 CBS didnt want to broadcast the entire three hour show so the first  hour of the Tony broadcast aired on PBS for the first time this  year. The show, called "Broadway 97: Launching the Tonys," combined  a look at how a Broadway show is put together with the presentation  of 10 awards in technical categories. The practice of beginning the  show on PBS lasted until 2002 when CBS returned to showing the  entire awards program.