The Arrival Of The RCA TK44s In 6B
This photo is probably from mid to late 1971. That’s when The Tonight Show gave up it’s TK41s for the TK44s. All the other studios had already converted, but Johnny and Fred De Cordova liked the TK41’s warmth. Most other studios probably had the TK44As, but I suspect Carson held out for the much better 44B which debuted in early 71. When they moved to Burbank, Studio 1 had TK44s but I can tell this is a Studio 6B camera because there is no top viewfinder fan. All NBC Burbank TK44s used in the studio had the extra exhaust fan installed on top when they arrived because a heat build up in the viewfinders caused the CRT tube to stop working. Network cameras are in use a lot more hours than cameras at local stations and overtime, overheat.
I had thought he got the 44’s before that but the 41’s were still there in late 1969 as you can tell from this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8gloxeHOLk
We usually ran with those little side doors flipped open near the top to vent some of the heat. We had 44Bs and 45s. When we did the news, the fans were so noisy, we’d shut them off during the broadcast and turn them on during commercial breaks to cool down that viewfinder. Where were flat panel monitors when we needed them?
Tiens, on reconnait bien notre bon vieux camério avec ses petits yeux du lendemain de la veille et sa grande gueule!
Je parlais de la caméra…évidemment!
There is no NBC logo on the camera. Could Johnny be checking out the new camera upon its arrival?