Re: [ARSCLIST] "Aircheck" history

["Michael Biel m.biel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <m-biel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: "Lou Judson" <loujudson@xxxxxxx>
> >>> in the story there was a live
> >>> concert broadcast on a major NYC radio station in 1939. Someone (the
> >>> private eye, star etc.) missed part of it and someone called the
> >>> station and was able to get a copy of the program - the same day. 
> >>> could that have happened in 1939?    Lou Judson 

There was a company called AudioScriptions which called itself "The Clipping
Service of the Air."  They made speculative recordings of almost every speech
or interview program and then sent a letter to the guests to ask them if they
wanted to buy a copy.  They held onto the originals and by the early 40s they
were said to have a collection of perhaps a million voices.  Most of their
recordings are found on uncoated aluminum.  We do know that the company
survived the war but people have been searching for over 40 years for that
archive with no luck.

I don't think they regularly did musical recordings, but there were many private
recording studios that were contracted by most major band leaders to record all
of their broadcasts.  For example, Glenn Miller.

Tom Fine wrote:
> >>> Judging from how many copies of OTR programs are circulating out 
> >>> there, I think most stations transcribed most programs and many 
> >>> others down the line made line-checks (now learning the right terms 
> >>> thanks to this list).

Considering how much was NOT recorded, this is an exaguration.  You have to
consider WHY would the station or network record the program.  Rebroadcast was
usually not allowed, so that was a rare reason, although it was the major
reason for the KIRO collection of CBS WWII recordings -- which is lucky because
CBS recorded practically nothing for themselves.  NBC did make a large archive,
which is now in the Library of Congress, and I sometimes think that they did it
just out of habit!  Local stations recorded practically nothing.  They usually
made recordings only for the occasional rebroadcast or delayed broadcast, or
made recordings ordered IN ADVANCE by the performers, producers, sponsors,
etc.


> >>> So, bottom line, it was possible but maybe not 
> >>> plausible. If it was a major market station, they'd have several 
> >>> disk recorders, so possible they made 2 transcriptions at once or 
> >>> made a copy for the person in your book. I imagine you'd need 
> >>> connections at the station and a roll of bills to get that done back 
> >>> then since the process would take the time of a station engineer and 
> >>> was thus costly.
> >>>
> >>> -- Tom Fine

I think the average cost was something like ten bucks for a half hour broadcast.
 The blank discs were about two bucks apiece for 16-inch and about 75 cents to a
 buck for a 12-inch.  

Michael Biel  m.biel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



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