Carries a 1939 copyright, just before the start of WWII; it ends at 10:14 and excludes the WWII footage. NBC still does studio tours, though these days for television. At that time, NBC operated two radio networks, the main Red Network and the secondary Blue. WEAF (later WRCA, WNBC and now WFAN) was the Red station in New York, WJZ (now WABC) the Blue. Fun fact: WABC was then the CBS flagship across town, the calls standing for the Atlantic Broadcasting Company. Good save of a time long past; looks like the film stock was really starting to deteriorate.
The studio featured in this film (8H) is where Saturday Night Live currently does their show. Amazing to think that 80 years later, the studio is still used by NBC for broadcasts.
It's fantastic that we have the ability to look back in time like this. We live in a very ideal time for learning and sharing information old and new, we should take advantage of this amazing opportunity as much as possible. Thank you for sharing this, knowledge is the most important thing we can pass on to our children.
Originally released in 1939. The program depicted as being prepared towards the end is "THE MAGIC KEY OF RCA", which was heard on Sunday afternoons at 2pm(et) over NBC's "Blue Network" from 1936 through 1939. Milton Cross and Ben Grauer were the show's announcers. Eric Blore's appearance (6:46) was on the December 11, 1938 broadcast. Narrated by Andre Baruch.
The Blue Network became indepedent of NBC after it was sold to Edward J. Noble in 1943....but it continued to be identitied as the "Blue Network" until they started adding this closing I.D. in the 1944-'45 season: "This is the 'Blue' network of the AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANY." In June 1945, they officially became "ABC".
At 6:25 you see Dr. Frank Black who may have still been NBC's Music Director. He was hired in the late 1920's on the basis of his work with the "Revelers".
