The NBC Universal Store at 30 Rockefeller Center is like some of television’s least favorite personalities: gaudy, loud, and all about the money.
Yet this is precisely where one must go to buy tickets to the NBC Studio Tour, a one hour and 10 minute trip around the building that houses the likes of Saturday Night Live and The Today Show.
The tour, which runs every 30 minutes on weekdays and 15 minutes on weekends, is certainly not something to attend on a whim. Most tickets, which go for a substantial $19.25, sell out fast, making purchasing them the day-of risky business.
But what may be more distressing is that Columbia students must be prepared to face the embarrassment of being lumped into the same category as a bunch of tourists, a label we’ve all been desperately trying to lose the first day we arrived on campus. Determined TV lovers will find, however, that the tour does have some redeeming qualities, in the form of potential celebrity sightings and free tickets.
The tour starts off with a cheesy video about NBC’s storied past, reminiscent of the types of movies shown in high-school history classes. One of the clips in it is from The Johnny Carson Show—a zinger about sheep that has all the people above 65 rolling in the aisles and all those below rolling their eyes.
After that, though, things start to get fun: Most tours are guaranteed to see the SNL studio and one of the nightly news studios. There are also sections of the tour devoted to makeup and green screen technology before the guides conveniently abandon the group in the store food court.
“Spotting NBC talent is also very rare but not impossible,” reads the NBC Universal Store’s Web site, as if even the corporation itself knows the tour needs something to spice it up. The NBC tour becomes a trip to the zoo—spot the famous actor and the day is complete. Spike Lee and Jimmy Fallon popped up during last Friday’s tour, and while we weren’t allowed to pet or feed them, the tour guides encouraged a discussion of their backstage habits later in the elevator.
At a basic level, the tour isn’t worth the time or effort, unless you are willing to make like a tourist and ask questions. Conversation with our guide got us information on NBC internships and free tickets to upcoming shows.
If you don’t mind shrinking your New York ego, then the tour will win back some, if not all, of the dignity you lost waiting in line for tickets behind that group of fanny-packed women.
Comments
We're looking for comments that are interesting and substantial. If your comments are excessively self-promotional or obnoxious you will be banned from commenting. Consult the comment FAQ and legal terms.