Moving Image Section National Broadcasting Company television master books

National Broadcasting Company television master books

Collection

Identifier: 2022621509

Scope and Content Note

The television master books in the NBC Collection date from July 7, 1936 through April 12, 1991.

The NBC Television Master Books offers a unique look into the specific programming history of the oldest major broadcasting network in the United States. The master books contain the official written record of everything broadcast for the entire broadcast day from the WNBT/WNBC television station. This documentation consists of daily program logs, program scripts, commercial scripts, advertising copy, news copy, telecast reports, and in some instances, master music sheets, which list the musical contents of programs.

A researcher can utilize the master books to locate scripts for various anthology series and television movies or to verify contestants and contestant prizes on various games shows. Researchers can study the script changes and notes for early NBC news programs or read the advertising copy for a particular product.

The digitization of the NBC Television Master Books will open up an old resource to new discoveries and research.

Dates

Creation: 1936-1991

Language of Materials

Collection material in English

Access and Restrictions

The National Broadcasting Company Television Master Books are open to research. Advance notice is required; contact a reference librarian in the Moving Image Research Center, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 20540-4690; (202) 707-8572.

Copyright Status

Restrictions may exist on copying, quoting, or publishing material included in the collection. For additional information, contact a reference librarian in the Moving Image Research Center, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 20540-4690; (202) 707-8572.

NBC Chronology

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1921: Westinghouse owned and operated WJZ radio in Newark from 1921 - 1923.
1922: WEAF radio, owned and operated by AT&T, was founded in New York.
1923: RCA, a subsidiary of Westinghouse, operated WJZ radio from 1923-46 in New York.
1926: RCA announced the formation of the National Broadcasting Company on September 13, 1926 upon the RCA purchase of WEAF radio from AT&T.
November 1, 1926: NBC established with both a Blue and a Red network.
1926: NBC began radio broadcasting on November 15, 1926.
1926: NBC formed the Red and Blue radio networks, with WEAF as the flagship station of the Red network and WJZ as the flagship station of the Blue.
1928: The first permanent coast-to-coast network in the United States was established by NBC on December 23, 1928.
1928: NBC received its first television station construction permit.
1936 - 1939: NBC investigated the possibility of separating Red and Blue Networks (See NBC folder numbers 301-304)
1939: NBC televised the opening ceremonies of the New York World’s Fair.
May 2 1941: Chain Broadcasting Report stated "no license shall be issued to a standard broadcast [AM] station affiliated with a network organization which maintains more than one network.” (Quoted in Sterling and Kitross, Stay Tuned , p.191.)
October 30, 1941: Both NBC and CBS filed suit against the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its new regulations.
January 1942: The U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust suit against NBC and CBS (Sterling and Kitross, Stay Tuned , p. 236)
January 9, 1942: RCA president David Sarnoff announced that the Blue Network had been separated from the Red Network and subsequently was wholly owned by RCA.
May 10, 1943: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the FCC right to regulations outlined in the Chain Broadcasting Report .
July 10, 1943: Edward J. Noble, the owner of the American Broadcasting Company, purchases the Blue Network for $8 million.
October 12, 1943: The FCC approved the sale of the Blue Network to Noble.
June 14, 1945: The Blue Network was changed to the American Broadcasting Company.
August 1946: The FCC authorized CBS to change the name of WABC to WCBS.
1946: NBC changed the name of WEAF to WNBC.

Extent

4,751 items
4,751 Reels

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Additional Description

Abstract

The Library holds television master books on microfilm issued by NBC from 1936 to 1991.

Arrangement

The National Broadcasting Company Television Master Books are organized in 1 series:

Series I. NBC TV Master Books, 1936-1991

Physical Location

TV001-139; MT140-MT4751

Provenance

The National Broadcasting Company donated the NBC Television Master Books to the Library of Congress in 1992.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Digital Content

Digital versions of the television master books from this collection are available for viewing in the Moving Image Research Center, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C..

Related Archival Collections at the Library of Congress

The NBC Archives at the Library of Congress include the NBC Television Master Books (the subject of this finding aid) as well as the following archival NBC collections.

NBC History Files: The National Broadcasting Company History files include memoranda, correspondence, speeches, reports, policy statements, and pamphlets covering the creation of the network, its growth in the field of radio, and its subsequent expansion into television broadcasting.
National Broadcasting Company Press Releases: The press releases in the NBC Collection date from January 1924 through December 1989. Digitized copies of the radio and television press releases can be found respectively via National Broadcasting Company press releases. Part I, 1924-1950 and National Broadcasting Company press releases. Part II, 1951-1989.
Radio Log Books. Manuscript: The Library holds log books for WEAF and WNBC (1922 - 1955), for WJZ (1923 - 1941), and for WJY (1923 - 1926.)
Radio Master Books. Manuscript: Program scripts, advertising copy, news copy and music master sheets (listing musical content) for programs produced at the local station are held on 2,530 reels of microfilm, from WEAF and WNBC (1922 - 84), for WJZ (1927 - 41), for WMAQ in Chicago WMAQ (May 1944 - December 1945), for KFI in Hollywood (August 1943 - December 1945), and for the International (White) Network (August 1936 - September 1948.)
Radio Programs Sound Recordings: Lacquer discs from the New York-based archive from the years 1927 to 1971 are being re-recorded by the Library of Congress on tape, and have been indexed by the Library in a database which is available in the Recorded Sound Reference Center.
Radio News Collection Sound Recordings: Selected news programs recorded from 1961 to 1985 on 1300 tape reels and 340 cassettes include broadcasts from presidential news conferences and speeches, and important events, such as the first moon landing.
Radio Programs Index File of 5 X 8 inch Cards: Six card files maintained from 1930 to 1960 index: commercial programs; sustaining programs (without advertising); radio artists (entertainment professionals); "Negro Radio Artists” (entertainment professionals); radio personalities (guests); and the World War II – European War effort.
Meet the Press Text Microform: Transcriptions of programs for the years 1954 through 1984 are held on microfiche.
NBC Television Program Analysis Microfiche: The microfiche represent a comprehensive account of the programs, performers, and guests that appeared on NBC television from 1939 through 1985. The Program Analysis Microfiche are composed of four sections: Title Cards, Program Cards, Cross-Reference Cards, and Personality Cards.
Television Log Books Manuscript: The Library holds log books for May 1949 through November 1988.
Television Programs Kinescopes: The collection of kinescopes recorded from 1948 to 1977 includes approximately 18,000 programs.