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CBS Studio 72…Their Only New York RCA Color Facility

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Eyes Of A Generation.com

CBS Studio 72…Their Only New York RCA Color Facility

In the early 50’s, the network had a Field Sequential Color setup in
The Peace Theater at 1280 Fifth Avenue. This was called CBS Color Studio 57. After RCA won the color war, that studio went back to a black and white facility.

In early 1954, CBS took over an old RKO movie theater at Broadway and 81st Street and called it Studio 72. They expanded the stage from 2000 to 5000 square feet and installed four RCA TK41 color cameras. If you look closely at the photo, you will see a fifth camera under a cover just over the third monitor from the left. That camera is an RCA TK40 which CBS had Philco purchase for it on the sly in 1953 so they could get a look inside.

Although it never got much use, the studio switching system could handle five studio cameras, four telecine cameras, two remote signals and a black signal generator which was necessary to maintain the subcarrier burst signal when the picture faded to black.
There were eight panels where the cameras could be connected with five on the stage and three in the balcony.

Does anyone know what shows may have originated from Studio 72? Also shown it the studio floorplan. Enjoy and share!


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9 responses to “CBS Studio 72…Their Only New York RCA Color Facility”

  1. Bob Sewvello

    Val, Two questions: How were they able to fit the “Love Sidney” sets in such an apparently limited space. Also, did the theater have a proscenium arch? I can’t defect one in any of your Flicker photos. Thanks!

  2. Tom Coughlin

    Just have to point out that Teletape and Reeves were two different companies that merged around 1973 or so. Teletape had been around since the 1960s–originally, they operated remote trucks. Reeves goes back to at least the 1950s, and was initially an elite sound production company that did work for the film industry, as well as audio recording. Historical info I’ve seen suggests that Reeves (not Teletape) purchased Video Tape Center from 3M and Ampex in 1968, and sold it to ABC around 1970. During that short period of time it was known as the “Reeves Lincoln Square Studios”. Comments, anyone? I’m going to be up in St. Paul next week researching the 3M archives.

  3. Dennis Degan

    Thanks Bobby for the new pics of CBS Studio 72 (later known as ’81st Street’ to those of us from Reeves/Teletape)! It’s wonderful to finally find out where the CBS control rooms were located within the building. Recalling how the studio was arranged when Reeves operated it gives me some perspective on the original CBS layout. When Reeves took over in 1967, they spent 5 million dollars renovating the studio. I can see that the audience seating was removed in order to make the studio floor bigger. The original monochrome control room became the Reeves studio control room. The CBS color control room was removed entirely to make a large lobby/waiting area for live audiences, adding a wall to cover the back of the studio. The room marked ‘Telecine’ became the Reeves videotape/editing area. I have some photos of Reeves 81st Street in my Flickr photo site. Here a few of them:
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/557631348/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/557632228/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/557872871/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/3239407778/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/557651912/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/656522832/

  4. Mark Tipton

    I was lucky enough as a young broadcast student to have visited Reeves TT to watch a Sesame St. taping in the early 70s. Had no idea of its history. I believe Reeves was using Marconi cameras then.

  5. Chuck Pharis

    What a great photo!

  6. Hal Vickery

    I can remember a few color programs on CBS in the ’50s, but they were eventually pulled or switched back to B&W. Do you happen to know the year CBS quit color broadcasts?

  7. Val Ginter

    Sesame Street, Search for Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight (with Robert Klein) and a few telethons…I think there’s a PDF on the studio.

  8. Eyes Of A Generation.com

    From Studio 72, this is ‘Cinderella’ March 22, 1957. L-R, Alice Ghostley and Kay Ballard, (stepsisters), Julie Andrews (Cinderella) and Ilka Chase (stepmother).

  9. Bob Marty

    Was this later Reeves Teletape where Sesame Street was shot?

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