NBC TV Manuscript Materials

As in the Recorded Sound Research Center, there are non-audiovisual materials in the Moving Image Research Center that can aid in NBC television research. These resources provide valuable information about the history and logistics of NBC programming, and complement the broadcast recordings in the collection. Manuscript resources found in the Moving Image Research Center are specific to the television programming of the NBC.

Master Books, Press Releases, & More

Manuscript materials related to NBC television broadcasts that are available in the Moving Image Research Center include:

NBC Television Log Books/Detailed Schedules, May 1949-November 1988
NBC Television Master Books, 1936-1991, on microfilm
Television Press Releases 1951-1989
Transcriptions of Meet the Press, 1954-1984, on microfiche and in bound volumes

NBC Television Program Analysis Files
The NBC Television Program Analysis Microfiche represent a comprehensive account of the programs, performers, and guests that appeared on NBC television from 1939 through 1985. These microfiche complement the 18,000 television programs received as part of the larger NBC Television Collection. The Program Analysis Microfiche are composed of four sections: 1) Title Cards—Complete listing of series, specials, movies and episode titles aired on the NBC network which includes information on airdates, days, and times of broadcast; 2) Program Cards—Contain detailed information about commercial and sustaining programs from 1939 to April 1985; 3) Cross-Reference Cards—Cross-reference program and program segments from 1962 to 1985 by subject; includes a few subject that pre-date 1962 such as Civil Rights; 4) Personality Cards—Contain information on people appearing on the NBC television network from 1939 to 1985; each personality card includes name, profession, date, and program title for each appearance

Coming Soon: A project is underway to digitize the NBC television press releases and make them available for use in the Moving Image Research Center! Stay tuned for news of this exciting project.

Other Resources

Three Decades of Television: A Catalog of Television Programs Acquired by the Library of Congress, 1949-1979 by Sarah Rouse (Compiler); Katharine Loughney (Editor)
Call Number: PN1992.9 .L53 1989
ISBN: 0844405442
Published/Created: 1989
A digital copy is available online in the HathiTrust Digital Library External.

NBC Television in Black & White - Now See Hear!
Now See Hear! is the blog of the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. As one of our largest and most-used collections, NBC has been featured in a number of posts throughout the years. This post, written by a Moving Image Research Center Reference Librarian, is about the Television Program Analysis Files and offers readers a glimpse into the information those files contain. Browse the blog for even more posts about NBC materials at the Library.

For more information on conducting research with moving image materials, go to the "Using the Collections" section of this guide, or get in touch with reference librarians in the two research centers of the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division of the Library of Congress:

Moving Image Research Center
Submit a question through our Ask a Librarian service, call the Research Center at 202-707-8572, or visit us in person in Room LM-336 of the James Madison Building in Washington, D.C. Learn more about conducting research in the Library's moving image collections.

The National Broadcasting Company at the Library of Congress

Film, TV, Video: Ask a Librarian

NBC TV Manuscript Materials

Master Books, Press Releases, & More

Other Resources