Transcribed

    I may have mentioned already, but many of my old-time radio shows, especially from the '50s, identify themselves as being "transcribed." As far as I can tell, what is meant here is exactly the same as what TV people meant when they said "pre-recorded" or "recorded." I have no idea why the word changed. My friend Terry Lynch, who sometimes reads this blog, recommended that I read a book by the musician David Byrne called "How Music Works." Mr. Byrne describes how pre-recording shows on tape started (because Bing Crosby wanted to play more golf, and thus invested in Ampex). I was thinking that "transcribing" might have been used to refer to recording to disc. I do know that some radio shows were put on wax, because that's how they were rebroadcast to the troops abroad.
    However, since Ampex was founded in 1944 and the word "transcribing" was used for years thereafter, that can't be it. I suppose that transcription just sounded overly literary for TV, or rather overly word-centered for the recording of words and pictures, so another word started being used. I remember when I started listening to old-time radio how weird that word "transcribed" sounded and how long it took me to figure out what in heck it means. So if you ever get into OTR, well, now at least you know.