PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) is a nonprofit, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia, that serves as the primary distributor of educational and cultural programming to over 350 public TV stations across the United States, featuring iconic shows like Nova, Frontline, PBS NewsHour, and Sesame Street. Established on November 3, 1969, by pioneers including Hartford N. Gunn Jr. and John Macy, it officially began operations on October 5, 1970, taking over from its predecessor, National Educational Television (NET). The network's reputation skyrocketed in 1973 when it broadcast the Senate Watergate hearings "gavel-to-gavel" with commentators Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer, drawing massive audiences and cementing its role in public affairs. Funding comes from a mix of member station dues, pledge drives, corporate sponsorships, and private donations, with crucial support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from its founding until 2025. Over the decades, PBS has evolved its sponsorship model—introducing corporate logos for underwriting in the 1980s and the famous "viewers like you" pledge slogan in 1989—while maintaining strict standards to keep programming free from funder influence.