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

Steve White Steve.White at 800CallNow.com
Tue Jan 8 16:42:42 CST 2013


You can add my name to the list of those who'd prefer to watch an 
earlier feed.  I'm sure most local stations would much prefer to sell 
that hour, though; rather than lose it.

In the mid-60s, as a member of the DC crew for CBS Evening News at 
WTOP-TV, just as Cronkite took the program to a half hour...the entire 
crew in New York and DC waited until nearly 7:00 (I think) to learn if 
any key stories had changed enough to justify a second feed.  We'd also 
do it again if someone had made a serious mistake.


On 1/8/13 5:21 PM, Ted Langdell wrote:
>
>
> 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 1/8
>>   * 10:34pm-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 <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. 
>>
>> ______________________________________________
>> Please trim posts to relevant info when replying.
>>
>> Change subject to reflect thread direction. Thanks.
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>>
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>
>
> ______________________________________________
> Please trim posts to relevant info when replying.
>
> Change subject to reflect thread direction. Thanks.
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>
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