For almost a century, NBC studios has been a huge part of our culture. Founded in 1926 originally as a radio broadcasting network, NBC holds the title for the oldest broadcast network in America. Since the network’s debut, , the network has never failed to make itself prominent in the time period.

Last week, Yorba Linda High School’s yearbook and  newspaper classes returned from New York after attending a journalism conference. The trip was packed with numerous exciting activities, one of which being a rare opportunity to tour NBC studios in New York.

The tour included multiple exciting stops, one of which being the set of the famous late night comedy sketch show, Saturday Night Live. All though they were not able to go onto the set itself due to crew setting up for the following day’s episode, the students were able to catch a once in a lifetime view of the set and learn the history and magic behind it. From how quickly set pieces are moved around during commercials to how sketches are performed with ease in confined spaces, the students were enlightened by all of the information.

The next stop on the tour was the stage of Late Night with Seth Meyers, and the students were actually able to be on the actual set rather than visit it from afar.

One of the students on the trip, Megan Teeling (12), says that she really “enjoyed getting to see all of the sets of the shows on NBC, and getting to go behind the scenes and learn about the background of each host that is currently on NBC.”

The last set stop was at the set of the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where the students were given information about the history of the show and set and Fallon’s inspirations and pre-show rituals. He takes his audience into account more often than one might think, including them in segments and covering the audience seats with authentic Ferrari leather because Fallon wants the best quality experience for his audience.

The last stop in general was a tour of the control rooms where the students were informed of all the magic that goes behind editing to make the shows television ready. Hours of video and sound editing go in behind all of these shows to make them what America sees at home.

Another student who went on the trip, Mackenzie Howe (11), says her favorite part of the tour was “seeing all of the different sets and being able to make our own late night show on an actual set.”

NBC has been a hugely impactful network for almost a 100 years. Before television, it claimed importance as a radio station. Today NBC is more prominent than ever since the rise of social media. People are able to be constantly informed about what goes on in the world thanks to networks like NBC that give the people their most current news and entertainment.