The TV and City Team got the chance to spend some time at The NBC Studio Tour, a must-see for NYC tourists.
Here are our thoughts:
We started off by watching a great video of Al Roker briefly explaining the history of NBC, like how they transitioned from radio to television. Two NBC pages then introduced themselves as our tour guides. You could tell that everyone working at the tour is a fan themselves and is enthusiastic about what they do.
The tour guarantees you a visit to at least two NBC studios. The sets you are taken to may vary from other groups, due to availability of the sets. We were lucky enough to be taken to three filming locations: Nightly News with Lester Holt, The Meredith Vieira Show, and The Tonight Show. For most fans, this will be the highlight of the tour. Seeing where these iconic shows are filmed is truly amazing.
It’s amazing how many cameras are used every night on the news. The ideas behind the design of Meredith’s studio were very interesting to learn about (it’s supposed to look like her actual home). And you’ll never believe how small Jimmy Fallon’s desk is; it looks so much bigger on TV!
Our pages made the tour so enjoyable. They were friendly and informative; well equipped to answer questions after the walk-through.
Your time at 30 Rock culminates in ‘The Tour Studio,’ where your group works together to create an NBC talk show. Each role is very interactive: host, band, camera crew, guest, and audio team. It was great fun, and the video is emailed to participants to enjoy.
After the tour, you are led into the recently revamped NBC Store. Beautifully decorated with photos from NBC shows and featuring a wide selection of (yes, overpriced) show merchandise, this is a cool place for you to pick something up to take back home.
In short, The Tour at NBC Studios is a joyride for anyone with the slightest interest in how great TV is made.
TV and City 