A Requiem for NBC Burbank 19
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Bob Meza

I worked at NBC Burbank from 1984 until NBC moved to Universal. I was a Broadcast Engineer and helped in the relocation. The swimming pool mentioned to be in Studio 2 was actually located in Studio 4. I know very little about the history but I do know it is there under the Studio 4 floor. If you go into the basement where Studio 4 is located, , there is a door you can open and access the concrete pool that was constructed directly under the Studio 4 floor. The pool is slightly smaller than the floor leaving about a 10 ft space between the pool and the walls of the studio. You can see two windows on each side where a camera must have been placed for under water photography. At the time those color cameras were the RCA TK-40 cameras.. When I started II worked with few original NBC engineers that started in 1948 and came over from the Hollywood location to build and open the Burbank Studios. Ken Jorgensen was one of these engineers that told me about the Ester Williams swimming pool. So this story of a pool at NBC is true. I saw it and was told by one of the men there at the time. Ken was also one of the engineers that developed the Chroma Key Process for RCA. Chroma key was invented at the Burbank Studios and you see it used every night when your local weatherman stands in front of a weather map as he points out the temps. RCA had a lab in the Burbank facility and invented many electronic devices in Burbank as television evolved.
You did a great job Richard preserving the history of this great studio . I know you loved working there as much as I did. It was our home.

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