NBC chime machine

The NBC chime machine was invented in 1932 by Richard H. Ranger. It was used to generated the notes of the NBC chimes of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) radio network.

History

After the original formation of the National Broadcasting corporation in 1926, NBC network executives realized that they needed a precise way to communicate the end of their programs to their audience and affiliate stations to end confusion about when to cut away for local announcements. It was decided by a three-person committee (consisting of Oscar Hanson, a former engineer of AT&T, Earnest la Prada, an NBC orchestra leader, and the NBC announcer Philip Carlin) that the simplest way to do this would be to create a musical cue which would sound to signal the end of programs. This method had already proved successful with other stations.

The company tested this method of signaling during 1927 and 1928 when it experimented with several possible combinations of notes. The first sequence consisted of the seven notes G-C-F-E-G-F-E. However, since the original NBC chime machine was an actual set of chimes which the announcer would play 30 seconds before the end of ever half-hour to signal the end of a program, it was left to the announcers to play this trademark sequence without error, which was unavoidable with such a lengthy cue. The chime sequence was shortened to G-C-F-E and then, on November 29, 1929, the cue was shortened for the final time, and the three well-known notes G-E-C were heard on NBC radio for the first time.

Despite the relative simplicity and efficiency of the new, shorter chime sequence, problems still existed in other musical aspects of the sequence, such as the tempo, rhythm, and volume at which it was played, as well as the musical tone of the set chimes. It was decided that a machine should be created that could play the sequence perfectly and consistently.

NBC had several of these chime machines made which they set up at major network locations across the country, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco (which actually had two machines, a main one and a backup.) It is estimated that no more than a dozen of these machines were ever made, and even fewer are currently in existence.

The chime in 1950 became the first-ever sound to receive trademark protection.

The chime was heard regularly for the final time in on the NBC television channel in 1976, the 50-year anniversary of the chime; the chime is now used for various smaller purposes on the channel. [http://www.oldradio.com/archives/stations/sf/chimes.htm]

Construction

The original chimes were a simple set of dinner chimes which were sounded with an attached mallet.

The newer chime machine consisted of finely tuned metal reeds that were plucked by a set of mechanical fingers on a revolving drum, much like a music box. The machine was invented by Captain Richard H. Ranger, who had been an electrical engineer with Radio Corporation of America (RCA), the parent company of NBC. He had also invented an early form of the modern fax machine and the electric organ.

External links

* [http://www.oldradio.com/archives/stations/sf/chimes.htm NBC chime machine]

References

John F. Schneider (1999). "The NBC Chimes Machine". Retrieved 8 June 2008.