A Big Move For CBS…The Switch To Hitachi
On December 30, 2012
- TV History
A Big Move For CBS…
The Norelco PC60 and 70 cameras were bought in bulk by CBS starting in 1965. With an aging fleet of cameras, CBS began to wonder what was next. It’s quite common for camera makers to loan a network several camera for evaluation and that process started in the late 70s at CBS. Eventually the Hitachi SK 110 was chosen and built to specs for CBS studios and trucks. Below is a shot from ‘The Young And Restless’ set at Television City in 1985 with the SK 110s in use.
The resemblance of the SK-110 Master control panel and the RCA TK-47 Set Up Terminal is-shall we say?-remarkably similar. Hmmm.
When I visited CBS Television City for the first time in 1985, the Hitachi SK-110 had recently been installed, and the expectations were very favorable.
Unfortunately, three of the original studios at Television City are now used for soap operas. “The Young and the Restless” uses Studios 41 and 43. “Bold and Beautiful” uses Studio 31. “The Price is Right” and “Real Time with Bill Maher” use Studio 33. It must have much more exciting back in the days of variety shows like “Carol Burnett”, “Red Skelton”, “Danny Kaye”, “Sony and Cher”, etc.