NBC Studios (New York City)

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For other uses, see NBC Studios.

NBC Studios are located in the historic 30 Rockefeller Plaza (on Sixth Avenue between 49th and 50th streets) in the borough of Manhattan, New York City. The building houses the NBC television network headquarters, its parent NBCUniversal, and NBC's flagship station WNBC (Channel 4), as well as cable news channel MSNBC.

The first NBC Radio City Studios began operating in the early 1930s. Tours of the studios began in 1933, suspended in 2014 and resumed on October 26, 2015. Because of the preponderance of radio studios, that section of the Rockefeller Center complex became known as Radio City (and gave its name to Radio City Music Hall).

Current studio spaces[]

Today Studio 1A set in 2019.
30 Rockefeller Plaza as seen from the Citigroup Center at dusk.
Studio Production Notes Floor Size[1]
1A Today

and NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

Since 1994, the network's morning program is produced at a ground-level, windowed studio across 49th Street from 30 Rockefeller Plaza at 10 Rockefeller Plaza; it was previously broadcast from inside 30 Rock. Studio 1A is a multilevel studio; the upstairs portion contains a kitchen used for cooking segments. The studio was also used by WNBC's Live at Five, and MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann[2] and NBC Nightly News for a short period during decontamination of the broadcast's facilities and offices in October 2001 due to the 2001 anthrax attacks. After a minor renovation that started in mid-August of 2021, TODAY debuted on September 7, 2021 a new desk and flooring to Studio 1A. [3] NBC Nightly News moved to the studio on September 13 2021. Ground floor 2,430 sq ft (226 m2)
3A MSNBC main studios Debuted October 22, 2007, and is the home to many MSNBC programs. A newsroom connects Studio 3A and Studio 3C. Former home of NBC Nightly News.

On June 20, 2021, the studio was "gutted" with a new set being built in the same place. [4]

3rd floor 4,794 sq ft (445.4 m2)
3B Vacant Former home of the Huntley-Brinkley Report,[5] the NBC daytime serial The Doctors,[6] the Today Show, Dateline NBC, NBC Nightly News, and coverage of the 2008 presidential election. 3B is the only studio in the building which has kept its original dimensions since it was constructed in 1933. Nightly News ceased occupying this space in 2017. 3rd floor 4,060 sq ft (377 m2)
3C Vacant Formerly home of NBC Nightly News from November 8, 1999, to October 23, 2011; however the studio's size was decreased significantly during a 2007 renovation. From April 21, 2012, until October 9, 2016, News 4 New York originated from this studio.[7] The network's flagship evening broadcast began using the space again on July 14, 2017 and left it for studio 1A in September 2021. 3rd floor 1,310 sq ft (122 m2)
3K WNBC 3K was formed by combining former radio studio 3F and studio 3H. 3H was the first studio in the building to be converted for television production, being converted in 1935 and serving as NBC Television's lone studio[8] until the conversion of Studio 8G in 1948. The former home of NBC Nightly News, NBC Sports, The Today Show, The Ed Show, The Howdy Doody Show, NBC News at Sunrise, The Gabby Hayes Show, Early Today, All In with Chris Hayes, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and Dateline NBC,[9] it became the home of News 4 New York on October 9, 2016.[10] 3rd floor 2,668 sq ft (247.9 m2)
4E MSNBC newsroom and studio, Dateline NBC and Early Today A new newsroom and studio for MSNBC, built in early 2016, located in the northeast corner of the building, with windows overlooking West 50th St and Rockefeller Plaza. The glassed-in studio in the corner is designated Studio 4E, but shows also originate from the various locations in the newsroom area, which connects to the 3rd and 5th floors via a stairway. 4th floor
6A Temporarily dark The 6th and 7th floors of the studio building were left unfinished when NBC first occupied the space in 1933, and Studios 6A and 6B weren't built out until November 1941.[11] A former home of Twenty-One,[12] Say When!!, The Tomorrow Show,[13] The David Letterman Show,[14] Late Night with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Dr. Oz Show, and NBC Radio Network programs with studio audiences from 1933 to the 1950s, 6A was the first 30 Rock studio to be converted for high definition television. In August 2013, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon moved into this space while Studio 6B underwent renovations for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[15] From September 2014 to May 2016, Meredith Vieira's daytime talk show, The Meredith Vieira Show, originated from this studio as well. In the summer of 2016, Maya & Marty, a variety show that featured Maya Rudolph and Martin Short also originated from this studio. Megyn Kelly Today then occupied the space from 2017 to 2018. Today used it for the third hour until moving back to 1A in January 2019. Remaining unchanged outside of different lighting, the studio is now occasionally used for the Friday editions of All In with Chris Hayes featuring a live studio audience. On February 6, 2020, the fourth hour of ‘’Today’’ with Hoda & Jenna, started taping Thursday and Friday episodes live in front of a studio audience from studio 6A (though both discontinued use a month after due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

In July 13, 2020, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon moved to Studio 6A for its first studio-produced episodes since the beginning of the pandemic and remained there until March 19, 2021, when they relocated back to Studio 6B.[16] Starting in April 2021, the studio is being used by Saturday Night Live for a portion of that show's band to spread out throughout the building, after using 6B during Fallon's temporary run in 6A.

6th floor 3,504 sq ft (325.5 m2)
6B The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon The former home of Broadway Open House,[17] Bob Hope's radio program,[18] the television version of Texaco Star Theater,[19] The Ernie Kovacs Show,[20] Tic Tac Dough, Tonight Starring Jack Paar, Play Your Hunch, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC Nightly News, The Bell Telephone Hour, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and the former studio for flagship station WNBC. Fallon returned to the studio on March 22, 2021, with a limited audience. 6th floor 3,690 sq ft (343 m2)
6E Global Media Insert Studio[21] Consists of four small spaces. Former home of Early Today and MSNBC's secondary studio. This space was previously a portion of WNBC's Master Control. From January 6 until March 13, 2020, it was used for E!'s E! News and Pop of the Morning.[22][23] 6th floor
8G Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Amber Ruffin Show A former radio studio converted for television use in 1948, it went on air April 22 of that year.[24] Former home of The Today Show, The Phil Donahue Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Caroline Rhea Show, The Jane Pauley Show and Football Night in America, as well as the original Concentration and Jeopardy! which recorded their color episodes on alternating days/weeks from 1964 to 1975. NBC Nightly News used this studio during the 2007 renovations of NBC News headquarters, except on some Sunday evenings where, due to football programming, the news was broadcast from Studio 1A. This studio has also been used for 2008 and 2010 election night coverage. 8th floor 2,280 sq ft (212 m2)
8H Saturday Night Live Studio 8H was, at the time of construction, the world's largest radio studio. It was converted to television use in 1950 (however, it had hosted television broadcasts prior to conversion, namely for simulcasts of The Voice of Firestone). Former home of Kraft Television Theater and other live dramas, election night coverage, Last Call with Carson Daly, Later with Bob Costas, and the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini. Used for offsite coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics and for the "Live Show" and "Live from Studio 6H" episodes of 30 Rock. 8H was also the temporary home to Football Night in America during the 2013 NFL season. 8th floor 3,955 sq ft (367.4 m2)

Shows produced at NBC Studios New York[]

30 Rockefeller Plaza is the world headquarters of NBC.
Ground-level entrance
Marquee from the side

Among the shows originating at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (shows taping as of the 2020–2021 season in bold):

Program Network/Station Dates Studio
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams MSNBC 2016–present 3A
30 Rock NBC 2010 and 2012 8H (Live episodes)
All In with Chris Hayes MSNBC 2013–present 3K, 4E, 6A
The Amber Ruffin Show Peacock 2020–present 8G
Call My Bluff NBC 1965 6A
The Caroline Rhea Show Syndication 2002–2003 8G
Charge Account/Jan Murray Show NBC 1960–1962 6B
Concentration NBC 1958–1973 3A, 6A, 8G
Countdown with Keith Olbermann MSNBC 2007–2011 1A
The Crossover NBC Sports Network 2013–2014 8G
The Cycle MSNBC 2012–2015 3A, 3K
Dateline NBC NBC 1992–present 3A, 3B, 3K, 4E
The David Letterman Show NBC 1980 6A
Deadline: White House MSNBC 2017–present 4E
The Doctors NBC 1963–1982 3B, 3A
Dough Re Mi NBC 1958–1960 6A
Dr. Nancy MSNBC 2009 3A
The Dr. Oz Show Syndication 2009–2012 6A
E! News E! 2020 6E
Early Today NBC 2007–present 3K, 6E, 4E
The Ed Show MSNBC 2009–2015 3K, 3A
Football Night in America NBC 2006–2014 8G, 8H
He Said, She Said Syndication 1969-1970 8H
House Party with Steve Doocy Syndication 1990 6A
How to Survive a Marriage NBC 1974–1975 8G
Howdy Doody NBC 1947–1960 3A,3H,3K,8G
Huntley-Brinkley Report NBC 1956–1970 6B,5HN,8G
Jackpot NBC 1974–1975 8G
The Jane Pauley Show Syndication 2004–2005 8G
Jeopardy! NBC 1964–1975 8G
Last Call with Carson Daly NBC 2002–2005 8H
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell MSNBC 2011–present 3K, 4E
Late Night
(David Letterman and Conan O'Brien) 		NBC 1982–2009 6A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon NBC 2009–2014 6B, 6A
Late Night with Seth Meyers NBC 2014–present 8G
Live at Five WNBC 1980–2007 6B
The Match Game NBC 1962–1969 8H
Maya & Marty NBC 2016 6A
Megyn Kelly Today NBC 2017–2018 6A
The Meredith Vieira Show Syndication 2014–2016 6A
Missing Links NBC 1963–1964 6A
Morning Joe MSNBC 2007–present 3A
Morning Meeting with Dylan Ratigan MSNBC 2009 3A
MSNBC Reports (Formerly MSNBC Live) MSNBC 2007–present 3A, 4E
NBC News at Sunrise NBC 1983–1999 3K
NBC Nightly News NBC 1970–present 8G, 3K, 3B, 3C, 1A
NBC Sports studio shows NBC 1947–2014 6A, 3K, 8G
News 4 New York WNBC 1941–present 3B, 6B, 7E, 3C, 3K
PDQ (New York shows) Syndication 1965–1969 8G
Personality NBC 1967–1969 6A
The Phil Donahue Show Syndication 1985–1996 8G
Play Your Hunch NBC 1959–1963 6B
Pop of the Morning E! 2020 6E
Reach for the Stars NBC 1967 6A
The Rachel Maddow Show MSNBC 2008–present 3A
Rock Center with Brian Williams NBC 2011–2013 3B
The Rosie O'Donnell Show Syndication 1996–2002 8G
Sale of the Century NBC, Syndication 1969–1974 8H
Saturday Night Live NBC 1975–present 8H
Say When!! NBC 1961–1965 6A
Shoot for the Stars NBC 1977 6A
Split Personality NBC 1959–1960 6A
That Was the Week That Was NBC 1963–1965 6A, 8H (live)
Tic Tac Dough NBC 1956–1959 8G, 6B
Today NBC 1952–present 3K, 8G, 6A, 3B, 1A
To Tell the Truth Syndication 1971–1978; 1980–1981 8G, 8H, 6A
The Tonight Show
(Jack Paar and Johnny Carson) 		NBC 1957–1972 6B
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon NBC 2014–present 6B, 6A
Treasure Hunt NBC 1957–1959 8G
Twenty-One NBC 1956–1958 6A, 6B
Up MSNBC 2011–2013 3A
Verdict with Dan Abrams MSNBC 2007–2008 3A
What's My Line? Syndication 1971–1975 6A
The Who, What, or Where Game NBC 1969–1974 6A, 8H
Way Too Early MSNBC 2009–2016 3A
Word for Word NBC 1963–1964 6A
You're Putting Me On NBC 1969 6A

Other locations[]

Some other New York originated programs are/were produced elsewhere in the area, including:

  • Ambassador Theater, 215 West 49th Street. Now a theater presenting Broadway shows.
  • Brooklyn Studios,[25][26] 1268 East 14th Street in Midwood, Brooklyn. Included two studios, used as the filming location of many 1950s color "Spectaculars" such as The Esther Williams Aqua Special, Peter Pan; it is also where The Perry Como Show (1960s), Mitch Miller Show (1960s), The Sammy Davis Jr. Show (1960s), Hullabaloo (1965–1966), Kraft Music Hall, Tic Tac Dough (nighttime), The Cosby Show, and Another World were produced. It was the home of CBS's soap opera As the World Turns until the series ceased production in 2010. The studio was equipped for color production when it opened in 1954.[27] In 2000, the facility was sold to JC Studios, which closed in 2014. In June 2015 the building was sold and converted to office and self storage spaces.
  • Center Theatre, 1236 Sixth Avenue at West 49th Street. Productions included Texaco Star Theater with Milton Berle, Your Show of Shows (1950–1954), Voice of Firestone). The theater was demolished in 1954 for an addition to 1230 Avenue of the Americas.
  • Century Theater,[28][29][30] 932 Seventh Avenue at West 58th Street. Productions included Caesar's Hour with Sid Caesar (1954–1957), Mister Peepers, Treasure Hunt). Leased to Videotape Productions of New York 1958–1961. Demolished in 1962 for construction of an apartment building.
  • Colonial Theater,[31][32] 1887 Broadway at West 62nd Street. It was the taping location of the original version of The Price Is Right hosted by Bill Cullen, 1953–1963, and Colgate Comedy Hour. The studio was the first equipped for color production and originated the first color telecast on November 3, 1953. Demolished 1977.[33]
  • Grumman Studios, Bethpage, New York. Located in the former Grumman Aircraft plant on Long Island. Since 2012 used by NBC for live musicals each December, including The Sound of Music Live, Peter Pan Live, and The Wiz Live.
  • Hudson Theatre,[34][35] 141 West 44th Street. The original home of Tonight hosted by Steve Allen (1954–1957)). The theater still stands as part of the Millennium Broadway Hotel. The theater returned to Broadway theatre use in the 2016–17 season.
  • International Theater,[36] 5 Columbus Circle. The site of shows such as Admiral Broadway Review (1949), it was demolished in 1954 for the New York Coliseum. The Time Warner Center is now on the site.[37]
  • New Amsterdam Roof Garden Theater, 214 West 42nd Street. The main auditorium is again home to Broadway musical productions.
  • Ziegfeld Theatre,[38][39][40] 1341 Sixth Avenue at West 54th Street. Shows included The Perry Como Show, Concentration (primetime 1961)). It was demolished in 1966 for 49-story office tower.
  • 67th Street Studios, 101 West 67th Street. The Knickerbocker Beer Show aka The Steve Allen Show on WNBT-TV (1953-1954), the direct predecessor to Tonight Starring Steve Allen, originated from here. Also the site of The Home Show with Arlene Francis (1954-1957) and the primetime version of Concentration (1958). Built in 1949 as "9 Television Square" for WOR-TV, it was leased to NBC from 1953 to 1963. Between 1961 and 1968, it became the Videotape Center, owned by independent production company Videotape Productions of New York. The Reeves Lincoln Square Studios took over the space from 1968 to 1970. In 1970, it became ABC's Studios 18 and 19, the production facility for soap opera All My Children, and One Life to Live, until 1990. The building was demolished in 1995, and the site is now the 50-story Millennium Tower apartment building.
  • Uptown Studios (now Metropolis Studios), 105 East 106th Street at Park Avenue. The first episode of Howdy Doody in 1947 originated here.
  • NBC Universal Network Organization Center, 900 Sylvan Avenue (Route 9W), Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home of CNBC and CNBC World.
  • WNJU facility in Fort Lee, New Jersey; home of both Telemundo flagship WNJU and WNBC's New Jersey bureau, and former home of CNBC.
  • WNBC-TV's New York Live formerly (LX: NY) was produced in Studio 51 at nearby 75 Rockefeller Plaza, then moved to Studio 3K.

References[]

  1. ^ "NBC NY Studios". Universal Studios Lot. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  2. ^ News from WNBC 4 New York TV | NBC New York Archived September 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Studio 1A gets curvy update designed to unify 'Today' space's look". NewscastStudio. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "MSNBC's primary studio gutted, new set on its way". NewscastStudio. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  5. ^ NBCNews.com Video Player
  6. ^ Barmash, Jerry (October 19, 2011). "WNBC/Channel 4 Making the Move to Nightly News Studio". FishbowlNY. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  7. ^ "NBC New York debuts new studio, graphics, music". NewscastStudio. April 22, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  8. ^ http://www.eyesofageneration.com/Archives_NBC_ND8G.php Archived August 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine "It is approximately three times as large as 3H, the studio out of which NBC Television has been operating since 1935."
  9. ^ "NBCStudio3KCntrlRmDemo.JPG". flickr.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  10. ^ "NBC New York debuts new home, gains more space at 30 Rock". newscaststudio.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  11. ^ "RCA Review" (PDF). American Radio History. Radio Corporation of America. January 1942. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  12. ^ Interview with Herb Stempel ([1]).
  13. ^ "NBC Studio 6A TmrrwShw 1976.jpg". flickr.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  14. ^ "David Letterman Says Goodbye to Mornings". Splitsider.com. February 27, 2015. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  15. ^ Bond, Paul (May 7, 2013). "NBC Dumps $25 Million Jimmy Fallon NYC 'Tonight Show' Studio". The Hollywood Reporter.
  16. ^ White, Peter (July 13, 2020). "'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' Returns To Studio; Gov. Cuomo Welcomes Him Back To The City". Deadline. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  17. ^ "Milton Delugg Interview". . 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  18. ^ "David Letterman interview with Bob Hope". Late Night with David Letterman. NBC. 1985. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  19. ^ "Tom Snyder interview with Milton Berle". The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder. CBS. 1998. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  20. ^ "The David Letterman Show, Interview with Bill Wendell (2 min, 13 second mark)". Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  21. ^ [2]
  22. ^ "E! News expands offerings, moves into new NYC home". NewscastStudio. January 17, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  23. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 5, 2020). "'E! News', 'Pop Of The Morning', 'In The Room' Canceled By E!". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  24. ^ "Television cameras were the Eyes Of A Generation; this is Television history the way they saw it". eyesofageneration.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  25. ^ Ticket for November 11, 1965 taping of Hullabaloo, oldtvtickets.com.
  26. ^ Ticket for January 30, 1966 taping of The Sammy Davis Jr. Show, oldtvtickets.com.
  27. ^ RCA-NBC Firsts in Color Television. Archived February 6, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  28. ^ Ticket for May 21, 1955 telecast of The Imogene Coca Show, oldtvtickets.com.
  29. ^ Ticket for May 29, 1955 telecast of Mr. Peepers oldtvtickets.com.
  30. ^ Tickets for June 18 and August 13, 1958 telecasts of Treasure Hunt, oldtvtickets.com.
  31. ^ Ticket for November 30, 1956 telecast of The Walter Winchell Show, oldtvtickets.com
  32. ^ Tickets for February 21 and April 11, 1961 telecasts of The Price Is Right, oldtvtickets.com.
  33. ^ "Colonial Theater". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  34. ^ Tickets for October 20, 1954, and June 28, August 28, and November 30, 1956 telecasts of Tonight starring Steve Allen, oldtvtickets.com.
  35. ^ Ticket for October 23, 1957 telecast of Tonight Starring Jack , oldtvtickets.com.
  36. ^ Ticket for October 3, 1951 telecast of The Freddy Martin Show, oldtvtickets.com.
  37. ^ "International Theater". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  38. ^ Ticket for March 12, 1957 telecast of Hold That Note, oldtvtickets.com.
  39. ^ Ticket for August 13, 1958 telecast of Haggis Baggis, oldtvtickets.com.
  40. ^ Ticket for August 9, 1960 telecast of The Price Is Right, oldtvtickets.com.

External links[]

Coordinates: 40°45′32″N 73°58′44″W / 40.759°N 73.979°W / 40.759; -73.979

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