[78-L] Tape masters for syndicated radio

[Michael Biel]

From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>

> I've been listening to the Michael Shayne series produced in 1948 by the 
> Broadcasters Guild, and these are definitely from tape masters. Edits and 
> sudden level changes are evident, as well as some very abrupt music "fades". 

It is more likely that these are symptoms of disc editing than tape
editing.

> Per dates scrawled on the labels, these began running in April 1948 at the 
> latest. We know about Bing Crosby using tape, but when did other production 
> studios and mastering facilities start? The discs are all cut and pressed by 
> RCA, except for the pilot which was done at Radio Recorders.

ABC set up a tape room in Chicago for daylight saving time delays in the
spring of 1948 using Stancil-Hoffman machines.  These were not available
for individual program use.  The Crosby programs were not aired directly
from tape until the May 48 Daylight Saving Time delays put the machines
in use.  The edited tapes were dubbed to disc and aired from the disc
from the fall of 47 until then.  The first year of the program, 46-47,
was disc edited.  Mutual did not use tape for Daylight Saving delays
until 1950 and NBC still used disc for that.  It was in Jan 49 that NBC
and CBS started allowing general pre-recording of programs on any
medium, tape or disc.  

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com