[QuadList] VTR introduction anniversaries: 1965

[Dennis Degan]

		On Feb 9, 2011, at 9:20 PM, David Crosthwait wrote:

 > In Burbank, VTR 14 and 16 (VR 2000's)  were assigned for "The  
Tonight Show" when the show originated from Burbank. Those machines  
didn't do much else the entire day especially from about 12:00 noon  
till at least 1:00 A.M. They each had an editec and a splicer near by.  
Four VTRs rolled at 5:30 for the taping, but 14 & 16 were the master  
machines. When the show ended at 7:00 P.M. (ninety minute days) they  
did whatever fixes that were needed (usually none) and the show was  
ready to feed east at 8:30 and west at 11:30.

		I say:

	That's not much time to do fixes on a 90-minute show . . . . 90  
minutes to air in the East!
	At 30 Rock in the 60's, 70's, 80's and right up into the 90's,  
Nightly News would record the newscast at 6:30pm on two pairs of VTRs,  
each pair consisting of a master and backup.  The first set (called  
the 'short' set) would be stopped after the first commercial break to  
be rewound, ready for replay at 7pm.  The second pair of tapes would  
be rewound after the entire show ended, making it a complete program  
recording.  The operator would then rewind and synchronize the  
complete recordings to the 'short' set as it aired, usually joining  
the 'long' set after the commercial break.
	If there were changes to be done to the 7pm newscast, they would be  
done live over the videotapes as they ran.  Sometimes, the entire  
newscast would be redone live for 7pm.
	Starting in the 1990's, video server technology made this complicated  
activity unnecessary.

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