Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CTV AUDIO BOARD/CONSOLE

Date Range From

1972

Date Range To

2014

Materials

METAL, WOOD, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

2 1

Height

40.5

Length

71.5

Width

44.5

Description

A: AUDIO BOARD. RECTANGULAR SHAPED BASE. MEDIUM BLUE METAL BOTTOM WITH MEDIUM BROWN WOOD AND PLASTIC UPPER PORTION. UPPER PORTION SITS ON A DIAGONAL INCLINE, WITH A SILVER COLOURED METAL STRIP ALONG THE BOTTOM. ABOVE THIS ARE FOUR RECTANGULAR HOLES: TWO LEFT MOST RECTANGLES ARE EMPTY AND REVEAL THE BOARD MODULES BENEATH. THE NEXT TWO RECTANGLES EACH HAVE WHITE BUTTONS IN THEM: FOUR WHITE BUTTONS LABELED BLANK, “START”, “STOP”, “RESET” IN ONE, WITH TWO IN THE NEXT: :”FULL TRK.” AND “HALF TRK.” JUST ABOVE THIS IS A LINE OF EIGHT LARGE CIRCULAR BLACK AND SILVER KNOBS NEAR BOTTOM OF THE CONSOLE. TO THE RIGHT OF THE KNOBS ARE THREE SMALL CIRCULAR SILVER COLOURED KNOBS, LABELED FROM TOP: “HDST”, “FX SEND”, “MONITOR”, AND THEN 10 SMALL SQUARE BUTTONS, LABELED FROM TOP: “CUE”, “CH8”, “CH7”, “CH6”, “CH5”, “CH4”, “CH3”, “CH2”, “CH1”, “PGM”. IMMEDIATELY TO THE RIGHT OF THIS LINE OF BUTTONS IS A LONG RECTANGLE WITH TEXT: “FX SEND SELECT”. ABOVE THE EIGHT LARGE KNOBS IS A STRIP OF SILVER METAL WITH A SERIES OF OFF-WHITE BUTTONS ABOVE. THE STRIP IS LABELED, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: “CDP”, “RSWR-24”, “CASS”, “MIC 1”, “MIC 2”, “DIGICART”, “FX RTN”, “COMPUTER CH1”, “COMPUTER CH2”, “EDIT B”. JUST ABOVE “EDIT B” IS A COUNTER, WHICH IS PRESENTLY STOPPED AT “666”. AT THE VERY TOP OF THE BOARD, IS A RECTANGULAR SECTION, WHICH IS 63.5CM LONG AND 9.7CM TALL. IN THIS SECTION, THERE ARE TWO SQUARE SPEAKERS ON EITHER END. BELOW THE LEFT SPEAKER IS AN EMBOSSED MAKERS LABEL: “MCCURDY RADIO INDUSTRIES LIMITED.” A VU METER IS IN THE CENTRE. IT’S BACKGROUND HAS YELLOWED, HAS A SCALE IN BLACK AND RED INK. REVERSE IS MOSTLY MEDIUM BLUE METAL, WITH A HINGED UPPER PORTION THAT IS TOPPED IN WOOD. ALONG THE BACK THERE ARE TEN VENTILATION SECTIONS: EACH HAS THREE HORIZONTAL LINES. TOP LEFT CORNER IS A BLACK AND SILVER LABEL: “MCCURDY RADIO INDUSTRIES LIMITED. TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADA. MODEL NO. SS4388A. SERIAL # C505084. 117 V. ___ VA. 60 CPS.” A SHORT, LIGHT GREY CORD WITH A BLUE TIP, COMES OUT OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BACK. TOP RIGHT CORNER IS A SILVER COLOURED METAL CIRCLE, WITH A LIGHT GREEN CENTRE. THE LIGHT GREEN CENTRE HAS THREE HOLES. ABOVE THE HOLES IS A SMALL BUTTON “PUSH”. EMBOSSED IN THE METAL BELOW THE THREE HOLES: “SWITCHCRAFT”. A BLACK POWER CORD COMES OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE UNIT. OVERALL GOOD TO VERY GOOD CONDITION. UNIT IS SLIGHTLY DISCOULOURED/STAINED. A FEW SMALL SCRATCHES IN THE SURFACE, ESPECIALLY ON THE TOP WOODEN PORTION. B: A COMB BOUND MANUAL WITH BLUE PLASTIC COVERS. A CUT OUT IN THE FRONT COVER SHOWS THE FRONT PAGE, DISPLAYING THE TITLE “INSTRUCTIONS SS4 388A CFCN COMMUNICATIONS CALGARY ALBERTA 760083C.” THE BLUE FRONT COVER ITSELF READS “MCCURDY RADIO INDUSTRIES LIMITED”, AND “MCCURDY RADIO INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED”, EACH FOLLOWED BY AN ADDRESS. THE BOOK IS DIVIDED BY PALE BLUE DIVIDERS INTO SIX SECTIONS. EACH SECTION IS AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL COMPLETE WITH DIAGRAMS, FOR A COMPONENT OF THE SS4388A, WITH THE FIRST SECTION BEING A MANUAL FOR THE SS4388A AS A WHOLE. AT THE BACK OF THE BOOKLET SIT A NUMBER OF LOOSE PAGES, SOME WITH HOLES FOR THE COMB BINDING, SOME FOLD OUT DIAGRAMS. DIMENSIONS OF MANUAL ARE: LENGTH 25.9 CM; HEIGHT 31.1 CM; WIDTH 25.9. CONDITION: THE PAGES AND DIVIDERS STICKING OUT OF THE BOOK IS BENT AND CURLED, WORN SOFT. THE FRONT COVER IN SPLITTING AT THE BOTTOM CORNERS.

Subjects

TELECOMMUNICATION T&E

Historical Association

BUSINESS

History

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMES FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH DARREN KRONLUND CONDUCTED BY KEVIN MACLEAN IN MAY 2016. PERFORMING THE ROLE OF BROADCAST TECHNICAL ENGINEER & IT SUPPORT AT CTV LETHBRIDGE, DARREN STARTED WORK THERE IN 1989. AT THAT TIME, THERE WERE FOUR BROADCAST ENGINEERS IN LETHBRIDGE; AS OF 2016, DARREN IS THE ONLY ONE REMAINING. CTV OFFERED THE CONSOLE TO THE MUSEUM BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO DARREN, “ALTHOUGH IT STILL WORKS AND FUNCTIONS, IT HAS BECOME NOT RELEVANT ANYMORE BECAUSE WE’RE IN A DIGITAL WORLD NOW...IT HASN’T BEEN USED BY US...IN PROBABLY 18 MONTHS...IT TOOK US RIGHT THROUGH, AND INCLUDING THE TRANSITION INTO DIGITAL. IT WAS PART OF THAT [TIME], WHERE WE WOULD VOICE THROUGH THE BOARD, WHICH IS IN THE ANALOG WORLD, AND WE PUT SOME EQUIPMENT IN LINE THAT WOULD CONVERT ANALOG TO DIGITAL, AND GET IT INTO OUR COMPUTERS, AND WE COULD E-MAIL IT, SO IT WAS USED EVEN THEN.” THE CONVERSION TO DIGITAL FROM ANALOG STARTED IN THE SPRING OF 2014 AND THE PRIMARY DELAY IN CONVERTING ENTIRELY TO DIGITAL WAS THE COST: “THAT’S A LOT OF MONEY TO GET ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT, ALL AT ONCE, AND MAKE THE SWITCH OVER, AND THEN STILL PUT OUT NEWSCASTS, AND SO THAT WAS JUST FINDING THE RIGHT TIME TO JUMP, AND IT TURNED OUT THAT IT WAS A BUDGET YEAR THAT SOME CAPITAL BECAME AVAILABLE, AND LET’S MAKE THE JUMP. SO, WE WENT OUT AND BOUGHT THE EQUIPMENT, SO THAT WE COULD GATHER IT IN DIGITAL, EDIT IT IN DIGITAL, AND THEN HAVE THE MEANS TO FILE IN DIGITAL. AND THAT WAS ACTUALLY ALL DONE LIKE WITHIN 3 MONTHS. THAT WAS A QUICK LITTLE PROJECT. AND, THIS WAS STILL WORKING. IT JUST FILLED A NEED ALL THROUGH THAT." DARREN RELATED THAT, AT THE TIME OF THE INTERVIEW, CTV LETHBRIDGE WAS “PROBABLY 80% DIGITAL.” FURTHER CONVERSION IS HELD UP DUE TO COST: “IF WE HAD THE MONEY TO DO IT, WE WOULD. WE STILL HAVE SOME VIDEO EQUIPMENT THAT WE ARE USING ANALOG HERE, WHERE IT’S TAKING ABOUT FOUR PIECES OF EQUIPMENT TO ACHIEVE STUFF, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BRING THE DIGITAL WORLD BACK TO ANALOG. IT’S KIND OF REVERSE, BUT COST-WISE, IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO REPLACE IT WHEN WE HAVE SOMETHING WORKING ALTHOUGH IT’S GOING TO TAKE SOMETHING FAILING IN THAT CHAIN TO MAYBE PROMPT THE … MOVE OVER TO DIGITAL THERE. SO, WE STILL HAVE SOME EQUIPMENT THAT IS IN THE OLD ANALOG WORLD, BUT RIGHT NOW IT HAS GONE SO FAR AS WE ARE CONVERTING DIGITAL TO ANALOG AND IT COMES DOWN TO US MONITORING IT. OUR MONITORING EQUIPMENT IS IN THE ANALOG WORLD.” DARREN EXPLAINED WHY THIS BOARD CONTINUED TO BE USED, DURING THE TRANSITION TO DIGITAL: “EVERYTHING COMES DOWN TO MONEY, AND TO REPLACE IT WITH THE DIGITAL WORLD, AT THE COST, AND WE COULD ACHIEVE IT JUST BY BUYING SOME IN-LINE EQUIPMENT, AND GET THE SAME RESULTS, SO, IT STILL FUNCTIONS AND WORKED, AND DID WHAT WE REQUIRED WHICH WAS TO MIX SIGNALS, OR EVEN JUST TO TAKE A SIGNAL AND GET IT WHERE WE WANTED, WHICH WAS THROUGH THIS OTHER EQUIPMENT, TO DO THE CONVERSION, AND IT JUST WORKED, AND IT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE TO PUT A BUNCH OF MONEY INTO SOMETHING TO REPLACE THE WHOLE CONSOLE WHEN WE DIDN’T NEED TO.” THE BOARD CAME FROM A ROOM CALLED THE AUDIO BOOTH, WHICH IS “USED FOR VOICING. IT’S GOT A SM4 MICROPHONE WHICH IS A VERY EXPENSIVE MIC, AND IT’S COMMON THROUGHOUT THE BROADCAST INDUSTRY, AND THE ROOM ITSELF IS ACOUSTICALLY-TREATED SO THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU DON’T WANT NOISE FROM OUTSIDE COMING IN. SO, EVEN THE TELEPHONE HAS A FLASHING LIGHT IF IT’S RINGING. IF YOU NEED TO GET HOLD OF SOMEBODY IN THE AUDIO BOOTH, IT FLASHES. IT’S JUST A ROOM SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR VOICING.” DARREN EXPLAINED HOW THE CONSOLE ENDED UP AT CTV LETHBRIDGE: “THE MANUAL TELLS ME THAT IT WAS BRAND-NEW IN 1972, AND, I’VE TALKED TO A FEW PEOPLE. THE PEOPLE THAT ORIGINALLY PROBABLY BOUGHT THIS, IT WAS USED UP IN CALGARY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND I DON’T HAVE THE HISTORY FROM CALGARY. BUT, I’M GOING TO GUESS THAT, SOMEWHERE, PROBABLY, IF IT WAS NEW IN 1972, AND I CAME ONBOARD HERE IN ’89, SO, SOMEWHERE IN THE ‘80’S, PROBABLY MID ‘80’S, I’M GUESSING THAT WE RECEIVED IT, AND PUT IT INTO USE – I’M PRETTY SURE DIRECTLY INTO AN AUDIO BOOTH. THE AUDIO BOOTH MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN THERE AT THE TIME, BECAUSE, I KNOW, WHEN I CAME, THERE WAS ANOTHER BOARD, VERY SIMILAR TO THIS, THAT WAS IN A CONTROL ROOM, AND IT WAS USED AS PART OF PRODUCTION.” DARREN DOESN’T FIND HIMSELF FEELING VERY NOSTALGIC ABOUT OLD EQUIPMENT: “THE MORE PROBLEMS THEY CREATE, THE LESS ATTACHED I AM TO THEM, (LAUGHS) BECAUSE PART OF MY JOB IS TO KEEP THEM RUNNING. TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, ACTUALLY I WOULD BE QUITE FOND OF THIS, BECAUSE I RARELY, IN ALL MY YEARS, I CAN’T EVEN REMEMBER, MAYBE 2 OR 3 TIMES, I’VE HAD TO DEAL WITH PROBLEMS WITH IT. SO IT HAS PROBABLY BEEN, IF NOT THE MOST RELIABLE, RIGHT UP THERE. AND, ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS GOING TO MENTION, WITH THESE, THE COMPONENTS ARE ALL DISCRETE. EACH BOARD HAS DISCRETE COMPONENTS, MEANING INDIVIDUAL TRANSISTORS. WHEREAS NOWADAYS BOARDS, THEY HAVE CHIPS AND IC’S, YOU DON’T SEE THAT ON THESE. YOU SEE – YOU’D WORK ON THESE; AND YOU’D LOOK AT A SCHEMATIC, AND YOU WOULD ISOLATE IT RIGHT DOWN TO A RESISTOR, OR A CAPACITOR AND TODAY, YOU CAN’T WORK ON EQUIPMENT. IT’S MORE DISPOSABLE TODAY.” DARREN SEES THE TRANSITION AS BOTH “GOOD AND BAD. THIS LEVEL OF TROUBLESHOOTING IS REWARDING WHEN YOU ‘GET IT’, BUT IT CAN BE PRETTY FRUSTRATING WHEN YOU ARE JUST KIND OF CHASING YOUR TAIL, WHERE WITH THE NEW STUFF, IT’S MORE BOARD REPLACEMENT, AND IT’S A LOT QUICKER PROCESS. BUT ALSO, THE REASON I SAY IT’S MORE DISPOSABLE, BECAUSE, YOU DON’T SPEND THE TIME ON IT LIKE YOU WOULD HERE, BECAUSE THE TIME THAT IT TAKES AT THIS BOARD, THEY JUST DON’T SUPPLY YOU BOARDS ANYMORE. THEY WOULD SEND LOANERS AND SUPPORT FOR STUFF WAS A LOT BETTER BACK THEN. NOW, IT’S BECOME A DISPOSABLE WORLD. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CARD, YOU BUY A NEW CARD, AND THAT KIND OF THING. COMPONENTS JUST HAD MORE LONGEVITY. THIS ERA – I STILL HAVE SOME DISTRIBUTION AMPS THAT ARE STILL IN SERVICE AND THEY OUTLIVE STUFF THAT WAS BOUGHT 10 YEARS AFTER THEM. THERE’S A LOT MORE RESILIENCY TO STUFF THAT WAS BUILT THEN.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPY OF INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT.

Catalogue Number

P20160013000

Acquisition Date

2016-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail