In a photo taken in NBC’s historic Studio 3H, we see Albert Protzman, the first camera person hired to operate RCA’s new all-electronic television apparatus.  Studio 3H was the first all-electronic television studio ever built and efforts began by RCA in May of 1935 converted this former NBC radio studio into the epicenter of the world of experimental television in America. Mr. Protzman was there for every step of the way and in 1940 wrote this 15 page article for RCA on just exactly what had to happen for live television to be produced.

By today’s standards, it is very quaint, but remember…this was the very start of television and as Protzman lays out techniques of production, he also lays out the functions of the studio, the control room, special effects, film inserts and more. These are words of a real TV pioneer who, before he retired from NBC in the early 1960s had become of the the network’s top technical directors. Albert’s studio camera partners were (NBC’s second cameraman) Don Pike and (the third cameraman) Heino Ripp who became a legendary technical director in his own right at NBC.