The WBZ Radio and Television Center

Recently Completed Center, on Soldiers Field Road
Along the Charles River in Boston, Houses 10-KW FM
and 5-KW TV Transmitters and Studio and Audio
Facilities for WBZ-WBZA, WBZ-FM, WBOS and WBZ-TV

RADIO BROADCASTING studio requirements have changed over a period of years from the rather simple begining of WBZ, where a factory penthouse at the East Springfield works of Westinghouse was dressed up with monks cloth drapes for its initial broadcast, to the complex floating wall, elaborate acoustical-type studios recently completed.

The art has grown swiftly from those early beginnings, and today the average metropolitan station requires a multi-studio layout with complex switching control equipment to satisfy station business and listening audience expectations.

WBZ has employed several studio locations since its founding. From the Springfield factory studio it moved progressively to more elaborate quarters in the Brunswick, Statler and Bradford hotels, all in Boston, and in June 1948 moved to its new WBZ radio and television center.

In 1947 when the FCC granted a television C.P. to WBZ, the manifold problems of selecting a transmitter site, providing adequate studio facilities, and modernizing our AM studio quarters had to be met. Preliminary plans were drawn, contemplating separate transmitter-studio sites. Hilltop sites located in the approximate metropolitan center were investigated for the obvious economical advantage of shorter tower height. In all these explorations, residential zoning restrictions on all the hilltops appeared to be an obstacle of major proportions. predicating delay and perhaps refusal.

Walter Evans, vice president of Westinghouse Electric, and president of its radio broadcasting subsidiary, proposed that a study be made of a building layout which would encompass all WBZ radio activities, with the exception of the 50-kw AM and international (WBOS) transmitters and their respective antenna systems. A further stipulation was that such a building should be located in an area of the metropolitan district where the following conditions could best be met:

1) Zoning restrictions must permit type of building required and permit erection of tower on site.
(2) Sufficient land for the erection of a two-story building and room for future additions or expansions.
(3) A site location approximately in the geographical center of the metropolitan area to be served by the television signal.
(4) Attractive frontage.
(5) Land of reasonable valuation, but with good prospects for future developments.

A site of more than 10 acres was located, fulfilling these requirements, on Soldiers Field Road along the Charles River in Boston, adjacent to Harvard Stadium, having a metropolitan parkway as frontage, and with another main thoroughfare in the rear providing surface trolley and bus lines for public transportation. There was more than sufficient land here for the type building we contemplated, and the location of a tower which would support TV and FM antennas. This plot of land was purchased in the fall of 1946 and consultations with our architect, Elisha Safford and D. A. Myer, technical field director for the Westinghouse station subsidiary began the building layout that same fall.

The new WBZ radio and television center represents experience gained in more than 25 years of operating broadcasting stations. The building and all associated equipment was planned with efficiency and flexibility of operations foremost in our thinking. With this in mind, a large equipment room was designed in which was installed the following major items:

A 5-kw television transmitter (RCA TT5-A) with associated control console and input and monitoring units. A l0-kw FM (Westinghouse FM-10) transmitter with associated input and monitoring equipment.

Audio channel amplifiers, switching and monitoring equipment installed in eight standard racks.

Recording equipment with associated input apparatus.

The equipment room is of sufficient size to permit. some expansion in the future if it becomes necessary. The transmitters and audio racks were enclosed by furring down the ceiling and partitioning so that their exhaust heat could be readily drawn off to the outside of the building, thereby decreasing the air-conditioning load. Fresh conditioned air is introduced to the equipment through air vents inside this enclosed space. Approximately 40 kw of heat load from the room was eliminated in this manner.

This equipment room may be observed by visitors to the building through a large glass window.

Immediately adjacent to the equipment room are three small studios used primarily for record and transcription programs, spot and call-letter announcements, discussions, and news programs. Three larger studios, including an auditorium studio (40 x 45 feet), capable of handling the largest orchestral and choral groups which may be encountered, are located on the east side of the building on the first floor.

A spacious workshop for maintenance of technical equipment, news room, music library, transcription library, technical and program supervisors’ offices are conveniently located near their respective fields of operation.

The acoustic design of all studios was furnished by Henry Gurin, an engineer on the staff of NBC. Acoustic design incorporates polycylindrical and non-parallel surfaces. The reverberation point is calculated for approx-imately .75 sec. The auditorium studio, seating 160 with a clients’ balcony and 16-mm projection room, is 35’ x 68’ x 18’ high. The stage dimensions are 22’ x 30’. This studio has camera outlets and lighting receptacles for future television use.

The television studio, control room, projection room and production offices are located in the southeast section of the building, and are contiguous to each other. The television studio is 45’ x 50' x 23’ high, and is to be acoustically deadened by 2” of rock wool bats over the four walls, and 4” of this treatment on the ceiling. The rock wool bats are held in place by chicken wire fastened to nailor strips, except the lower 6’ along the sides which, for protective purposes, will have perforated transits. The basic lighting is to be slim line fluorescents augmented by incandescent scoops and spots mounted on a peripheral catwalk about 13’ off the floor. These lighting fixtures may also be fastened to a pipe grid which suspends from the ceiling.

The television control room is directly above the projection room and along the east wall of the TV studio.

The site of the new station is well identified from a distance by the antenna system, the height of which is 649’ above ground. A beacon lamp tops the steel pole on which is mounted a three-section super turnstile RCA TV antenna. This pole is supported by a two-section heavy-duty pylon RCA FM antenna. The total length of these radiating systems is 76’.

This combined antenna system weighs 7,442 pounds, and this weight is supported by a 573’ heavy-duty steel square section self-supporting tower. The top of this tower is 29” square and expands to 75’ on a side at the base. The 75’ square base rests on four buried concrete piers. Each pier is constructed to support a down load of 375,000 pounds.

In addition to the radiating systems, beacon and obstruction lamps, and illuminated call letters, this tower carries three r-f transmission lines, one of which is required for FM and the other two for TV. These lines and tower lighting conduit are supported 18’ above the ground on an 80' bridge which runs between the building and one tower corner base. The total length of the FM line is 697’ and each TV line is 687’ long.

Our first few months of operation have introduced no unusual technical problems indicating that the original planning was sound. There have been incorporated in this installation certain developments and techniques which have proved to be of value to other Westinghouse stations.

Communications/November 1948 W.H. Hauser/Chief Engineer, WBZ

NOTE: Brunswick Hotel. A seven story luxury hotel and residences at 198 Boylston Street, corner of Clarendon and Copley
Square, dating back to 1874, built at the cost of one million dollars. Building was razed in 1957, to make room for the
IBM Building, which in turn was demolished to make way for the twin towers of 500 Boylston.
Statler Hotel, located at 64 Arlington Street is now the Park Plaza Hotel
Bradford Hotel, located at 275 Tremont Street is now the Tremont House Hotel

WBZ AM transmitter, 50 KW located in Hull, MA
WBZA AM transmitter, 1 KW, synchronized with WBZ on 1030, located in Springfield, MA
WBOS International Shortwave transmitter located in Scituate, MA. No longer operational. (ggn)