NBC Studios (New York)

NBC Studios was also a previous name for NBC's production division, which is now Universal Television, formerly Universal Media Studios and NBC Universal Television Studio. For the similarly named studios in Burbank, California, see NBC Studios (Burbank). For the studios in Chicago, Illinois, see NBC Tower.

The NBC Studios in New York, New York is located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (on 49th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues) in Manhattan, the historic GE Building houses the headquarters of the NBC television network, its parent General Electric, and NBC's flagship station WNBC (Channel 4), as well as cable news channel MSNBC.

When NBC Universal relocated, 24-hour cable news television network MSNBC joined the network in New York on that day as well. The new studios/headquarters for NBC News and MSNBC are located in one area.

The first NBC Radio City Studios began operating in the early 1930s, and tours of the studios began in 1933. NBC offers guided tours of their New York studios at a cost to tourists.^[1]

Because of the preponderance of radio studios, that section of the Rockefeller Center complex became known as Radio City (and gave its name to Radio City Music Hall, a gigantic and renowned venue for theatre and films located in Radio City). Even into the present decade, tickets for shows based at 30 Rock bear the legend "Radio City."

Shows recorded

30 Rockefeller Center, also known as the GE Building, is the world headquarters of NBC.

Ground-level entrance to same building

Among the shows originating at 30 Rockefeller Plaza:

Program	Network/Station	Years Taped	Studio
30 Rock (exterior scenes)	NBC	2006–present	various
Call My Bluff	NBC	1965	6-A
The Caroline Rhea Show	Syndication	2002–2003	8-G
Concentration	NBC	1958–1973	8-G
Countdown with Keith Olbermann	MSNBC	2007–2011	1-A
Dateline NBC	NBC	1992–present	3-G,1-A
The Doctors	NBC	1963–1982	3-B/3-A
Dough Re Mi	NBC	1958–1960	6-A
Dr. Nancy	MSNBC	2009–2009	3-A
The Dr. Oz Show	Syndication	2009–present	6-A
Early Today	NBC	1999–present	3-K
The Ed Show	MSNBC	2009–present	3-K
Football Night in America	NBC	2006–present	8-G
He Said, She Said	Syndication	1968
House Party with Steve Doocy	Syndication	1990	6-C
How to Survive a Marriage	NBC	1974–1975	8-G
Howdy Doody	NBC	1947-1960	3-A
Huntley-Brinkley Report	NBC	1956–1970	6-B
Jackpot	NBC	1974–1975	8-G
Jeopardy!	NBC	1964–1975	8-G
Last Call with Carson Daly	NBC	2002–2005	8-G
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell	MSNBC	2011-present	3-K
Late Night with Conan O'Brien	NBC	1993–2009	6-A
Late Night with David Letterman	NBC	1982–1993	6-A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon	NBC	2009–present	6-B
Live at Five	WNBC	1980–2007	6-B
The Match Game	NBC	1962–1969	8-H
Memory Game	NBC	1971	6-A
Missing Links	NBC	1963–1964	6-A
Morning Joe	MSNBC	2007–present	3-A
Morning Meeting with Dylan Ratigan	MSNBC	2009	3-A
MSNBC Live	MSNBC	2007–present	3-A
NBC News at Sunrise	NBC	1983–1999
NBC Nightly News	NBC	1970–present	3-C
NBC Sports studio shows	NBC	1947–present
News 4 New York	WNBC	1941–present	7-E, 6-B
PDQ (New York shows)	Syndication	1965–1969	8-G
Personality	NBC	1967–1969	6-A
The Phil Donahue Show	Syndication	1985–1996	8-G
Play Your Hunch	NBC	1959–1963	6-B
Reach for the Stars	NBC	1967	6-A
The Rachel Maddow Show	MSNBC	2008–present	3-A
Rock Center with Brian Williams	NBC	2011-present	3-B
The Rosie O'Donnell Show	Syndication	1996–2002	8-G
Sale of the Century	NBC, Syndication	1969–1974	8-G
Saturday Night Live	NBC	1975–present	8-H
Say When!!	NBC	1961–1965	6-A
Shoot For the Stars	NBC	1977	6-A
Somerset	NBC	1970–1976	6-C
Split Personality	NBC	1959–1960	6-A
Tic-Tac-Dough	NBC	1956–1959	8-G
Today	NBC	1952–present	1-A
To Tell the Truth	Syndication	1971–1978; 1980–1981	8-G, 8-H, 6-A
The Tonight Show (Jack Paar and Johnny Carson)	NBC	1957–1972	6-B
Treasure Hunt	NBC	1957–1959	8-G
Twenty One	NBC	1956–1958	8-G
Up with Chris Hayes	MSNBC	2011–present	3-A
Verdict with Dan Abrams	MSNBC	2007–2008	3-A
What's My Line?	Syndication	1971–1975	6-A
The Who, What, or Where Game	NBC	1969–1974	6-A, 8-H
Way Too Early with Willie Geist	MSNBC	2009–Present	3A
Word for Word	NBC	1963–1964	6-A
You're Putting Me On	NBC	1969	6-A

NBC Studio productions

Studio	Production	Notes	Floor
1A	The Today Show, Dateline NBC	The network's daily morning program is produced at a ground-level windowed studio across 49th Street from the GE Building since the mid-1990s, at 10 Rockefeller Plaza; it was previously broadcast from inside the skyscraper. Studio 1A is a multilevel studio currently used for multiple shows including the studio segments of Dateline NBC. Countdown was used 2nd floor of 1A. The studio was also used by WNBC's Live at Five and MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. WNBC, which used temporarily in October 1996 due to a fire in 6B,[2] and NBC Nightly News for a short period during decontamination of the broadcast's facilities and offices in October 2001 due to the 2001 anthrax attacks.	Ground floor
2K	MSNBC Secondary HD Control Room	Debuted October 22, 2007, and is the home to MSNBC programs. An MSNBC/NBC News Newsroom connects control room 2K and studio floor 3A.	2nd floor
3A	MSNBC main studios and headquarters	Debuted October 22, 2007, and is the home to many MSNBC programs including the main news desk where MSNBC Live and other MSNBC programs are shot. An MSNBC/NBC News Newsroom connects Studio 3A and Studio 3C. Former home of NBC Nightly News.	3rd floor
3B	Rock Center with Brian Williams[3] NBC Nightly News	Former home of the Huntley-Brinkley Report,[4] The Doctors,[5] the Today Show, Dateline NBC, NBC Nightly News, and coverage of the 2008 presidential election	3rd floor
3C	(Undergoing Renovations)	Formerly home of NBC Nightly News from 1999-October 23, 2011, however the studio's size was decreased significantly during a 2007 renovation. This studio is currently being renovated and expanded into the former Studio 3H to become the studio for WNBC, the network's flagship station.[5]	3rd floor
3H Decommissioned	Experimental Television[6]	The first studio in the building to be converted for Television production, being converted in 1935 and served as NBC Television's lone studio[7] until the conversion of Studio 8G in 1948. 3H was adjacent to Studio 3C. This studio has been decommissioned since the early 1960s and served as scenery storage[8] for a number of decades. A portion or all of this area is being used to expand Studio 3C for it's future use as WNBC's studio.	3rd floor
3K	Early Today/The Ed Show/The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell	Former home of NBC Nightly News, NBC Sports, The Today Show, and The Howdy Doody Show,[9] green screen room for coverage of 2008 presidential election result program for NBC News/MSNBC.[10]	3rd floor
5HN Decommissioned	NBC News Emergency "Flash" Studio	A small studio used for breaking news bulletins during the Huntley-Brinkley Era. Most notably, network coverage regarding the John F. Kennedy assassination originated from this studio.	5th floor
6A	The Dr. Oz Show	A former home of Twenty One,[11] The Tomorrow Show,[12] Late Night with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and NBC Radio Network programs from 1933 to the 1950s. 6A was the first 30 Rock studio to be converted for high definition television.	6th floor
6B	Late Night with Jimmy Fallon	Howdy Doody (1947–1960). Also the original home of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar and NBC Nightly News. Former home for the news studio for flagship station WNBC.	6th floor
6C	NBC Digital Studios	The current home of such web based shows as "The Untitled News Comedy Show", "Starstruck", and "A Big Life with Sissy Biggers". Was previously home to a small set for WNBC as well as WNBC's Master control. [13]	6th floor
6E	Global Media Insert Studios [2]	Former home of Early Today and MSNBC secondly studio (Ed Show home and Breaking News coverage), called as "Newsnooks". This space was previously a portion of WNBC's Master Control.	6th floor
7E	WNBC News/New York Nonstop	The current home of the news studio for WNBC-TV, the network's flagship station. This studio is the newest studio in the building, being constructed inside an old conference room[14] during 2008.	7th floor
8A	(Unknown)	A "Studio 8A" is marked on an official drawing[15] of the 8th floor of the building. Judging by the surrounding area, this studio was likely used for audio recording. It's possible this studio was converted to television studio 8B.	8th floor
8B	Decision 2010 Coverage	This studio was used for coverage of the 2010 Midterm Elections[16].	8th floor
8G	Football Night in America/NBC SportsDesk	A former radio studio converted for Television use in 1948 and went on air April 22 of that year.[17] Former home of The Phil Donahue Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Caroline Rhea Show, and The Jane Pauley Show, as well as the original Jeopardy! from 1964 to 1975. NBC Nightly News used this studio during the 2007 renovations of NBC News headquarters, except on some Sunday evenings where, due to football programming, the news was broadcast from Studio 1A. This studio has also been used for Decision 2008 and Decision 2010 election night coverage.	8th floor
8H	Saturday Night Live	Former home of Last Call with Carson Daly Former home of Later with Bob Costas Former home of the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini Used for offsite coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics Used for the Live Show episode of 30 Rock	8th floor
Exterior	30 Rock	Exteriors of the building and scenes which are filmed on location are filmed outside GE Building as well as various other locations at Rockefeller Plaza. Interiors are filmed at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens.	Ground

The building is also the headquarters for Bravo, Chiller, MSNBC, Oxygen, Syfy, Cloo, Universal HD and USA Network. CNBC and CNBC World are headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Other locations

Some other New York originated programs are/were produced elsewhere in New York City, including:

• Colonial Theater, 1887 Broadway at 62nd Street (original version of The Price is Right hosted by Bill Cullen, 1953–1963; Colgate Comedy Hour) Demolished 1977.
• Hudson Theatre, 141 W. 44th Street (Tonight hosted by Steve Allen, 1954–1957).
• Ziegfeld Theatre, 141 W. 54th Street at Sixth Avenue (The Perry Como Show, Concentration primetime 1961)). Demolished 1966.
• 67th Street Studios, 101 W. 67th Street (the Home show with Arlene Francis 1954-1957, Concentration primetime 1958), demolished 1995. The site is now 50-story Millennium Tower apartment building.
• Century Theater, 232 Seventh Avenue at 59th Street (Caesar's Hour with Sid Caesar, 1954–1957).
• Brooklyn Studios* (now JC Studios), 1268 E. 14th Street in Midwood, Brooklyn (many 1950s color "Spectaculars" such as The Esther Williams Aqua Special,Peter Pan; it is also where The Perry Como Show (1960's), Mitch Miller Show (1960's), The Sammy Davis Jr. Show (1960s), Hullabaloo (1965–1966), Kraft Music Hall, The Cosby Show, and Another World were produced. It was the home of CBS's soap opera As the World Turns until the series ceased production in 2010. (The silent film-era Vitagraph Studios was located directly across E. 14th Street. That property is now occupied by the Shulamith School for Girls.)
• International Theater, 5 Columbus Circle (Admiral Broadway Review 1949). Demolished 1954.
• Ambassador Theater, 215 W. 49th Street. Now a theatre presenting Broadway shows.
• Center Theater, 1236 Sixth Avenue at 49th Street (Texaco Star Theater with Milton Berle; Your Show of Shows, 1950–1954). Demolished 1954.
• Uptown Studios (now Metropolis Studios), 105 E. 106th Street at Park Avenue.
• NBC Universal Network Organization Center, in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (home of CNBC and CNBC World)
• New Amsterdam Roof Theater, 214 W. 42nd Street.
• WNBC-TV's LX: NY is produced in nearby 75 Rockefeller Plaza.

*Equipped for color production.

Most of these facilities are no longer used by NBC.

See also

• GE Building
• NBC Radio City Studios

References

1. ^ NBC Tour: NBC Studio Tour - Official NBC Universal Store
2. ^ http://www.wnbc.com/station/1169359/detail.html
3. ^ 'Rock Center with Brian Williams' to premiere this season on NBC
4. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44626266#44626266
5. ^ ^{a b} Barmash, Jerry (October 19, 2011). "WNBC/Channel 4 Making the Move to Nightly News Studio". FishbowlNY. http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/wnbcchannel-4-making-the-move-to-nightly-news-studio_b44984. Retrieved October 19, 2011. 
6. ^ http://www.eyesofageneration.com/Archives_NBC_ND8G.php
7. ^ http://www.eyesofageneration.com/Archives_NBC_ND8G.php "It is approximately three times as large as 3H, the studio out of which NBC Television has been operating since 1935."
8. ^ http://nbcny.filmmakersdestination.com/sites/default/files/3Kdiagram.gif
9. ^ http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/557867573/
10. ^ NewscastStudio Blog | Blog Archive | Cracking the case: MSNBC green screen | A blog about television news set design, news music, news graphics package design and television ...
11. ^ Interview with Herb Stempel ([1]).
12. ^ http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/515349913/
13. ^ http://www.flickr.com/photos/dennisdegan/557975983/in/set-72157600550234281
14. ^ http://broadcastengineering.com/news/wnbc-struggles-transform-news-operation-1027/
15. ^ http://nbcny.filmmakersdestination.com/sites/default/files/8Gdiagram.gif
16. ^ http://www.flickr.com/photos/nbc_news/5141541063/in/set-72157626081757325
17. ^ http://www.eyesofageneration.com/Archives_NBC_ND8G.php

• NBC Television Network
• NBC Universal
• NBC Tower