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.
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