[78-L] NBC (was: YOU)

[Michael Biel]

I should have listened to it again -- the recording does say "The
National Broadcasting Company".  But David's point shows that we need to
be more careful in what we put down in referring to how any of the
networks actually identified themselves on the air.  It does make a
difference.

Into the 1940s there are occasional uses of NBC.  I especially like
Sammy's reminder of how Welles said "the CBS" in his War of the Worlds
closing, with an emphasis on "THE".  I am curious of what script he sees
with the longer name crossed out.  Is there a facsimile of the original?
 The script in the Sourcebook mediaFusion book has it as "the Columbia
Broadcasting System".  I don't have my other books with the script
handy.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  


From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
Date: Thu, October 14, 2010 12:40 pm
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>

On 10/14/2010 12:27 PM, Michael Shoshani wrote:
> On Thu, 2010-10-14 at 09:13 -0700, Michael Biel wrote:
>> From: David Lennick<dlennick at sympatico.ca>
>>> Even if the music had been from earlier, wouldn't a 1930 audition
>>> disc have opened with "The National Broadcasting Company presents.."
>>> instead of "NBC presents.."? dl
>>
>> What an interesting thought. Did they ever refer to themselves by
>> initials that early? I will have to start listening for this and ask
>> the OTR people about this. MB
>
> I'd be surprised if they used 'NBC' on the air before the 1940s.

Exception: The NBC Symphony, beginning in 1937.


> I've heard the "live audience" Amos& Andy broadcast from 1937 (or was it
> 1936?), in which the exit cue is "This is the Red Network of the
> National Broadcasting Company". I've also heard a post-war Abbott and
> Costello program in which the Grand Ole Opry program is teased as coming
> "Saturday night on NBC".
>
> I honestly have not sat through the entire 25 hours-ish of NBC's D-Day
> coverage, but parts that I have heard - including the fourth chime at
> some unholy hour in the morning - have repeated references to "The
> National Broadcasting Company" rather than NBC. Based on that, I'm
> going to hazard a guess that using "NBC" on the air may have started
> about the same time that The Blue Network began identifying itself by
> that name. MS


From: Sammy Jones <sjones69 at bellsouth.net>


I can't be sure, but it seems like I've heard the system cue on some
1937-38 Jack Benny programs given as NBC, the National Broadcasting
Company. It stuck out because it's usually something like, "This is the
Red Network of the National Broadcasting Company." 

I may be misremembering entirely, and will try to check and report back
soon.

On the 1948 Benny shows that I have, the system cue is "This is NBC, the
National Broadcasting Company [chimes]."

Is there a style manual for NBC system cues from this period?

Certainly the network was referred to informally as merely NBC on the
air sometimes. You will hear references to the "NBC studios" during
1930s Benny shows.

Somewhat relatedly, during Orson Welles's closing speech in the War of
the Worlds he says something like, "destroyed the CBS," while the
scripts that I've seen write out "Columbia Broadcasting System" during
this part. The system cue at the end of the program is, of course,
"Columbia Broadcasting System."

Sammy Jones
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