.

by FRANK MERKLEIN, Television Bureau of Advertising, New York City

When the Television Bureau of Advertising moved to expanded headquarters at No. 1 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, a new service was added: an RCA color television tape recorder.

Mr. Norman E. Cash, president of the Bureau, and Mr. George Huntington, vice-president and general manager, planned this significant addition in order to bring TvB's facilities up-to-the-minute and abreast of its members needs.

Though the recorder will never be applied as an originating point of an actual broadcast, a high degree of broadcast quality is maintained to feed five color monitors placed throughout the offices.

The first is a TM-21 high-fidelity direct-feed monitor that provides the usual tactical service for the operator of the tape machine. In the case of the TvB, this professional quality monitor is also seen from the reception room. It is separated from the tape room by a glass partition, providing a full view of all tape operations.
.

• Anmerkung : Hier in diesem Artikel liest man, daß der Begriff "high-fidelity", der bei uns so gut wie ausschließlich mit Audio in Verbindung gebracht wurde, in den 1960er USA auch für Fernseher galt.

.

A Conrac tuner affords one application that few tape recorders in the U.S. are called upon to provide. An "r-f" feed of Channel 4 in New York City, for example, permits direct recordings in color on the TvB machine. Upon playback, Bureau staff people view the program at their convenience. This may be necessary for: research, sales, promotion, etc. Members, too, may view these tapes as a visual aid.

Equally successful was the transfer of a TvB 16mm color film production to color tape. This service was provided by Reeves Inc., on their RCA machines. As a result the Bureau now has in its library a color tape copy of its highly successful promotional film "The Exponential."

With this new service, a potential client for television may view at TvB's office a color commercial as it might appear on the air.

He is able to draw significant conclusions from the visual presentation, lessening the risk of not being satisfied after a broadcast. The staff of the Bureau is now able to employ the medium itself, instead of merely the printed or oral exposition to tell a story.
.

The Television Bureau as an association of 250 station members, the three networks, and 17 station representation firms, has not only a color tape recorder to enhance its function, but has become a focal point for color and tape activity.

A library is being compiled for reference and is in constant exchange of ideas and methods with its members. These are passed on to advertisers as part of a program for familiarization designed for those considering the purchase of television time.

The RCA installation at TvB has been notably successful in all its varied applications. Technically dependable, the machine is daily pressed into use. Service, through a local representative, assures parts and routine maintenance as needed.

Fifteen of TvB's members are now equipped with color taping facilities. The broadening tape medium places the Bureau in the center of the activity. This enables TvB to spearhead the widespread use of color tape as an essential tool of the broadcaster and the television advertiser.
.

FIG. 1. Seen, behind a plate glass wall, from the TvB reception room is its newest acquisition: An RCA Color TV Tape Recorder.

Left to right are: Norman Cash, President of TvB; Howard Abrahams, Vice-President Retail Sales; and Frank Merklein, Director, Member Station Presentations.

FIG. 2. Promotional tapes being examined by tv executives in TvB's viewing room. The new equipment enables member stations to show tapes of commercials, programs, and services to advertisers and agency personnel in the New York area.