New television network switching facilities

"We now return you to our studio in New York." At this cue from the announcer the smiling face of the weather man in Chicago disappears from the screen of your television set and is replaced by that of a well-known news commentator. This change in the originating point of a television program is a familiar phenomenon to viewers and similar ??switches?? are performed in each television network many times each day. However, back of the ability of the various television networks to originate or receive programs almost anywhere in the United States lies a large web of intercity and local audio and video transmission and switching facilities leased by the Bell Telephone Company system to the television networks. These facilities are constantly being expanded and improved and it is the purpose of this paper to describe briefly the video switching facilities previously used and to present a more detailed description of new video switching facilities which are now being put into use.