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 TM
New
York is Television City
How to Get Tickets to NYC Television Shows
What's the best way to
get tickets for a New York City television show taping? The simplest way
is to request them from the studio via a written postcard. Waiting lists
can be long – six months to a year for most tapings – but if you’re
flexible about when you visit, this is a great option. And studios
reportedly tend to favor out-of-towners over New Yorkers!
If your lead-time is
short and you’re determined to see David Letterman in person, you do
have an option: standby tickets. Most studios give out a limited number on
the day of the show. If you can handle standing in line for a few hours,
you have a good chance of obtaining one. However, be warned: standby
tickets don’t guarantee admission to the taping – they’re only valid
if assigned ticket holders don’t show up. Generally, only one standby
ticket per person is allowed. Also, most studios do not permit anyone
under 16 to attend tapings, so be sure to bring proof of age if you think
you'll be questioned. Tickets, by the way, are free.
The
Late Show with David Letterman
The Ed Sullivan Theater
1697 Broadway bet. 53rd & 54th Sts.
212-975-5853
If you want to hear an
in-person rendition of the Top Ten, be prepared to wait at least one year
– unless you're very lucky and snag a standby ticket. Standby tickets
are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis by calling 212-247-6497
at 11 am on taping days. Tapings take place Monday through Wednesday at
5:30 pm and Thursday at 5:30 pm and 8 pm. Send written ticket requests to:
Late Show Tickets
The Ed Sullivan Theater
1697 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Late
Night with Conan O'Brien
NBC Studios
30 Rockefeller Plaza, 50th St. & Sixth Ave.
212-664-3056 or 664-3057
Late
Night now has a waiting list of around two months. Call to order
tickets in advance. For standby tickets, get in line at the Page Desk at
NBC Studios (located in the lobby) at 9 am or earlier on the day you wish
to attend. Tapings are held every Tuesday through Friday at 5:30 pm
(standby ticket holders must arrive at the studio by 4:45 pm).
Saturday
Night Live
30 Rockefeller Plaza
50th St. & Sixth Ave.
212-664-4000
SNL
is still a very hot ticket among visitors and New Yorkers alike. Due to
the show's continuing popularity, written requests are accepted only
during the month of August. Lotteries are then held throughout the season.
If your postcard is chosen, you will be notified one to two weeks in
advance of the taping. Standby tickets for both the dress rehearsal
(audience arrival time: 7 pm) and the live show (10 pm) are given out at 9
am on Saturday mornings at the 49th Street entrance to NBC
Studios. In August, send written ticket requests to:
NBC Tickets
Saturday Night Live
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
The
Rosie O'Donnell Show
30 Rockefeller
Plaza, 50th St. & Sixth Ave.,
212/506-3288)
Though the “Queen of
Nice” is broadcast on ABC, she tapes at NBC. This is the toughest
daytime show to crack, so if you're after tickets by mail, prepare for a
wait of up to two years! No more than 50 stand-by tickets are given out on
Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting at 8 am on the 49th
Street side of the NBC Studio building. To request tickets, send a
postcard during the months of March, April, May or June only to:
NBC Studios
Rosie O'Donnell Show
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
Live
With Regis
ABC Studios, W. 66th St.
bet. Columbus Ave. & Central Park West, 212/456-3537
Although there's a
12-month wait for mail tickets, same-day tickets are surprisingly easy to
obtain. Try getting to the corner of 67th Street and Columbus
Avenue as early as 7 am to request a standby number. Slots are awarded on
a first-come, first-served basis. Children under 10 are not allowed in the
studio. To obtain tickets, send a postcard to:
Live Tickets
Ansonia Station
P.O. Box 230777
New York, NY 10023-0777
The Scoop on the
Studios
Additionally, New York
City is home to several shows on which onlookers can be part of the
backdrop. So if you find yourself in the Big Apple without coveted tickets
to see Rosie, David or the SNL crew, there’s still a chance to wave hi
to family and friends back home – just be sure to arrive early and wear
comfortable shoes.
The Today Show
30 Rockefeller Plaza
Fifth to Sixth Aves.
Mon-Fri 7 am – 9 am
The Today
Show's studio is on the ground floor at the corner of 49th St.
and Rockefeller Center. Inside, Katie Couric and Matt Lauer tell the
country what's going on; outside a crowd of people waves signs and hopes
to get on television. If you want a good spot, get there pre-dawn, try to
stand toward the southeast corner (directly behind the anchor desk) and
carry a sign that says something goofy enough to be noticed.
Good
Morning America’s Marquee Studio
(Times Square at 44th St. and Broadway) is where you can see
Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson every weekday morning from 7am to 9am. For
further details, call 212-580-5176, or visit
www.ABCNEWS.com
Just a block away, young
visitors gather at 3:30 pm weekdays outside MTV’s studios (1550 Broadway, bet. 44th and 45th
Sts., 212-258-8000) hoping to catch a glimpse of heartthrob Total
Request Live host Carson Daly. Although part of the studio faces the
street, it’s on the second floor, so street-level fans can’t see too
much. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who want to be part of
the studio audience can call the TRL audience hotline at 212-398-8549 or try for standby tickets
starting at 2pm by lining up at 44th St. and Broadway.
Last November, CBS
News unveiled its state-of-the-art Studio 58, new home of the
network’s national and local news broadcasts, including The Early Show with Bryant Gumbel. The ground-level set, located in
the General Motors Building at Trump International Plaza (Fifth Ave. at
59th St.), is visible to passersby through huge glass windows.
More Ways to
Experience TV Land in NYC
New
York TV Show Tickets
212-540-8499
www.NewYorkShow.com
says it has “clever and secret ways” to obtain tickets to otherwise
"impossible" shows. Visitors to the city who call for
information pay a flat fee of $2.50 to hear the most up-to-date
information on available standby tickets for many of the city’s top
tapings.
Not interested in
catching a show? You can still get an inside peek at the workings of a
major television network via The
NBC Experience/Studio Tour (30 Rockefeller Plaza at 49th
St., 212-664-3700). There’s even a store filled with take-home
memorabilia, located across from the Today Show and the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink.
Witness the courthouse
where Law & Order and NYPD Blue film
their trials and discover why the Ricardo’s I Love Lucy address would have landed them in the East River on a
guided Scene on TV Tour. The
90-minute bus tour departs from the Times
Square Visitors Center (1560 Broadway bet. 46th and 47th
St.) on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm and 4 pm. For
further information, call guide Georgette Blau at 212-410-9830.
Explore Seinfeld’s
universe with Kenny (the real) Kramer on Kramer’s
Reality Tour. Learn the stories behind the stories, see rare videos
and visit sites from the show. The three hour tour is offered on Saturdays
and Sundays at noon and reservations are required – the Pulse Theatre
(432 West 42nd Street, 212-/268-5525 or 800-KRAMERS).
Kids can get behind the
scenes and produce their own shows on CMOM-TV, part of the Time-Warner
Media Center at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (The Tisch Bldg., 212 W. 83rd
St. bet. Broadway & Amsterdam Ave., 212-721-1234). The unique
facility, geared for children ages 6 and up, allows children to operate
cameras and see themselves on TV.
Edited by Kerry Cohen
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