[QuadList] History - what is the REAL story

[Dennis Degan]

		On Apr 30, 2009, at 9:55 PM, Rory Ryan wrote:

 > I got to NBC NY in 1981 and worked in Video Tape Maintenance on the 
5th floor.

		I say:

	Hi, Rory!  I worked in that same shop two years before you.  Here's 
what that spot looked like in 2004 during demolition for ArtWorks:
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/557526384/>

		Rory also said:

 > By early the early part of 1983 I was running the small satellite 
shop that took care of the 8 TCR-100As and 2 TR-70Cs.  The TR-70Cs were 
used to dub commercials onto the carts.  One of those TR-70s was soon 
replaced with the 9th TCR-100 and the engineering and plant integration 
for that was done by Phil Shaw who subscribes to this list. I was lucky 
to spend nearly all of my time in the 80's tied (chained?) to those 9 
TCR's before they finally were pulled out in 88/89.

		I say:

	When I worked at NBC in 1978-79, there were only 6 TCR-100s on the 
tape floor, in a lineup along the north side of the building.  The two 
TR-70s were not C machines; they were probably TR-70As.
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515329694/>
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515357151/>

		Rory:

 > In 1981 when I first got there I remember 2 CMX rooms (teletype and 
paper tape) that had 3 TR-70's each but I don’t remember if they were 
C's or not.

		I ask:

	Where were the CMX edit rooms located?  When I was there back in 1978, 
there was only one CMX room, near the east end of the tape floor close 
to the freight elevator.  The edit room was equipped with 4 TR-70Cs, 
the only TR-70Cs in the building at the time.
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515330370/>
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515355305/>

		Rory:

 > There were BVH-1000's - soon to be 1100a's and there were also 
BVU-2850s used during Nightly News segment pb.

		I correct:

	I think you mean BVU-200's (or perhaps you mean "VO-2850s". There was 
no BVU-2850).
	During my time at NBC in '78, most Nightly News playbacks began 
operating from the brand-new EJ area on the 4th floor.
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515343308/>
	Here are the first two BVH-100s being installed:
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515328974/>
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515355785/>
	The location of these 1-inch VTRs was directly opposite from the CMX 
edit room shown in the photos above.

		Rory:

 > There were still 4 VR-2000s used for on-air playback. These were used 
periodically through the day but during every midnight shift we aired 2 
"Mary Tyler Moore's" and 2 "Newhart's". I also remember there was more 
than 1 time when 2 of the VR-2000s were used as a delay for soccer 
where 1 machine recorded and 1 machine played back and the tape loop in 
between the 2 machines was dropped into and fed out of a (presumably) 
clean garbage can.
It worked!

		I offer:

	I guess you are referring to these VTRs:
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515355073/>
	Or the other pair opposite, not shown.

		Rory:

 > I am pretty sure the on-air VR-2000s were gone by '87 or '88.  Only 
one was kept - in a dub facility for 2" transfers and I believe that 
machine was eventually moved to NBC's tape facility in NJ where it 
probably still sits.

		I say:

	And that facility is the NBC warehouse, the same location where "Law 
and Order-SVU" is shot now:
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/2535716834/>
			<http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/2535717666/>

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