[GreenKeys] Early Fax Machine/ NBC Radio News on the Hour

[Robert Nickels]

On 12/29/2016 10:58 PM, Bruce Gentry wrote:
> Into the early 1960s the tone of a fax machine with a tympani roll in 
> the background was used as the intro to the hourly news report on NBC 
> radio.

Hi Bruce,

I think the NBC radio news sounder you are thinking of is what is heard 
at the beginning of this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUU2ls-9Qpo&list=PL0O5WNzrZqIOVqSN9j_UGWW4Hac6c1el9

I've heard it a bazillion times, but never realized it might have been 
something electronic, just figured it was some orchestral strings.   But 
if it has the right tone and repetition rate for a Fax machine, I 
learned something new!

By the way, this recording was made from the NBC network line, and 
includes cues and other material typically not aired.  The first 
bulletin is at 10:15, and of course the network went to continuous 
coverage for the next several hours.

I also happened to have the Oct. 1957 QST at hand for another reason, 
and the cover photo shows Navy Public Service award winner W2KCR in his 
shack with both a TTY and a FAX machine partially visible.

73, Bob W9RAN