CBS had simple and logical numbering for their earliest TV studios in the 1930s. They were mostly located on the 4th floor atop Grand Central Station in New York, and the numbering was sequential.
But when CBS started to acquire the former legitimate theatres that served as their production facilities, it all became what seemed to me to be a truly whacky hodgepodge of numbering. It seemed especially confusing because of many anomalies such as Studio 50 (The Ed Sullivan Theater) being near 53rd Street, and Studio 52 not being on 52nd Street, but 54th Street. After 40 years I still can't remember which was where - kudos to Bricon and David Schwartz who can. ABC was similarly confusing to me. I know where TV15 was, but where were TV12, TV13, and TV14?
David reports that when CBS acquired the various theaters, they started numbering at 50 and went into the 60's; Liderkranz Hall was numbered 53 to 56. Adding to the confusion is that in the 1960's, when CBS got rid of most of the theaters, they reused some of the old numbers for new studios! Thus The Early Show originates from studio 58, but it's a different location than the studio 58 of the 1950's.
But to your question, and a surprising answer....
Network TV moved to the West Coast in the early 1950s; CBS TVCity and NBC Burbank were built within months of each other. NBC maintained logical numbering as they had in NY. Burbank is numbered simply #1, #2, #3, etc., now through #11. CBS had a grandiose plan that was never fully realized but made sense. TVCity was originally planned to have the potential to be a much larger facility, truly a "city" if you will, with the area that houses 31, 33, 41, 43 being just one wing. The numbering scheme had provision for similar wings, one with 11, 13, 21 and 23, another with 51, 53, 61 and 63. The master plan had all four wings connecting at a hub closer to the center of the property, further East of the existing building, and atop the land where the newest studio building was more recently constructed. And no, the numbers of those two new studios is not in keeping with the original numbering scheme.
The master plan continues...
Remember that in the first decades of television there was no videotape. Programs were presented live, and consisted of primarily dramatic and variety shows - shows that usually required multiple sets. Remember too, that commercials were delivered live as well. Back in New York it became apparent that making major set changes during commercials was a noisy affair and not practical. Even trucking cameras and mike booms to a different standing set created noise that distracted from the commercials.
Television City was designed with a solution to that problem. Studio 33 with its sunken audience was to be one of the studios to accommodate an audience that would watch the live program. Studio 31 was not designed to accommodate an audience; instead, it was designed to serve as an auxillary stage for the same programs! 31's cameras were fed to the main control room in 33, and 31 was used for live commercials and sometimes for secondary sets. The program could switch between the two studios for much greater flexibility, which permitted set changes on the main stage during commercial breaks. The same was true for 41 and 43 across the hall.
It all begins to make a lot more sense out of the numbering scheme. The above is factual information straight from the mouths of the surviving original employees at TV City; stuff they agree on. There is additional conjecture that answers other questions about the numbering scheme, but much of it is information that is not confirmed by others. I think it best not to commit those additional unconfirmed details and theories to print lest they be cited as fact elsewhere.
OK, now go back to doing something meaningful. And to Bob, Andrew and their guests at the Game Show Convention in Pennsylvania this weekend, have fun! ;-)
Randy
tvrandywest.com
