Welcome to the Archives section. On these expanded and updated pages, you will read and hear untold stories and see unique images by the hundreds dating from the earliest days of television, to the present.

The content here was not widely available to the general public and contains a lot of information that was created for internal use, or as business-to-business material from broadcasters and affiliated industries. This is also home to unique, unpublished information contributed by authors, and a good example is the great AT&T Book…Connecting The Continent For Radio And Television by our friend Mark Durenberger and others.

Some of the other exclusive features of this page include my Total Color Camera Sales In The US, The Ellerbee Classic Camera Census, and First Person, An Oral History of Broadcast Television. Hundreds of new entries on a variety of television topics have been added, with more to come. -Bobby Ellerbee

Above, “Tonight” show in NBC Studio 6B at 30 Rockefeller Plaza circa 1963. 

 

HOW NFL FOOTBALL CAME TO TELEVISION IN 1956

HOW NFL FOOTBALL CAME TO TELEVISION IN 1956

Sig Mickelson was the first president of CBS News, and it is from that insider’s view that we get this ...
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THE HOUSE THAT ROONE BUILT

THE HOUSE THAT ROONE BUILT

Modern sports television began in Athens, Georgia on September 18, 1965 when the University of Georgia Bulldogs took on Alabama’s ...
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The Broadcast World's TOP Archive: Including TV

The Broadcast World’s TOP Archive: Including TV

Just so you know, our friend David Gleason’s labor of love is absolutely THE VERY BEST resource for online broadcast ...
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RCA - SARNOFF LIBRARY PHOTO ARCHIVES

RCA – SARNOFF LIBRARY PHOTO ARCHIVES

At the link below are hundreds of photos, research papers and even two videos (NBC’s First 50 Years) that have ...
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CBS FIELD SEQUENTIAL COLOR TEST...RARE IMAGES & INFO

CBS FIELD SEQUENTIAL COLOR TEST…RARE IMAGES & INFO

What does the Orson Wells classic radio drama “War Of The Worlds” have in common with Dr Peter Goldmark’s mechanical ...
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Behind The Scenes At The ED SULLIVAN SHOW...Part 1 (of 7)

Behind The Scenes At The ED SULLIVAN SHOW…Part 1 (of 7)

THE RCA TK30 ERA: About the only way I could think of to present these 120+ images from one of ...
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Behind The Scenes at THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW...Part 2 (of 7)

Behind The Scenes at THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW…Part 2 (of 7)

The RCA TK30 Era Extends to Studio 50: This second TK30 part is to commemorate the move from CBS Studio ...
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Behind The Scenes at THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW...Part 3 (of 7)

Behind The Scenes at THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW…Part 3 (of 7)

The RCA TK31 Era: This third part features the RCA TK31 Studio Cameras that came out in May of 1952 ...
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Behind The Scenes of THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW...Part 4 (of 7)

Behind The Scenes of THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW…Part 4 (of 7)

The Marconi Mark IV Era: This is the largest section as it features the era of the Marconi Mark IV ...
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Behind The Scenes at THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW...Part 5 (of 7)

Behind The Scenes at THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW…Part 5 (of 7)

The Norelco Era: Before we talk about the cameras, let’s talk about Ed’s “personal cameraman”, Mr. George Moses who whe ...
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Behind The Scenes at THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW...Part 6 (of 7)

Behind The Scenes at THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW…Part 6 (of 7)

The Marconi Mark VII Era: In the summer of 1967, the Marconi Mark VII color cameras went into service at ...
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Behind The Scenes at THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, Part 7 (of 7)

Behind The Scenes at THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, Part 7 (of 7)

SPECIAL COLOR BONUS PAGE: Before October 31, 1965…the day CBS Studio 50 was color capable via their new Norelco PC71 ...
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First Person Oral History

First Person Oral History

This is an ongoing project, and from time to time, we will add audio interviews to this list, but here ...
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RCA'S FIRST ICONOSCOPE CAMERAS & THE PROTOTYPE

RCA’S FIRST ICONOSCOPE CAMERAS & THE PROTOTYPE

We will see three different Iconoscope cameras here…the first three all electronic cameras made by RCA at their Camden N.J ...
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Shooting Live TV Shows On Film By Karl Freund; "I Love Lucy" Director of Photography

Shooting Live TV Shows On Film By Karl Freund; “I Love Lucy” Director of Photography

Below this 1953 SMPTE article written by Karl Freund is a copy of his biography by IMBD writer John Hopwood ...
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RCA Television Tape Equipment & Prices, 1966

RCA Television Tape Equipment & Prices, 1966

A trip down memory lane when 4 heads were better than one, and quad editing was just getting started. Here ...
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The First 50 Years of Broadcasting

The First 50 Years of Broadcasting

Going back to 1931, the names Farnsworth and Zworykin ring out as the editors of  BROADCASTING MAGAZINE present a special ...
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A PRIMER ON RCA'S EARLIEST COMPATABLE COLOR CAMERAS

A PRIMER ON RCA’S EARLIEST COMPATABLE COLOR CAMERAS

I’ve just recently been able see these stunning in-house marketing photos that reveal some news about the first three sets ...
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December 12, 1937...America's First Mobile Units Delivered

December 12, 1937…America’s First Mobile Units Delivered

On December 12, 1937, the world’s first electronic television remote units were delivered by RCA to NBC in New York ...
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The Heidi Bowl...The REAL DOCUMENTS & DETAILS!

The Heidi Bowl…The REAL DOCUMENTS & DETAILS!

November 17, 1968…’Heidi’ Trumps The Jets – Raiders Finale On NBC Did you see this live? I did…I had just ...
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