How to Obtain Copies of Videotapes of Proceedings of Congress and Network and Cable Television Broadcasts

95-728 C

Updated December 18, 1996

Received through the CRS Web

How to Obtain Copies of Videotapes of Proceedings of Congress

and Network and Cable Television Broadcasts

Michelle M. Springer

Information Research Specialist

Updated by Treva Turner

Senior Research Librarian

Congressional Reference Division

FOR CONGRESSIONAL USE ONLY

SUMMARY

The following information has been compiled in response to numerous requests made

by congressional offices for videotape copies of congressional proceedings and programs

from network or cable television. Most audiovisual materials that are deposited at the

Library of Congress are under copyright restrictions which prohibit loan or duplication

(even for Members of Congress). If viewing a program is all that is required,

congressional staff may wish to contact the reference staff of the Motion Picture,

Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound (MBRS) Division at 7-8572 to see if a program is in

the Library’s collection and make an appointment to see it. Videos in the Library’s

collection can only be viewed during Motion Picture Reading Room hours (8:30 - 5:00

M-F), and appointments must be made in advance. (Note: Offices that have access to the

Library’s online catalog may search Library audiovisual holdings in MUMS using the

;file=av command. However, not locating a program in MUMS does not mean the

Library does not have it. Again, check with reference staff of the MBRS Division at 78572.)

U.S. HOUSE AND SENATE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

House and Senate Recording Studios

House offices may order copies of any House floor proceedings (note: this means

no hearings) from the last 60 days from House Records and Registration (5-1300). Senate

floor proceedings from the last 30 days are available from the Senate Recording Studio

(4-3788). Office accounts will be charged the processing fees.

Library of Congress

The MBRS Division receives the master videotapes of the House and Senate floor

proceedings. Holdings for the House begin January 23, 1983; holdings for the Senate

Congressional Research Service · The Library of Congress

CRS-2

begin May 5, 1986. There is a 4 to 10 month lag before tapes are received. Once

received, it takes 3 to 6 weeks to produce viewing copies from the master. To view the

tapes, call 7-8572 and make an appointment (note: access is by date only).

To purchase a copy, call 7-0246 or 7-5623 (Public Services Office, MBRS). The

requester must supply a marked photocopy of the pages from the Congressional Record

indicating the exact segment desired. He must also sign an agreement that the selections

will not be used for political or commercial purposes.

PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHES

For copies of presidential addresses to the nation or to Congress, check with Doug

Thurman in the National Archives’ Office of Presidential Libraries, (202) 501-5705.

NETWORK AND CABLE NEWS PROGRAMS

The Senate Recording Studio tapes major news broadcasts and weekend news

programs and keeps them for 30 days. They will make copies on request for Senate

offices (4-3788). This service is not provided by the House Recording Studio. To order

a tape from the Senate Recording Studio, House staff must make the request through a

Senate office. Office accounts are charged a nominal fee for the service.

The MBRS Division at the Library does very selective taping of WETA (PBS)

programming (e.g., public affairs specials, occasional Frontline programs).

Check with the reference staff to see if they taped a particular program. In the past, some

news agencies deposited copies of their broadcasts with the Library for copyright

purposes. Currently, there is little copyright deposit of news broadcasts with the Library.

Again, check with MBRS reference staff for Library holdings.

Other possible sources are listed below:

Program

Distributor and Telephone Numbers

ABC News

(ABC) 1-800-913-3434

CBS Sunday

(CBS) 1-800-848-3256

CBS This Morning

(CBS) 1-800-848-3256

Charlie Rose

(Journal Graphics) 1-800-825-5746

CNN

(CNN) 1-800-277-2698

(Journal Graphics) 1-800-825-5746

C-SPAN*

(C-SPAN) 1-202-626-7963

David Frost

(Journal Graphics) 1-800-825-5746

48 Hours

(CBS) 1-800-338-4847

CRS-3

Fox News Service

(Freelance Video) 1-202-362-6535

Frontline

(PBS) 1-800-328-7271

(Journal Graphics) 1-800-825-5746

Good Morning America

(ABC) 1-212-456-7777

Written requests only

Lehrer News Hour

(PBS) 1-800-328-7271

NBC News

(NBC) 1-212-664-6213

Written requests only

Nightline

(ABC) 1-800-ABC-9420

Nova

(PBS) 1-800-328-7271

Primetime Live

(ABC) 1-800-913-3434

60 Minutes

(CBS) 1-800-848-3256

20/20

(ABC) 1-800-913-3434

Turning Point

(ABC) 1-800-913-3434

*

Public Affairs Video Archives at Purdue University records archives, and indexes

all C-SPAN programs. Programs aired since 1987 can be obtained from: Public Affairs

Video Archives, Purdue University, 1000 Liberal Arts & Education Bldg., West Lafayette,

IN 47907-1000.

Phone 1-800-CSPAN98

1-800-277-2698

FAX: 1-317-423-4495

Another source for news programs is the Vanderbilt Television News Archive at

Vanderbilt University, which began recording news programs in 1968. It makes tapes of

"hard" news shows available usually within 24 hours of airing. These are available on

loan only for a fee, and the typical loan period is 45 days. Additional information can

be obtained through their e-mail site at tvnews@tvnews.vanderbilt.edu or by writing or

calling:

Television News Archive

Vanderbilt University

110 21st Avenue South, Suite 704

Nashville, Tennessee 37203

Phone: 615-322-2927

Fax: 615-343-8250

Internet: http://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/brochure.html

CRS-4

Addresses:

ABC News

P.O. Box 2284

South Burlington, VT 05407

C-SPAN Viewer Services

400 North Capitol Street, NW

Suite 650

Washington, DC 20001

CBS Video

P.O. Box 2284

South Burlington, VT 05407

Freelance Video

4000 Albemarle Street, NW

Suite 406

Washington, DC 20016

Good Morning America

147 Columbus Avenue

New York, NY 10023

Journal Graphics

1535 Grant Street

Denver, CO 80203

NBC News Video Archive

Room 902

30 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, NY 10112

PBS Video

1320 Braddock Place

Alexandria, VA 22314-1698