1980
Over 50 percent of American households are glued to their television sets to see to "Who Shot J.R." in the season premiere of the primetime drama "Dallas."

Under the helm of Turner Broadcasting System president Ted Turner, CNN broadcasts for first time as the first cable station devoted entirely to news.

Black Entertainment Television begins programming with a two-hour program on the USA Network. Within three years, founder Robert Johnson launches a 24-hour cable network.

1981
"Video Killed the Radio Star," a song by The Buggles, is the first music video aired as MTV debuts on cable.

Dan Rather takes over from Walter Cronkite on the "CBS Evening News" and stays in the anchor chair until 2005.

1982
The Gannet Company publishes the first issue of USA Today on the streets of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. It will later become the most read newspaper in the country.

The movie "E.T." opens nationwide and becomes the highest-grossing film with ticket sales totaling close to $400 million.

1983
After 11 seasons on the air, over 106 million Americans tune in to watch the series finale of "M*A*S*H."

"The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour," now known as "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," expands to a one-hour format.

1984
After violent scenes in films such as "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" are released with a PG rating, the Motion Picture Association of America amends the film rating system.

1985
"The Cosby Show" begins its second season and becomes the most-watched television program of the year.

1986
Fox Broadcasting Co. becomes the fourth television network, reaching 80 percent of the country. Its first primetime shows, "Married with Children" and "The Tracy Ullman Show," debut in 1987.

1988
Rush Limbaugh's radio talk show is syndicated nationally by Premiere Broadcasting, making him one of the pioneers of the modern conservative talk radio phenomenon.

1989
"The Simpsons" debuts on Fox and later becomes the longest running animated series ever. The show also coins many catch phrases.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, spiritual leader of Iran, declares a fatwa for the execution of author Salman Rushdie for depicting the prophet Muhammad in his book, "The Satanic Verses."

1990
Congress passes the Children's Television Act, forcing networks to provide more educational and child-friendly entertainment.

1991
News networks -- CNN in particular -- air live coverage of the Persian Gulf war to the world.

1992
John Gray publishes "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus," the best-selling relationship advice book that goes on to sell over 30 million copies.

Vice President Dan Quayle criticizes fictional character Murphy Brown for bearing a child out of wedlock on the television show of the same name.

People start getting "real" on the first season of a new MTV series called "The Real World," creating the reality television genre.

During the 1992 presidential campaign, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton plays the saxophone on "The Arsenio Hall Show."

ESPN Radio launches as a national sports talk radio network.

1993
Dateline NBC airs a controversial special about General Motors pickup trucks exploding upon impact because of a design flaw. The public later learns that the accidents were staged and producers had planted explosives in the car.

Toni Morrison is announced as the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature. She was honored for her collective works, including "Beloved" and "Song of Solomon."

1994
An estimated 95 million people watch former football star and accused murderer O.J. Simpson lead police on a slow-speed car chase through Los Angeles freeways.

1995
"Toy Story" -- the first full-length feature film that is wholly computer animated -- goes to infinity and beyond, earning $191 million in theaters.

1996
Fox News Channel begins broadcasting to 17 million cable viewers.

Oprah Winfrey chooses "The Deep End of the Ocean" as the first selection for her book club. Within one month, it hits the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List.

1997
"Titanic" opens nationwide and becomes the highest grossing film with $600 million in box-office receipts.

After a month of publicity surrounding her "coming out," Ellen DeGeneres also comes out as the first openly lesbian character on her television sitcom, "Ellen."

The first issue of men's interest magazine Maxim hits the shelves.

1998
The Drudge Report is first to report that a White House intern had a sexual relationship with President Clinton.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is the first of three books in the series released within a year. The novels dominate the best-seller lists and inspire an equally successful series of movie adaptations.

1999
The independent film "The Blair Witch Project," which cost $35,000 to make, opens and earns $240 million worldwide.

TiVo Inc. goes public and that same year distributes its first Digital Video Recorders.

2000
Life magazine, the photojournalism publication that reached millions of readers during the 1940s and 1950s, ceases publication as a monthly magazine.

The first season of "Survivor" debuts on CBS and sparks the reality television phenomenon.

The Federal Trade Commission approves Internet giant AOL's purchase of media conglomerate Time Warner on Dec. 14. The $106 billion deal, which brought together the largest companies in traditional and new media, collapsed in 2005 after significant financial losses.

2001
The national network media covers the Sept. 11 attacks live with non-stop reporting.

2003
Sen. John Edwards, D-S.C., announces his candidacy for presidency on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

The Federal Communications Commission loosens the rules limiting media conglomeration, allowing companies to own multiple radio stations, newspapers and television networks in the same media market.

2004
Singer Justin Timberlake explains Janet Jackson's exposed nipple during the halftime show on Super Bowl XXXVIII as a "wardrobe malfunction." Following a series of indecency complaints, the Federal Communications Commission fines CBS stations a total of $550,000 for the incident.

CBS News uses falsified documents in a report on George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard service. Within hours of the report's airing, bloggers identify the papers as forgeries.

2005
Peter Jennings retires from his chair as anchor of the ABC "Evening News" for health reasons; he would die four months later from lung cancer. Jennings was the last of the big three news anchors to retire, with Tom Brokaw of NBC and Dan Rather of CBS also stepping down months earlier.