Broadcasting Studio Display
Many dispute when radio broadcasting began, however, it is not disputed the significance of AM radio as both a communication and entertainment media. The AWA Communication Technologies Museum houses many devices from broadcasting’s earliest days of AM radio up to the post television era.
The equipment to support broadcasting changed with the evolution of technology as well as the demands made on the equipment to support that has become to be called “talk radio”. For those that have never visited a radio broadcasting studio, the items below are just examples of items utilized to create these broadcasts.
The console was the “stove” that supported the program, while other devices in the display are some of the “utensils” that provide necessary inputs to the console, with the console being the combiner of their various signals. Not shown in this display (but some are on display elsewhere in the museum) were the supporting devices, such as transmitters, receivers and antenna, that together created the environment of radio broadcasting.
The AWA Museum has on display a suite of materials designed to define this era as shown below.
Audio Console (donation by Jim Stitzinger)
This broadcast audio mixer console was made by Gates, a division of Harris Intertype, in the early 1960s. According to historical research and retired ABC engineers, it was used at ABC’s owned-and-operated station WLS in Chicago to feed its radio network to several hundred affiliates with programming that originated in that city. Included would have been Paul Harvey’s daily programs, which have inspired the nickname “Paul Harvey console” at the AWA.
Audio sources such as microphones, turntables and tape decks could be controlled and routed by switches on the console and levels adjusted with the rotary step attenuators. This model had analog VU meters mounted in small external enclosures for flexibility in placement. Outputs for the console included headphone, speaker, and program to feed a transmitter or network. This model is designed with two program outputs making it capable of feeding an AM and FM station, a radio station and a radio network, etc., with different programming at the same time.
Ephemera
The Shure microphone and headphones displayed are representative of the types that were used with this console but are not model-accurate.
The FCC once required a station to keep a log of all audio cuts played on the air. A copy of the last log of WSFW/WSFW-FM in Seneca Falls, NY is displayed. All radio station staff members still working at the stations on 3/10/2002 signed the log as a memento.
The coffee mug is new but printed with a classic WLS logo. In reality, it would have probably been stained in the bottom by coffee. (Not shown is a pack of Camels next to a green glass ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts, which was typical in a studio in the 1960s.)
Cart Machine (donation by Bill Sitzman)
This audio cart machine made by Tapecaster was introduced in the early 1960s. This play-only model used a tape transport made by the manufacturer Viking (later
Telex/Magnecord). It played tape cartridges that were recorded on a companion record/play unit. Broadcast tape cartridges were the same as those used for consumer 4-Track tape players. Back-lubricated audio tape was loaded into a plastic shell in an endless loop configuration. Broadcast decks differed from consumer 4-Tracks in that they were two track for mono or three track for stereo where audio was recorded on one or two tracks and signaling was recorded on another track. After playing a spot (ad) or other type of audio cut, the tape pack would continue to rotate until it reached the cut’s starting point. The tape would then stop and be ready to play again at the start of the cut in the future.
Based on the front panel’s Dymo labels, this particular unit was last used for a telephone dial-in weather phone. As units began to exhibit reliability problems from constant use in the studios, they would be replaced by new units. The old units might find a second life in less demanding applications at the radio station.
Turntable (donation by Jim Dierks)
This early 1950s turntable made by Rek-O-Kut is a 16-inch model that could play 33 RPM discs or 78 RPM discs of 7, 10, 12 or 16-inch diameter. The idler could be
replaced to play 45 RPM discs. 16-inch records were used in roadcast from the 1920s through the 1960s, particularly for radio programs. The Rek-O-Kut line of turntables
were used primarily in professional applications and higher-end consumer systems.
Turntables were used from the very start of radio broadcasting to play recorded music, even during early radio development that pre-dated broadcasting. While they were
generally replaced by tape, then CD, then digital files, at least one turntable is still found in many radio stations today.
Tone Arm (restoration by Pat Welch)
Tone arms were sold separately from turntables to broadcasters. This one made by Gray Research was made in the early 1950s. The stylus (needle) downward tracking force could easily be adjusted from the top rear of the arm. It was not unusual to see broadcast turntables with two arms for optimum playing of 12 versus 16-inch discs, mono versus stereo, or “standard” versus “microgroove” disc groove dimensions.
Shure Microphone Mixer (donation by Peter King/CBS Radio News)
This audio cart machine made by Tapecaster was introduced in the early 1960s. This play-only model used a tape transport made by the manufacturer Viking (later
Telex/Magnecord). It played tape cartridges that were recorded on a companion record/play unit. Broadcast tape cartridges were the same as those used for consumer 4-Track tape players. Back-lubricated audio tape was loaded into a plastic shell in an endless loop configuration. Broadcast decks differed from consumer 4-Tracks in that they were two track for mono or three track for stereo where audio was recorded on one or two tracks and signaling was recorded on another track. After playing a spot (ad) or other type of audio cut, the tape pack would continue to rotate until it reached the cut’s starting point. The tape would then stop and be ready to play again at the start of the cut in the future.
Shure Microphone (donation by Peter King/CBS Radio News)
This microphone first made by Shure in 1966 is one of the standards of the broadcast industry. It offers excellent sound and has a cardioid pattern which helps reject noise from the rear of it. The large mesh ball surrounding the mic capsule helps reduce wind noise and speech pops. The microphone body minimizes handling noise.
Tape Recorder
This tape recorder made by Ampex in the early 1960s was used in the studios of HAM in Rochester, NY. It provided excellent audio and mechanical performance. It could record and play from 3, 5, 7 or 10-inch tape reels. It’s housed in a rolling cabinet made by Ruslang starting in the 1970s. The veneer is walnut Formica.
Significantly higher-quality audio tape recorders than had previously been developed were discovered in Germany at the end of WWII. US Signal Corpsman Jack Mullin
disassembled two made by Magnetophon and shipped their parts to the US. Upon his
return home, Mullin reassembled them and demonstrated working units for audio professionals, including the producer of Bing Crosby’s network radio program.
Crosby was trying to record his program rather than perform it live, but editing using multiple discs was cumbersome and degraded the finished audio quality. Crosby sent a company called Ampex a $50,000 check with no other documentation to develop tape recorders for use on his ABC Radio Network program. He later helped finance Ampex’s development of video tape recording for TV.
CONELRAD receiver (donation by Nick Smith)
This audio cart machine made by Tapecaster was introduced in the early 1960s. This play-only model used a tape transport made by the manufacturer Viking (later Telex/Magnecord). It played tape cartridges that were recorded on a companion record/play unit. Broadcast tape cartridges were the same as those used for consumer 4-Track tape players. Back-lubricated audio tape was loaded into a plastic shell in an endless loop configuration. Broadcast decks differed from consumer 4-Tracks in that they were two track for mono or three track for stereo where audio was recorded on one or two tracks and signaling was recorded on another track. After playing a spot (ad) or other type of audio cut, the tape pack would continue to rotate until it reached the cut’s starting point. The tape would then stop and be ready to play again at the start of the cut in the future.
Gates Modulation Monitor (donation by Bill Sitzman)
Until their need was eliminated in 1983, all radio stations were required by the FCC to
have a type-approved modulation monitor. This model from 1959 had an analog
modulation meter and a peak flasher lamp. It could be directly fed by the transmitter in
a combined studio/transmitter location or with an RF amplifier and external antenna
when located at a remote studio location.
Dorrough Discriminate Audio Processor (donation by Bill Sitzman)
Beginning in the early 1970s, radio stations began more heavily processing their audio
for denser modulation which provided greater apparent loudness to listeners. This
Dorrough model was introduced in 1973 and divided that audio spectrum into three
bands. The processing characteristics of each band could be adjusted separately
creating a unique sound to a station in addition to a louder one. (Interestingly, Mike
Dorrough is also a broadcast historian. He sold Jim Stitizinger the AWA “Paul Harvey”
console above.)