Electrical transcriptions are special phonograph recordings made exclusively for radio broadcasting,Browne, Ray B. and Browne, Pat, eds. (2001). The Guide to United States Popular Culture. The University of Wisconsin Press. . P. 263. which were widely used during the "Golden Age of Radio". They provided material—from station-identification jingles and commercials to full-length programs—for use by local stations, which were affiliates of one of the radio networks.
Physically, electrical transcriptions look much like long-playing records, but differ from consumer-oriented recordings in two major respects which gave longer playing time and reduced likelihood of diversion to private use: they are usually larger than diameter (often ) so did not fit on consumer playback equipment, and were recorded in a hill-and-dale, or vertical cutting action, as distinct from lateral modulation as in ordinary monophonic discs. They were distributed only to radio stations for the purpose of broadcast, and not for sale to the public. The ET had higher quality audio than was available on consumer records,Hull, Geoffrey P. (2011). The Music and Recording Business: Delivering Music in the 21st Century. Routledge. . P. 327. largely because they had less surface noise than commercial recordings. Electrical transcriptions were often pressed on vinylite, instead of the more common shellac.
Emergence Electrical transcriptions were made practical by the development of electrical recording, which superseded Thomas Edison's original purely mechanical recording method in the mid-1920s. Marsh Laboratories in Chicago began issuing electrical recordings on its obscure Autograph label in 1924,Holmes, Thom, Ed. (2006). The Routledge Guide to Music Technology. Routledge . P. 189. but it was Western Electric's superior technology, adopted by the leading labels Victor and Columbia in 1925, which launched the then-new microphone-based method into general use in the recording industry.Smith, William Ander (1990). The Mystery of Leopold Stokowski. Associated University Presses, Inc. . P. 175.
Electrical transcriptions were often used for recording programs of genres which would come to be known later as old-time radio.
Although the earliest transcriptions ran at 78.26 rpm or 80 rpm if it was recorded on a three-phase power lathe, some of which were also 12 inches across and laterally recorded with a conventional 3-mil standard-groove stylus, which carried a maximum of 6 minutes per side, the format gave way very quickly to the rpm speed that would come to be used for Vitaphone talking pictures two years later, which could carry a maximum of 15 minutes per side.Sterling, Christopher H. and Kittross, John Michael (2002). Stay Tuned: A History of American Broadcasting. Routledge. . P. 109.
Later ETs would have their groove size reduced first to 2.7 mil and then to the then-standard 1-mil monaural groove used in LPs of the period to squeeze 30 minutes per side onto a transcription.Kenney, William Howland (1999). Recorded Music in American Life: The Phonograph and Popular Memory, 1890–1945. Oxford University Press. . P. 188.
Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll are credited with being the first to produce electrical transcriptions. In 1928, they began distributing their Amos 'n' Andy program to stations other than their 'home' station, WMAQ in Chicago,Baker, Joan (2005). Secrets of Voice-over Success: Top Voice-over Artists Reveal How They Did It. First Sentient Publications. . P. 11. by using 12-inch 78 rpm discs that provided two five-minute segments with a commercial break between.Millard, Andre (2005). America on Record: A History of Recorded Sound. Cambridge University Press. . P. 173.
One audio historian wrote: "new methods of electronic reproduction and improved record material that produced very little background noise were developed ... by the end of the decade, the use of old phonograph music had largely been replaced by the new electrical transcription ... with the fidelity available, it was difficult to tell a transcription from the original artist."Davis, Henry B. D. (1983). Electrical and Electronic Technologies: A Chronology of Events and Inventors from 1900 to 1940. Scarecrow Press. . Pp. 73-74. A 1948 ad for a disc manufacturer touted the use of transcriptions on the Voice of America, saying; "a substantial part of these daily programs is recorded and, due to the excellent quality of these transcriptions, such recorded portions cannot be distinguished from the live transmissions."
WOR in New York City was one of the first radio stations to broadcast transcriptions, starting in 1929. Other stations followed, until more than 100 were doing so, largely because "this new kind of recording made programming more flexible and improved sound." John R. Brinkley is generally credited with being the first performer to provide electrical transcriptions to radio stations.Kingsbury, Paul; McCall, Michael; and Rumble, John W. (2012). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. . P. 49.Laird, Tracey E. (2005). Louisiana Hayride: Radio and Roots Music Along the Red River. . P. 70. Brinkley's use of the then-new technology arose out of necessity when agencies of the federal government prevented him from crossing from Mexico into the United States to use telephone lines to connect to U.S. stations remotely. "Brinkley began recording ... onto electrical transcription discs and sending them across the border for later broadcast."
WOR used transcriptions for repeat broadcasts of programs. In 1940, for example, the station repeated episodes of Glenn Miller's and Kay Kyser's orchestras, The Goldbergs and Sherlock Holmes.
"Electrical transcriptions were indispensable from the mid '30s to the late '40s," wrote Walter J. Beaupre, who worked in radio before moving into academia.
Services As radio stations' demand for transcriptions grew, companies specializing in transcriptions grew to meet those demands. In October 1933, 33 companies competed in producing transcriptions.Russo, Alexander (2010).Points on the Dial: Golden Age Radio beyond the Networks. Duke University Press. . P. 110. Such companies included Langlois & Wentworth, Inc., RCA Thesaurus, SESAC, World Broadcasting System and Ziv Company. Subscribing to a major transcription service meant a station received an initial group of transcriptions plus periodically issued new discs and a license, which allowed use of the material on-air. Typically, a station did not own the discs; "they were leased for as long as [the] station paid the necessary fees." Those fees typically ranged from $40 to $150 per week for eight 15-minute programs.Sanjek, Russell (1988). American Popular Music and Its Business: The First Four Hundred Years -- Volume III, from 1900 to 1984. Oxford University Press. . P. 121.
Customers for transcriptions were primarily smaller stations. Brewster and Broughton, in their book Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, wrote; (transcriptions) "lessened the reliance on the announcer/disc jockey and, because [a transcription] was made specifically for broadcast, it avoided record company litigation." They quoted Ben Selvin, who worked for a transcription company, as saying, "Most stations could not afford the orchestras and productions that went into the network radio shows, and so we supplied nearly 300 stations with transcriptions that frequently – but not always – featured the most popular bands and vocalists." A slogan used in an advertisement for one transcription service might well have been applied to the industry as a whole: "TRANSCRIBED ... so that advertisers everywhere may have 'radio at its commercial best.'"
A 1948 ad for the transcription service World Broadcasting System contained a letter which praised the company. S.A. Vetter, assistant to the owner of WWPB, AM and FM stations in Miami, Florida, wrote: "you will be interested in knowing that I consider the purchase of the World Feature Library as the best 'buy' I have made in my twenty-one years in Miami radio." The popularity of at least one library was indicated in another 1948 ad. One for Standard Radio Transcription Services, Inc. ad boasted of its Standard Program Library as: "now serving over 700 stations." That same year, an ad for another transcription service, World Broadcasting System, said, "over 640 stations now use this great world library." Another supply company, Associated Program Service, advertised its transcription library as being "not the usual one-shot recording date ... not the routine disc or two ... but real continuity of performance ... a dependable, steady supply of fresh music ... great depth of titles."
Among the companies providing transcription services were radio networks. NBC began its electrical transcription service in 1934. Lloyd C. Egner, manager of electrical transcriptions at NBC wrote that with the NBC Syndicated Recorded Program Service (later named the RCA/NBC Thesaurus Library) the company sought "to make available to stations associated with NBC our extensive programming resources to help in the sale of their facilities to local advertisers." He added: "each program series ... will be as completely programmed as if it were to be for a network client. In other words they will be designed to sell a sponsor's product or service." A 1948 ad for NBC's service touted: "now 25 better shows tailored for better programming at lower cost," adding that the company's material was "programmed and proven over 1000 radio stations." CBS also had a transcription division, called Columbia Recording Corporation.
Capitol Records, better known for its popular recordings, also had a transcription service. An ad in the trade publication Broadcasting asked in a headline if the reader was "finding it tough to sell time?" The ad's text promoted 3,000 selections – with more added monthly – from Peggy Lee, Jan Garber, Johnny Mercer and other "top stars", adding, "more than 300 stations already use it."
One source estimated: "by the end of the 1930s, [transcription] services had built up a market of $10 million."
Transcription services' programming was not limited to music. Mystery, drama and other genres of programming were distributed via transcription. At least two transcribed dramas, I Was a Communist for the FBI and Bold Venture, were distributed to more than 500 stations each. NBC's transcription offerings included Aunt Mary (a soap opera), The Haunting Hour (a psychological mystery), The Playhouse of Favorites (a drama) and Modern Romances.
Use Advertisers found electrical transcriptions useful for distributing their messages to local stations. Spot advertising is said to have begun in the 1930s. "The spot announcements were easily produced and distributed throughout the country via electrical transcription" as an alternative to network advertising.Godfrey, Donald G. and Leigh, Frederic A., eds. (1998). Historical Dictionary of American Radio. Greenwood Press. . P. 8. In 1944, the spot jingle segment of transcriptions was estimated to have an annual value of $10 million.
Benefits Transcriptions proved advantageous for performers, especially musicians in the Big-Band Era. Using transcriptions helped them reach one audience via radio while making personal appearances in front of other audiences. Additionally, if more stations used their transcriptions, that increased the audience for their music even more.Malone, Bill C. and Stricklin, David (1979). Southern Music/American Music. The University Press of Kentucky. . P. 72. An item in a 1946 issue of Radio Mirror magazine noted: "Bing Crosby's transcription deal with Philco has started a rush of other sought-after radio performers for deals of a similar nature. Their advantages from such a setup include more free time and corporate setups to relieve their tax costs."