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QUESTION ABOUT CBS TELEVISION CITY

Just curious, does anyone know how many studios does CBS have at 7800 Beverley Blvd also known as CBS Television City?

Old Chicago
 
OldChicago said:
Just curious, does anyone know how many studios does CBS have at 7800 Beverley Blvd also known as CBS Television City?

Old Chicago

There are 8, plus a small "digital studio" which is 1,300 square feet and not intended to accommodate an audience.

Television City opened in the 50s with four studios, and added four more in the mid to late 80s. I can't find any information as to when the digital studio was constructed.
 
This is historical, not current, and certainly not worth starting a new thread for, so I'll use this thread. Any objections? No? Good. Today, June 19, is a noteworthy date in the history of KCBS Television. On this date in 1931, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Federal Radio Commission has granted Don Lee a license for an experimental television station. In December 1931, W6XAO would begin broadcasting at 44.5 megacycles, initially for one hour a day Monday through Saturday. In 1948, the station became the second in California (after KTLA) to be granted a commercial license. The call letters were changed to KTSL, after Thomas S. Lee, Don Lee's son. The station became KNXT in 1951 and KCBS in 1984. Don Lee, a Cadillac dealer, had purchased KFRC in 1926 and KHJ in 1927. The two stations shared programming and each had a Don Lee Symphony Orchestra. Lee eventually owned a network of 12 stations. He died of a heart attack in 1934 at age 54.
 
This is historical, not current, and certainly not worth starting a new thread for, so I'll use this thread. Any objections? No? Good. Today, June 19, is a noteworthy date in the history of KCBS Television. On this date in 1931, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Federal Radio Commission has granted Don Lee a license for an experimental television station. In December 1931, W6XAO would begin broadcasting at 44.5 megacycles, initially for one hour a day Monday through Saturday. In 1948, the station became the second in California (after KTLA) to be granted a commercial license. The call letters were changed to KTSL, after Thomas S. Lee, Don Lee's son. The station became KNXT in 1951 and KCBS in 1984. Don Lee, a Cadillac dealer, had purchased KFRC in 1926 and KHJ in 1927. The two stations shared programming and each had a Don Lee Symphony Orchestra. Lee eventually owned a network of 12 stations. He died of a heart attack in 1934 at age 54.

KHJ was the CBS affiliate in LA and the Don Lee Network operated as CBS' Pacific Network through 1936 (with many of the network's LA based shows originating from KHJ). When CBS acquired KNX and set up its own Pacific Network (affiliating directly with stations in the West), Don Lee made the same arrangement with Mutual (and was a Mutual stockholder).

CBS delayed getting TV licenses (when the FCC was giving them away) and urged long-time affiliates to do the same in the erroneous belief that the FCC would approve CBS' non-compatible color system and that its system would displace the NTSC system and RCA's compatible color system. CBS' system would have operated on UHF and CBS also though the VHF licenses would become obsolete. It didn't happen. And CBS had to pay big bucks for its O&O TV licenses (including CBS2 in LA).

Is it just me, or does it seem weird for CBS to use call letters for a San Francisco radio station for its LA TV station? What the heck was wrong with KNXT?
 
Is it just me, or does it seem weird for CBS to use call letters for a San Francisco radio station for its LA TV station? What the heck was wrong with KNXT?

Pride, mostly. Both ABC and NBC had the call letters containing their network initials on their L.A. television stations (NBC, in fact, moved the KNBC calls down from San Francisco, which is why 680 has the calls KNBR) and all three networks had the calls with their initials on their New York television stations. So when the FCC loosened the rules to allow call letters to be used in multiple markets on commonly owned stations, CBS took advantage.

Another side point to history: Before purchasing KTSL, CBS owned half of KTTV/11. KTSL was a DuMont affiliate.
 
K.M., I mentioned KTLA-Channel 5. I'm sure you've seen the famous clip of KTLA's first day of broadcasting in 1947. It was included on a 50th anniversary special in---of course---1997. Bob Hope asked if he's supposed to look into the camera with the red light and then gave the call letters at "KTL." Oops!
 
K.M., I mentioned KTLA-Channel 5. I'm sure you've seen the famous clip of KTLA's first day of broadcasting in 1947. It was included on a 50th anniversary special in---of course---1997. Bob Hope asked if he's supposed to look into the camera with the red light and then gave the call letters at "KTL." Oops!

It's maybe noteworthy that KTLA was first owned by Paramount Pictures, where Hope was a top star. It's almost understandable how Rapid Robert fluffed the call letters, being that LA was home of KHJ, KFI, KNX, and probably other pioneer three-letter calls. San Francisco rather than LA was the West Coast radio center in the 30's; LA was of little value to the networks then as the movie companies banned their stars from appearing on radio, with the exception of RCA-owned RKO "Radio" Pictures, whose stars could perform over also-RCA-owned NBC; though the movie studios themselves were hungry for radio performers! Not until late in the 30's was the ban lifted. SF radio talents who eventually moved to LA included writer-producer Carlton E. Morse, musician Meredith Willson, and comic actor Mel Blanc. (In the 40's, Jack Webb would make the same move.)
 
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