Posted by
Airlanes on May 31, 2008 at 8:08am
Most of us are quite familiar with the three famous NBC chimes. But there was also a fourth chime which as rung at moments of extreme urgency. The following discussion of the fourth chime is taken from Wikipedia:
"The "fourth chime" was also used to notify affiliates and their employees of pending urgent programming. This variant saw such use during wartime (especially in the wake of the Pearl Harbor bombing) and other disasters, most notably the destruction of The Hindenburg in 1937. According to NBC historians, the last official use of the "fourth chime" was in 1945, shortly after the end of World War II. However, according to a handwritten note appended to an NBC internal memo originally dated 1964 on the history and usage of the standard chime, this chime variant was used one final time in 1985 to symbolize the merger with GE. At the same time, no recording of this use has been discovered by researchers, and those working for NBC affiliates at the time have no recollection of the event."
On November 24, 1944 NBC aired a documentary special on the use of the "fourth chime."The Fourth Chime, NBC Radio, November 24, 1944.mp3
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