The Burbank Studios


The Burbank Studios is a television production facility located in Burbank, California. The studio is home to Days of Our Lives, Extra, the IHeartRadio Theater, and was formerly home to the Blizzard Arena.

History

The West Coast Radio City opened in 1938 and served as headquarters to the NBC Radio Networks' West Coast operations. It served as a replacement for NBC's radio broadcast center in San Francisco, which had been in service since the network's formation in 1927. Since NBC never owned a radio station in Los Angeles, the network's West Coast programming originated from its San Francisco station.
The architect for the distinctive Streamline Moderne building at Sunset and Vine was John C. Austin.
In January 1949, NBC launched its newest television station for Los Angeles, KNBH from Radio City; the radio studios were later equipped for live television broadcasting in the transition phase from radio broadcasting. However, as television production was increasing for NBC, the network and its then-parent the Radio Corporation of America, decided to build a television studio, nicknamed NBC Color City, that would be exclusively equipped for color television broadcasting. For many of the same reasons why CBS eventually built Television City in the early 1950s to replace it's Columbia Square, the television facilities at Radio City gradually became too small for NBC to produce its television broadcasts.
RCA's decision to expand television studio facilities required moving to the real estate market in the San Fernando Valley-Burbank area, with land purchased from Jack Warner. The newly christened NBC Color City Studios opened in March 1955, as the first television studio designed specially for the origination of color television broadcasting, although their rivals, ABC and CBS would gradually add color broadcasting to their studio facilities in the later years.
KNBC moved to a new building in 1962. In 1964, the West Coast Radio City building was demolished, as NBC moved more of their West Coast television operations to the Burbank facility. The site is now occupied by a bank.
This studio hosted production of many of the best-remembered game and variety shows from the 1950s through the 1990s, including Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in beginning in 1968 and The Tonight Show in 1972. Both shows would frequently reference their home in "Beautiful Downtown Burbank." During the late 1960s, Carson's Tonight Show would move for periods to Burbank, using studio 1. After the permanent move to Burbank in 1972, Bob Hope's show taped in studio 1, with The Tonight Show taking a hiatus while Hope produced his specials
The Tonight Show would stay in Burbank through Johnny Carson's retirement, Jay Leno's ascendency to host until his first retirement in 2009, when it moved to an all-digital studio on the Universal lot in 2009 for the short-lived The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. The show moved back to the Burbank Studios when Leno returned as host of The Tonight Show on March 1, 2010. The show used studio 11 until Leno stepped down as host on February 6, 2014. After that, The Tonight Show moved back to New York City's Rockefeller Center when Jimmy Fallon replaced Leno as host, marking the end of the 42-year era in which the show had taped from Southern California.

NBC's move to Universal City

In October 2007, NBC announced their plans to move most of its operations from Burbank to a new complex across the street from Universal Studios in Universal City. It would retain offices at the Burbank site until May 2013, though the studio complex was sold to Catalina/Worthe Real Estate Group in 2008 with NBCUniversal leasing space until 2013. The former Technicolor building on the Universal lot serves as the new home to NBC's West Coast Operations. KNBC 4 and NBC News, along with KVEA Telemundo 52, began broadcasting from Universal Studios on February 2, 2014. In addition, production of The Ellen DeGeneres Show moved to the nearby Warner Bros. Studios in 2008.
The Burbank facility was one of the few television-specific studio facilities in Hollywood that offered tours to the general public until they ceased July 6, 2012.
On March 13, 2014, Lawrence O'Donnell announced that his MSNBC broadcast that night would be the last nationally televised network show to be broadcast live from NBC's Burbank studio, with the move of the NBC News Los Angeles bureau to Universal City.

After NBC

On October 2, 2017, Studio 1 became the official home of Blizzard Arena Los Angeles and the Overwatch League, marking Burbank Studios' very first esports broadcast. The inaugural season began on January 10, 2018, in which over 437,000 viewers tuned in live on opening night via Twitch and MLG.tv streaming platforms. The final match was played on September 15, 2019 before the league moved to a home-and-away format.

Program history

Today, the studio houses Days of Our Lives and the IHeartRadio Theater. Programs produced here over the years include:
ProgramNetwork/StationYears TapedStudioNotes
Game Shakers Nickelodeon2015-20199
The All-New Jeopardy!NBC1978–19793The present-day syndicated revival of the show is currently being taped at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.
All Star SecretsNBC1979
All ThatNickelodeon2019-present9
The Andy Williams ShowNBC1962–1967; 1969–19714
An Evening with Fred Astaire
NBC19582
BaffleNBC1973–1974
BattlestarsNBC1981–1982; 19833
The Big GameNBC19584
Blank CheckNBC19754
BlockbustersNBC1980–1982; 19871, 2, 3, 4
BullseyeSyndication1980–19813,4
Card SharksNBC1978–19813, 4CBS version taped at Television City from 1986 to 1989, syndicated version taped at Tribune Studios from September to December 2001, ABC version taped at Television City from 2019 onward
Celebrity SweepstakesNBC, Syndication1974–19779
Chain LetterNBC1966
Chain ReactionNBC19802, 4Syndicated version taped at CFCF-TV in Montreal, Quebec from 1986 to 1991; GSN version taped at Sony Music Studios in New York City from 2007 to 2008 and at an unknown location from 2015 to 2016
Channel 4 NewsKNBC1962–20145"N",10KNBC moved to a studio near Universal Studios Hollywood in 2014
Chico and the ManNBC1974–19781
Classic ConcentrationNBC1987–19913
C.P.O. SharkeyNBC1976–19783
Days of Our LivesNBC1965–present9, 2 & 4
The Dean Martin ShowNBC1965–19742
Dream HouseNBC1983–19843
Dog Eat DogNBC2002–20031
The Don Knotts ShowNBC1970–19712
The Don Rickles ShowNBC1968–19692
Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special
NBC19684
The Ellen DeGeneres ShowSyndication2003–200811Production moved to Warner Bros. Studios in 2008
ExtraSyndicated2019—presentNewsroom
Fight Back! with David HorowitzSyndication1980–19925"P"
The Flip Wilson ShowNBC1970–19742
'
NBC19654
The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirNBC1993–199611
The Funny SideNBC1971–1972
GenerationsNBC1989–1991
GoNBC1983–19842
The Gong ShowNBC, Syndication1976–19783
Danger Force Nickelodeon2020-11
High RollersNBC1974–1976; 1978–198031987–88 version taped at Television City
Hit ManNBC19834
Hollywood SquaresNBC, Syndication1966–1980; 1986–19873Production moved prior to 1987–1988 season; 1998–2004 version taped at Television City
Hot PotatoNBC19842
The Howie Mandel ShowSyndication1998-19991
iHeartRadio TheaterThe CW2013–present3
In the HouseNBC, UPN1995–1999
I'll BetNBC1965
It Could Be YouNBC1956–1961
It Pays to Be IgnorantSyndication1973–1974
It Takes TwoNBC1969–1970
It's Anybody's GuessNBC19773
It's Your BetSyndication1969–1973
The Jay Leno ShowNBC2009–201011
The John Davidson ShowSyndication1980–19812
Just Men!NBC19832
Last Call with Carson DalyNBC2005–20099
Let's Make a DealNBC, Syndication1963–1968; 1984–1985; 20031, 4CBS version tapes at Raleigh Studios from 2015 onwards; formerly taped at the Tropicana Resort & Casino from 2009 to 2010 and at Sunset Bronson Studios from 2010 to 2014
Letters to Laugh-InNBC19692
Lotsa LuckNBC1973-1974
Match Game–Hollywood Squares HourNBC1983–19843
Make Your Own Kind of MusicNBC1971
MindreadersNBC1979–19803,4
The Midnight SpecialNBC1972–19832, 4
The Nat King Cole ShowNBC1956–19572
Night CourtNBC1983–1991Production moved to Warner Bros. Studios in 1991–92
Overwatch LeagueABC, Disney XD, ESPN, ESPN22018–20191
PDQSyndication1965–1969
Password PlusNBC1979–19821,2,3,4
People are FunnyNBC1956–1961; 19843
People Will TalkNBC19633
Punky BrewsterSyndication1987–198811
Real PeopleNBC1979–1984
The Robert Irvine ShowThe CW2016–20181
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-InNBC1968–19733
Sale of the CenturyNBC, Syndication1983–19893
The Sammy Davis, Jr. ShowNBC19662
Sanford and SonNBC1972–19773
Santa BarbaraNBC1984–199311
Saved by the BellNBC1989–1993
'NBC1993–2000
ScrabbleNBC1984–1990; 19932, 3
Sonny with a ChanceDisney Channel2008–200911
Super PasswordNBC1984–198932008 incarnation known as Million Dollar Password taped at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City, then CBS Studio Center
Supermarket SweepPax TV2001–200311
Time MachineNBC1985
To Say the LeastNBC1977–1978
To Tell the TruthNBC, Syndication1990–1991; 2000–20021, 11
The Tonight Show
NBC1972–2009; 2010–20141, 3, 11Currently taped at Rockefeller Center
Three for the MoneyNBC1975
This Is Your LifeNBC1958–19613
Truth or ConsequencesNBC1960–19651, 3
TomorrowNBC1973–1974; 1977–19791, 5
Twenty OneNBC20001
Vicki!Syndication1992-1994
The Weakest LinkNBC, Syndication2001–20031
The Weird Al ShowCBS1997-199811
Welcome Back, KotterABC1975–1976
What's This Song?NBC1964–1965
Wheel of FortuneNBC, Syndication1975–19882, 4Taped at CBS Television City from 1989 until 1995. Currently taped at Sony Pictures Studios since 1995
WordplayNBC1986–19874
You Bet Your Life/The Groucho ShowNBC1960–19613
You Don't Say!NBC1963–19693
Your Number's UpNBC19852

Warner Bros. takeover

In 2019, Warner Bros. announced that it is buying the studio which should be completed by 2023 in time for the studio's 100th anniversary.