The CBS BONG

[Nashsound]

if you want to hear the bong...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ0CYimDj8Y

 

[Bongwater]

When did the CBS television network discontinue the top of the hour BONG?

Wha-WHAT?......Oh....THAT kind of bong....

 

[Ultimajock]

Thanks to both f you.

Breakfast Cub was certainly on ABC - abd WLS, in Chicago. I was there for maybe 3 broadcasts.

(Announcer; Chuck Bill
"Live from the Cloud Room, high atop the Allerton Hotel on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, the ABC Radio Network presents Don McNeil's Breakfast Club."

(cue singers)
"Good Mornig Breakfast Clubers, godd morning to ya' (second and third lines forgotten) First call to breakfast for all of you out there. America's awake, the breakfast club is on the air."

(cue Don)

Chuck Bill was also Paul Harvey's announcer (from the abc studios a floor below wls that were always FREEZING cold) and did a program with Captain Stubby.

..."Don McNeil's Breakfast Club" had actually been an NBC Blue Network program and as such originated in the NBC studio complex at the Merchandise Mart; as well, due to the complicated time sharing arrangements between Blue affiliates WENR and WLS on 870/890 kHz, it was placed on the schedule of Blue's third Chicago affiliate of the era, WCFL on 970/1000 kHz, until after World War Two. And -- to pull this thread drift back on-topic for this board ;-) -- "Don McNeil's Breakfast Club" was briefly simulcast on ABC-TV in 1954 as one of that network's first forays into daytime programming...

 

[Bill-in-CT]

Then there's the much-heralded Victory tone you hear on the hour for WTIC-AM 1080 of Hartford.

When WTIC-TV-3 (now WFSB) was co-owned with WTIC-AM, Channel 3's victory tone was followed by the CBS bong.

I also miss the ABC/C news sounder.

Here's the ABC/C news sounder...
http://www.bill1820.com/abc-c-open.mp3

 

[wbhist]

Questions for you engineer-type guys.....was there a reason why that specific basic tone (433 Hz) was chosen for the "bong," or was it more or less arbitrary? (BTW, for reference, 433 Hz is just slightly lower than the A below middle C on a piano.) I know it served as a time check mark and, perhaps, an auditory signal to affiliates or manual switcher/routers, but was it also used to trigger anything electronically?

Must've evolved over time, I guess. Or probably based on the European system of tuning in the key of A. Which is a bit lower than 440 Hz. I simply noticed by having measured the waveform personally.

 

[LKellerIII]

Then there's the much-heralded Victory tone you hear on the hour for WTIC-AM 1080 of Hartford.

When WTIC-TV-3 (now WFSB) was co-owned with WTIC-AM, Channel 3's victory tone was followed by the CBS bong.

I also miss the ABC/C news sounder.

Here's the ABC/C news sounder...
http://www.bill1820.com/abc-c-open.mp3

On a similar subject, I have looked online, but have not been able to find the Metromedia news sounder from the...late 60s I think it was. KLAC Los Angeles used it during their brief return to an MOR format (between Talk and Country), and WNEW New York used it for a number of years. The sounder has a brief "cameo" in the movie Klute....when Jane Fonda's character is listening to the radio.

If anybody has found this, I'd be interested to know.

Yes, I know this is a classic TV board...

 

[Rollo-Smokes]

if you want to hear the bong...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ0CYimDj8Y

...And one more, near the end of this clip from WJW-TV in Cleveland...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjL1J-l6btY

 

[Corky Marlowe]

I think the "other" CBS bong was in use when "Big Brother 10" was greenlighted. As far as the musical bong, that can be heard when logging onto TV Party.

 

[wbhist]

On a similar subject, I have looked online, but have not been able to find the Metromedia news sounder from the...late 60s I think it was. KLAC Los Angeles used it during their brief return to an MOR format (between Talk and Country), and WNEW New York used it for a number of years. The sounder has a brief "cameo" in the movie Klute....when Jane Fonda's character is listening to the radio.

I seem to have read that WIP in Philadelphia (also Metromedia-owned for years) also used this sounder.

 

[BobSacamano]

During prime-time,..(I especially remember this before "All in the family" and Carol Burnett) you would hear the CBS "bong" ..then an announcer saying "From television city in Hollywood!"...anyone else remember this?

 

[donnyg]

During prime-time,..(I especially remember this before "All in the family" and Carol Burnett) you would hear the CBS "bong" ..then an announcer saying "From television city in Hollywood!"...anyone else remember this?

"From Television City in Hollywood" wasn't that only during Carol Burnett, and also only during live shows?

Donny G ;D

 

[Ultimajock]

During prime-time,..(I especially remember this before "All in the family" and Carol Burnett) you would hear the CBS "bong" ..then an announcer saying "From television city in Hollywood!"...anyone else remember this?

"From Television City in Hollywood" wasn't that only during Carol Burnett, and also only during live shows?

...that line was indeed before "All in the Family" (prior to production of that series moving to Metromedia Square) as well as any variety show originating from there, live or otherwise ("The Red Skelton Hour," "The Jim Nabors Show," "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" and "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" being other examples)...

 

[donnyg]

During prime-time,..(I especially remember this before "All in the family" and Carol Burnett) you would hear the CBS "bong" ..then an announcer saying "From television city in Hollywood!"...anyone else remember this?

"From Television City in Hollywood" wasn't that only during Carol Burnett, and also only during live shows?

...that line was indeed before "All in the Family" (prior to production of that series moving to Metromedia Square) as well as any variety show originating from there, live or otherwise ("The Red Skelton Hour," "The Jim Nabors Show," "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" and "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" being other examples)...

I guess my memory is slipping a bit. Slightly off topic, in the movie "That Thing You Do" when "The Wonders" make their TV appearance from the "City of Broadcasting" does anyone notice that it's actually Television City, and they really make a half hearted attempt to disguise it. You can see the CBS EYE on the backdrop curtains, and from an overhead shot one of the light standards has CBS stenciled on it. Can anyone think of other TV shows that mention their network as a part of the show. Sanford and Son comes to mind when Fred, Lamont, Esther, and Grady "visit" NBC studios for a taping of "Steinberg and Son" you actually see an outside shot of NBC Studios during the show. Any others?

Donny G ;D

 

[Ultimajock]

Can anyone think of other TV shows that mention their network as a part of the show.

...on the first broadcast of The Johnny Carson Show (his 1955 CBS variety half-hour), the first image seen is a sign reading "CBS Television City" as Carson does an introductory piece spoofing Person to Person, playing both himself and Edward R. Murrow. In a subsequent broadcast, as Carson plays "mentalist" Dillinger (a take-off on Joseph Dunninger and basis for Carson's later characters El Moldo and Carnac the Magnificent), Dillinger complains that the ESP signal has been interrupted, at which point a utility card appears reading, "Please Stand By -- Dillinger's Mind Has Been Temporarily Interrupted," with a CBS Eye in the middle of the card...

...there's also the episode of The Monkees in which the band gets lost inside NBC's Burbank studio complex, which, somehow, made it onto CBS when they reran the show on Saturday mornings...

 

[LKellerIII]

During prime-time,..(I especially remember this before "All in the family" and Carol Burnett) you would hear the CBS "bong" ..then an announcer saying "From television city in Hollywood!"...anyone else remember this?

"From Television City in Hollywood" wasn't that only during Carol Burnett, and also only during live shows?

...that line was indeed before "All in the Family" (prior to production of that series moving to Metromedia Square) as well as any variety show originating from there, live or otherwise ("The Red Skelton Hour," "The Jim Nabors Show," "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" and "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" being other examples)...

I guess my memory is slipping a bit. Slightly off topic, in the movie "That Thing You Do" when "The Wonders" make their TV appearance from the "City of Broadcasting" does anyone notice that it's actually Television City, and they really make a half hearted attempt to disguise it. You can see the CBS EYE on the backdrop curtains, and from an overhead shot one of the light standards has CBS stenciled on it. Can anyone think of other TV shows that mention their network as a part of the show. Sanford and Son comes to mind when Fred, Lamont, Esther, and Grady "visit" NBC studios for a taping of "Steinberg and Son" you actually see an outside shot of NBC Studios during the show. Any others?

Donny G ;D

Seinfeld, of course, when Jerry & George try to sell their concept of a sitcom "about nothing" to NBC. It featured the character actor Bob Balaban as an NBC exec, who, if I remember, goes a bit crazy with unrequited love with Elaine, and quits NBC to work for Greenpeace saving whales.

Also, 30 Rock, or is that too obvious?

 

[glc]

Can anyone think of other TV shows that mention their network as a part of the show.Any others?

Wasn't there an episode of "Cheers" that centered around them attending a taping of "The Tonight Show"? Believe Johnny Carson actually appeared in it, and the Burbank studios were featured prominently.

Also, there was a very famous episode of "The Odd Couple" where they appeared on "Password". Pretty sure the ABC logo was seen several times.

 

[Stanislav]

Can anyone think of other TV shows that mention their network as a part of the show. Any others?

Wasn't there an episode of "Cheers" that centered around them attending a taping of "The Tonight Show"? Believe Johnny Carson actually appeared in it, and the Burbank studios were featured prominently.

Also, there was a very famous episode of "The Odd Couple" where they appeared on "Password". Pretty sure the ABC logo was seen several times.

There was also the episode where they were on "Let's Make a Deal" ("Take the squid! Take the squid!" "Who are you, Jacques Cousteau?"), though it wasn't on the actual set and there was no mention of ABC. (It still promoted an ABC show, though...) Those are two of the best episodes in the series. (Although, really, they were ALL pretty damn good....)

 

[JeeperOne]

Hi everyone:

Bong!

I miss the Mutual Radio "bee-doop"!

Don't forget the CBS Radio chirp either...

Cheers

 

[JeeperOne]

Hi everyone:

Another "noise" no longer heard, the DTMF sequence used by early cable channels to activate local origination.

I always found that one to be annoying. I for one am glad it's gone.

Cheers

 

[JeeperOne]

Hi everyone:

During prime-time,..(I especially remember this before "All in the family" and Carol Burnett) you would hear the CBS "bong" ..then an announcer saying "From television city in Hollywood!"...anyone else remember this?

"From Television City in Hollywood" wasn't that only during Carol Burnett, and also only during live shows?

Didn't some of the CBS daytime game shows (Not TPIR) use the same moniker?

Cheers