The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

(Left to right) unidentified male camera operator, Alan Scott & unidentified RCA spokesman
WPTZ, Channel 3 Remote
Wednesday, July 13, 1955

Here's a picture taken on Wednesday morning, July 13, 1955. It was the 42nd Birthday of the host of "The Today Show" at that time, Dave Garroway. However, that's not why the photo was taken.

It was snapped during a live remote originating from the RCA Cherry Hill facility in New Jersey. (For those not from the Philly area, Cherry Hill is just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.)

The camera used was an RCA TK-30 and the station, WPTZ, was doing this remote on NBC's "The Today Show." The reason for the broadcast was that it was the grand opening of the RCA exhibit entitled, "History of the Victor Talking Machine Company & RCA."

The only known personnel in the shot is the person in the middle. It's WPTZ's "Alan Scott." Alan was a natural selection for the remote because the next program on the Channel 3 air after "The Today Show" was "Let Scott Do It," hosted by Alan Scott. So after finishing the national feed, he hurried back to WPTZ's Center City Studios in time to do his program.

FYI, WPTZ was owned by Westinghouse at the time of this broadcast. NBC-TV was owned by RCA.

Lytle Hoover (who sent us this picture) e-mailed: This remote was for the grand opening of the Cherry Hill operations and the History exhibit was part of the Grand Opening celebration. RCA, Cherry Hill was on Route 38 on the hill opposite the Cherry Hill Mall, next door to the old Cherry Hill Inn. It had two main functions; an exhibition center for new products and home of the RCA Computer Division (which actually was the real operations that NBC-TV, NYC referred to as the NBC Computer Center for election returns). Today this is where the Target/Kohn's shopping center and Loew's Theater are located.

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com