Who introduced the concept of "option time" to steal NBC affiliates?

• A. William Paley
• B. Edwin Armstrong
• C. Reginald Fessenden
• D. Guglielmo Marconi

Answer: (A)

This item tests understanding of how networks used time-limited incentives to recruit affiliates. The concept of offering a defined window—an option time—for NBC affiliates to switch to CBS was a strategic move by William Paley, the founder of CBS. By presenting stations with a favorable, limited-time opportunity to switch alliances, Paley could expand CBS’s affiliate roster and weaken NBC’s reach. The other figures listed are notable for different contributions to radio history—Armstrong for innovations in FM, and Fessenden and Marconi as early radio pioneers—so they aren’t associated with this particular affiliate-securing tactic.