[QuadList] NBC Burbank: Au Revior--Historical tidbits about Burbank's early Quad operation

[Ted Langdell]

Hi, Park,

While writing the post, I had some questions regarding what happened to the one-hour delay for Central time zone.

What I related is what I found in the 1959 document  "Automatic Control of Video Tape Equipment at NBC Burbank," by NBC's Robert Byloff. 

Perhaps there are QuadList members who can shed light on the subject?

There may have been some economic or practical logistics involved. 

Perhaps program protection was necessary? Did the net find that it needed to roll two machines in record and then in play so there was a main and backup rolling simultaneously? The dozen machines available in the document didn't allow for that.

Or it may have been simply the idea of disrupting an existing 8/7 Central time viewing habit.

If the other two networks didn't go for it, NBC would have had a very interesting time trying to adjust program schedules to maximize viewers in the Central Time zone, and when interpreting ratings  against the other networks and stations when selling time.

Re: Local stations and schedules out of pattern:

KOVR, the Stockton/Sacramento CBS owned station runs prime time an hour early, and has done so since before CBS bought the station from Sinclair.

At one time, KOVR (then under other owners) and NBC affiliate KCRA-TV, Sacramento ran the network prime time an hour early. 

In San Francisco, then Westinghouse-owned CBS affiliate KPIX ran prime an hour early. 

Both KCRA-TV and KPIX reverted to standard 8 p.m. weekday pattern.  KOVR enjoys better late news ratings, competing against the Tribune owned Fox and Hearst-owned MyTV 10pm news offerings.  My58 is the sister to long-time market news leader KCRA, both now owned by Hearst.

Now how many of us would like to watch the Eastern TZ feeds beginning with dinner?  You could be in bed even earlier!

Ted


On Jan 8, 2013, at 12:54 PM, C. Park Seward wrote:

> 
> Growing up in the Central Time Zone, we saw the network programs at the same moment as Eastern. The 8 PM net start in the Eastern Time Zone was 7 PM in Central. There was no tape delay.
> 
> Continues to this day. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno starts at 10:34 PM, for example.
> 
> The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
> 
> NEW
> Actress Emma Stone; actor Josh Gad; The Whigs perform.
> Tue 1/810:34pm-11:36pm
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't speak for Mountain or Pacific.
> 
> Best,
> Park
> 
> C. Park Seward
> Cell: 818-535-2747
> Home: 541-476-6657
> 2" Quad and 1" "C" transfers
> The Transfer Lab at Video Park
> Visit us: http://www.videopark.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Jan 6, 2013, at 8:09 PM, Ted Langdell wrote:
> 
>> An 8 p.m. ET program would be replayed for Central and Mountain zones one hour after it fed from New York, and then replayed at 8 p.m. Burbank time for the West Coast.  
> 
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> 
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