for a television license on channel 7 in Grand Rapids.

The first logo of the Sentry Broadcasting Corporation. The "Wavy 7", later used by Lasgahore Broadcasting and Television, was used until the 80s as an alternate logo for the Grand Rapids station.

SBC started television operations in November 1952. Initially, for most of the days it was on air, programming lasted for less than an hour and was low on resources. It had to rely on televised adaptations of programs from the Sentry Radio network and quick news updates. There was no budget for SBC to screen foreign television productions, because there was no equipment, as SBC wasn't ready for the television age. Aid came in 1956 from the NBC television network of the USS, and they began providing them with imported films and equipment. The deal was exchanged for a deal with ABC in 1957.

A network is born[edit | edit source]

In July 1957, the Bensonian president approved a request by the Sentry Organization to establish a second television channel in Galveston on channel 4. On 30 December 1957, the National Telecommunications Council published a decree which granted the license. There were some problems with the license, causing it to be delayed several times, and it eventually started broadcasting on April 26th, 1965. in the weeks leading up to the launch of the Galveston station, the Grand Rapids-Galveston microwave link was extended for the SBC network, and further licenses for Bensonland, Solway and Saint Helen were awarded, all of them starting in 1968. The network was born, and SBC grew significantly. Consequently they helped BEST-TV (owned by the Benedict Evening Standard) to forge an affiliation deal with the SBC network.

SBC underwent a profound reformatting of its schedule. The first program to be networked a Bensonian adaptation of Romper Room, a Sierran format, that remained with SBC until 1968. Also included was Captain Hurricane, adapted from Sierran kids shows, and was also famous for showing the 50s Zorro series that SBC acquired from the two backbones of Inca. Captain Sentry was rebooted and the SBC Television News was now broadcast nationwide to interested stations who would later join the network. This eventually went national in 1969, when the program was renamed SBC Evening News. Starting in June 1969, SBC started delivering the main news and certain events by satellite, in July 1969 it pooled its resources with Supreme and Inca to broadcast the moon landings.

SBC's growth meant the decline of the network's direct competitors: Inca and Supreme, and the rise of the new wave of television broadcasting and production. SBC's first affiliate was a station in western Grand Rapids that was affiliated to Inca until the forming of the network. The news went national in 1965. SBC also started producing two kinds of soap operas in order to begin a new ideological concept in Bensonia, as well as the abolition of television programs with one sponsor. It successfully broadcast the 1974 FIFA World Cup live by satellite (1970 was broadcast by Inca and Burton) and sent to the microwave network, the first time Bensonia actually qualified, alongside Burton and Ensign.

Ascention to power[edit | edit source]

SBC changed in 1976, introducing a new look and making great use of the Scanimate technology, with IDs outsourced to the United States and featuring the skills of Peter Penelopez. The network started broadcasting programming by satellite, however initially it was just constrained to the SBC Evening News and, from March 1977, international sports. This wasn't SBC's first experience with this technology, as in the late 60s it broadcast the One World special from the Eurectipherian Broadcasting Union.

SBC eventually became a massive leader in the television industry. SBC started winning international awards in 1981, first at the Hopelandian Television Awards as SBC started exporting their productions, Criminal Affair being the first one. This had a negative effect on Inca, as there was a massive financial crisis at the network and there was a massive struggle. As the years went on, SBC was touted as being "the viewers' favorite", and any other network was easily defwated from the television battle.

The shutdown of Inca Television has made SBC front and center in the Bensonian television industry. SBC joined the satellite race in 1982, alleviating problems with its affiliates. The first live broadcast was the 1982 Jay Silvester Race on December 31, 1982, which was also broadcast live or on delay to eighteen countries worldwide. In 1983, due to the rebel nature of SBN Television in pre-empting Today in favor of its own newscast, The News at Seven was replaced with SBC News Local, with two daily editions. Good Morning Bensonia and its local counterparts premiered in the same year.

In the 2000s, SBC witnessed a controversial duel with Burton Television. This escalated to a two-way rampage between the two broadcasters: Burton, though its links to the Family Restoration Church, openly criticized SBC's programming while SBC made reports critical of the FRC rather than its main competitor.

SBC is losing viewers mainly due to ideological issues and the general shift to either other networks or streaming platforms.

Branding[edit | edit source]

Logo[edit | edit source]

Slogans[edit | edit source]

1966: The Year of Sentry, The Year of Television
1989-1995: A Common View
1994: Chase the Trend, See the World, SBC, Your World at Home
1994-1996: Where it All Happens
1996: The World is Yours
1996: The World Online (related to the start of internet in Bensonia)
1997-2000: Your World at Home

End of year campaigns[edit | edit source]

From 1991 to 2004, SBC's Christmas and end of year campaigns were accompanied by an original song, A Star is Shining Tonight.

1978: 1979, Sentry and Bensonian Children
1989: 1990, 10 out of 10
1999: Sentry's New Millennium
2018: The New Year is Yours

Programming[edit | edit source]

News[edit | edit source]

Newsworld
Good Morning Bensonia
SBC News Today
SBC Evening News
SBC Late News
SBC Sunday

Soap operas[edit | edit source]

[NOR] Neighbours
[BEN] New Wave
[BEN] 6pm soap
[BEN] 7pm soap
[BEN] 9pm soap

For more information on SBC's soap operas, see SBC soap operas.

Entertainment[edit | edit source]

Zero One: Video game show

International contracts[edit | edit source]

The Walt Disney Company: access to the entire company catalog on its over-the-air channels, SBC and Booster. This implies access to the kids and family division (see SBC Kids), the NBN and ABC domestic programming, resources from NBN News and ABC News and talent exchange between ESPN Bensonia and Sentry Sports.