http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/organizations/US-dlcrshttp://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsrs/eadmbrs.rs020003.204030ctdaa2200493 i 450020230310021901.8200430i19241950xx eng 2020619391i1924/1950National Broadcasting Company press releases.Part I,1924-1950.NBC press releases.Part I,1924-1950.EAD master sort node:@alpha_character^n^@alpha_srt^national broadcasting company press releases^@title^National Broadcasting Company press releases. Part 1^@href^http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsrs/eadmbrs.rs020003^@aggregate^rs^@ead_file_name^rs020003.xml^@eadid^rs020003^Access restrictions apply.The Library holds press releases issued by NBC from 1924 to1939 and from 1942 to 1989, and also special releases issued by AT&T (WEAF) from 1924 to 1926 in two looseleaf binders.National Broadcasting Company.Radio broadcastingUnited StatesHistory.Radio broadcastingUnited StatesEmployees.Radio advertisingUnited StatesHistory.Television broadcastingUnited StatesHistory.Press releases.aatRCA Corporation.WEAF (Radio station : New York, N.Y)NBC Collection (Library of Congress)National Broadcasting Company press releases, Part II, 1951-1989(DLC)2020603129Library of Congress, Recorded Sound Research CenterAsk a Librarianhttp://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsrs/mbrsrs.contactEADhttp://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsrs/eadmbrs.rs020003EAD PDFhttp://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsrs/eadmbrs.rs020003.3LCCN Permalinkhttp://lccn.loc.gov/2020619391Reading Roomhttp://www.loc.gov/rr/record/XMLhttp://findingaids.loc.gov/source/main#rs020003EAD METShttp://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsrs/eadmbrs.rs020003.4mbrsrs/eadloc.mbrsrs/eadmbrs.rs020003National Broadcasting Company Press
ReleasesPart I, 1924-1950Prepared by the staff of the Recorded Sound
SectionNational Audio-Visual
Conservation Center, Library of CongressWashington, D.C.2020
Encoded in EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 :
Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
createdus-dlcLibrary of CongressEnglish
DACS
Describing Archives: a Content Standard
DACS was used as the primary description standard.
2023-03Michelle Dubert-BellrichardUpdated repository name.November 2022David JacksonUpdated handle in DAO elements.May 2022David JacksonAdded DAO elements to container list.2020Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.Finding aid encoded by David Jackson.
Collection Summary
National Broadcasting Company press releases. Part I,
1924-19501924-1950National Broadcasting Company128 volumes128 itemsEnglish
Collection material in English
Recorded Sound Research Center, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center,
Library of CongressWashington, D.C.The Library holds press releases issued by
NBC from 1924 to1939 and from 1942 to 1989, and also special releases issued by AT&T
(WEAF) from 1924 to 1926 in two looseleaf binders.
Provenance
The National Broadcasting Company donated the NBC Press Release books to the Library of
Congress in 1991.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Processing History
The NBC press release books were processed by the staff of the Recorded Sound
Section.
National Broadcasting Company Press Releases: Part II, 1951-1989
The continuation of the NBC press release books, covering the years from 1951-1989 when
television broadcasting dominated over the radio network, are available for viewing
through the Moving Image Research Center. A description of the volumes are available
through Part II of
this finding aid.
Related Archival Collections at the Library of Congress
The NBC Archives at the Library of Congress include the NBC
Press Releases (the subject of this finding aid) as well as the following archival
NBC collections. The National Broadcasting Company History files include memoranda,
correspondence, speeches, reports, policy statements, and pamphlets covering the
creation of the network, its growth in the field of radio, and its subsequent
expansion into television broadcasting. The Library holds log books for WEAF and WNBC (1922 - 1955), for WJZ (1923 -
1941), and for WJY (1923 - 1926.) Program scripts, advertising copy, news copy and music master sheets (listing
musical content) for programs produced at the local station are held on 2,530
reels of microfilm, from WEAF and WNBC (1922 - 84), for WJZ (1927 - 41), for WMAQ
in Chicago WMAQ (May 1944 - December 1945), for KFI in Hollywood (August 1943 -
December 1945), and for the International (White) Network (August 1936 - September
1948.) Lacquer discs from the New York-based archive from the years 1927 to 1971 are
being re-recorded by the Library of Congress on tape, and have been indexed by the
Library in a database which is available in the Recorded Sound Research Center.
Selected news programs recorded from 1961 to 1985 on 1300 tape reels and 340
cassettes include broadcasts from presidential news conferences and speeches, and
important events, such as the first moon landing. Six card files maintained from 1930 to 1960 index: commercial programs;
sustaining programs (without advertising); radio artists (entertainment
professionals); "Negro Radio Artists” (entertainment professionals); radio
personalities (guests); and the World War II – European War effort. Transcriptions of programs for the years 1954 through 1984 are held on
microfiche. The Library holds log books for May 1949 through November 1988. Master books for the years 1936 through 1991 are held on microfilm. The collection of kinescopes recorded from 1948 to 1977 includes approximately
18,000 programs.
Copyright Status
Restrictions may exist on copying, quoting, or publishing materials included in the
collection. For additional information, contact a reference librarian in the Recorded
Sound Research Center, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress,
Washington, DC, 20540-4690; (202) 707-7833.
Access and Restrictions
The National Broadcasting Company press releases are open to research. Advance notice is
required; contact a reference librarian in the Recorded Sound Research Center, National
Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 20540-4690; (202)
707-7833.
Digital Content
Digital versions of the press releases from this collection are available for viewing in
the Recorded Sound Research Center, Library of Congress.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
[Volume number, eg., Vol. 3], National Broadcasting Company press releases, National
Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress
NBC Chronology
DateEvent1921 Westinghouse owned and operated WJZ radio in Newark from 1921 - 1923.
1922 WEAF radio, owned and operated by AT&T, was founded in New York. 1923 RCA, a subsidiary of Westinghouse, operated WJZ radio from 1923-46 in New
York. 1926 RCA announced the formation of the National Broadcasting Company on September
13, 1926 upon the RCA purchase of WEAF radio from AT&T. November 1, 1926 NBC established with both a Blue and a Red network. 1926 NBC began radio broadcasting on November 15, 1926. 1926 NBC formed the Red and Blue radio networks, with WEAF as the flagship station
of the Red network and WJZ as the flagship station of the Blue. 1928 The first permanent coast-to-coast network in the United States was
established by NBC on December 23, 1928. 1928 NBC received its first television station construction permit. 1936 1939 NBC investigated the possibility of separating Red and Blue Networks (See NBC
folder numbers 301-304) 1939 NBC televised the opening ceremonies of the New York World’s Fair. May 2 1941 Chain Broadcasting Report stated "no license shall be issued to a standard broadcast [AM] station
affiliated with a network organization which maintains more than one network.”
(Quoted in Sterling and Kitross, Stay Tuned , p.191.) October 30, 1941 Both NBC and CBS filed suit against the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) for its new regulations. January 1942 The U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust suit against NBC and CBS
(Sterling and Kitross, Stay Tuned , p. 236) January 9, 1942 RCA president David Sarnoff announced that the Blue Network had been
separated from the Red Network and subsequently was wholly owned by RCA. May 10, 1943 The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the FCC right to regulations outlined in the
Chain Broadcasting Report . July 10, 1943 Edward J. Noble, the owner of the American Broadcasting Company, purchases
the Blue Network for $8 million. October 12, 1943 The FCC approved the sale of the Blue Network to Noble. June 14, 1945 The Blue Network was changed to the American Broadcasting Company. August 1946 The FCC authorized CBS to change the name of WABC to WCBS. 1946 NBC changed the name of WEAF to WNBC.
Scope and Content Note
The press releases in the NBC Collection date from January 1924 through December 1989.
(The 1940 and 1941 volumes were not included in the donation and are presumably lost.)
The pre-network press releases were produced by WEAF, while still under AT&T
ownership. That WEAF regularly issued detailed press releases at such an early date is
evidence of that station's greater wealth and sophistication in comparison to most, if
not all other, early radio stations in America.
The press releases covered under this finding aid cover the years from 1924-1950 when
radio broadcasting dominated over the television network. The original releases were
bound in 128 hardcover volumes prior to acquisition by the Library of Congress.
Far more legible than the microfilmed master books, the press releases are an invaluable
resource for aiding in the reconstruction of early, unrecorded programs. They are also
useful as a supplement to the card catalog. For example, a researcher wishing to obtain
biographical information about an unfamiliar actor listed on one of the program cards
could consult the press releases issued shortly before the date of his performance. In
addition to releases on the programs and performers, there are many relating to the
network's announcers, writers, musicians, corporate staff, affiliates, and to NBC's
technical achievements, particularly its early experiments in television
broadcasting.
Not to be overlooked is that the press releases are simply a good read, providing
tidbits of the stars and a vivid picture of day-to-day life at network headquarters.
They describe: New York in the grips of a storm, as engineers rush to a top floor of
Radio City to record howling gale-force winds for their sound effects library; studio
audiences of the NBC Symphony being handed programs of soft, porous paper so that the
musicians would not be distracted by the rustling of turning pages; and in those days
when all performances were live, a weary Jack Benny deciding to move his program to
Hollywood partly to avoid repeating his show late at night for the benefit of West Coast
audiences. As explained in a press release on that subject, "It's all over by supper
time out there."
Arrangement
The National Broadcasting Company press releases are organized in 2 series:
Series 1. WEAF Special
Releases, 1924-1926Series 2. NBC Press
Releases, 1924-1950
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC
Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and
by occupation and listed alphabetically.
Organizations
National Broadcasting Company.NBC Collection (Library of Congress)RCA Corporation.WEAF (Radio station : New York, N.Y)
Subjects
Radio advertising--United States--History.Radio broadcasting--United States--Employees.Radio broadcasting--United States--History.Television broadcasting--United States--History.
Titles
NBC press releases. Part I, 1924-1950.
Form/Genre
Press releases.
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2020619391
Container List
WEAF Special Releases, 1924-19261924-1926