[QuadList] This has to be a record

[Dennis Degan]

			On Mar 27, 2009, at 1:45 PM, DCFWTX at aol.com wrote:

 > In Burbank, there were a total of six VR 2000 A's. Upgraded to B's 
with the audio cage being replaced. Two of them were dedicated to the 
Tonight Show main record (nothing but the best for Johnny), and the 
other four were in edit bay 1, their first CMX bay, with a CMX 300 
(paper punch tape EDL!). Also an HS 200 was in that bay also.

			I mention:

	I had previously stated that NBC New York had a CMX 340 edit room.  It 
was actually a CMX 300 now that I think of it.
	NBC NY also had a total of 6 Ampex VR-2000s: The 4 previously 
mentioned as the main primetime playback VTRs and 2 more in an edit/mix 
room dedicated to finishing the soap opera "Another World".
		<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515356413/>

			David said:

 > At an NBC monthly luncheon of ex studio and VTR guys, one editor 
mentioned to me that the production people i.e. studios demanded the 
highband machines early on in 1965 or so. The TR 70 wasn't available 
yet. So, I suppose this is how Burbank ended up with six of them in the 
midst of RCA ownership. Was this the case at 30 Rock also?

			I say:

	All the quads were in place when I arrived at NBC NY in 1978 and I 
never asked about why the Ampexes were there.  I could ask some 
old-timers about it this week to see if anyone remembers.

			David:

 > The TR 600A story (as told to me by a retired manager) was that, as 
they were budgeting and planning the CMX 340 bay (edit 5), the original 
plan was four AVR-3's. This got the attention somewhere back in 30 
Rock, and they said, "Why not the TR 600? Well, it just wasn't as good 
as the AVR-3". A short time later, the 600A came out with the AE 600s 
on all four of them. So it appeared that some "motivation" came down 
the pike and the AVR-3's were out, and the 600As were in. Did similar 
stories happen there?

			I quip:

	You know they did.  ;)  But not regarding the TR-600.  NBC NY never 
had any TR-600s.  Quads were replaced with 1-inch VTRs, starting in 
1978:
		<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515329174/>
All of the 1-inch VTRs were Sony machines, many were branded RCA but 
were actually built by Sony.  The complete rebuild of the tape floor 
happened after I left NBC in 1979.  I don't think NBC NY had any of 
those RCA-built 1-inch VTRs either (I forgot the model number).  But 
there was a clear corporate drive towards including RCA equipment when 
possible.  The timing may not have been right for VTRs, but there was 
tons of other equipment there made by RCA: cameras, switchers, audio 
gear, even DAs.

			David:

 > I'll work on the floor plan. I have at least one NBC tape room with 
VR 1000s and one of the TRT Xs in rotation on my web site. More to 
come.

			I ask:

	What's the website's URL?

			Dennis Degan, Editor-Consultant-Knowledge Bank
	  				NBC Today Show, New York