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

[Dennis Degan]

		On Jan 8, 2013, at 5:21 PM, Ted Langdell wrote:

 > 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.

		I offer:

	Ted, it sounds like you're confusing two different technical needs.   
Burbank did not provide delayed feeds to the Central TZ.  All they did  
was provide delayed programming to the West Coast feed, and as I  
recall sometimes the Mountain TZ feed as well.  They did not provide a  
one-hour delay for the Central TZ.  Until the 1980's, there was no one- 
hour delay to the Central TZ at all, to my knowledge.  In the early  
days (well actually, right up until the 80's when satellite  
distribution took over), the Networks operated essentially a two-zone  
system:  the Eastern/Central TZ and the Pacific/Mountain TZ.  NBC New  
York would not be very involved in the operation of the Pacific/ 
Mountain TZ feeds; they merely provided a source feed for either the  
local affiliates or Burbank/Denver to do whatever was needed.
	As far as the Burbank system described in your 1959 article, I'm  
pretty sure David is right:  The system as described was not in  
operation very long.  Frankly, I don't believe it was ever implemented  
as a half-hour delay system.  It must have been operated as a one-hour  
delay system.  This would free up half of the VTR's, allowing dual- 
record/playback, thereby providing backup for the system.  Keep in  
mind that the system as described originally in the 1959 document  
offered no provision for VTR maintenance or downtime.  If even one of  
the VTR's failed, there would be no way for the system to work as  
described.

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



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