The WNYC Archives DATs

I have been working at the WNYC archives for a couple of weeks, transferring old transcription discs, reels and DATs of WQXR and WNYC materials, including a great program on women's athletes from 1949 (Did you know that the Bronx's Budge-Wood Laundry Service was started by tennis-greats couple Sidney Wood and Donald Budge in the 1940s? Still going strong!)

Despite their relative youth, DATs (Digital Audio Tapes) are actually considered among the most endengered audio carriers. Some of the WNYC DATs are over three hours long (90 meters) and are actually DDS (data) tapes. DDS tapes are recognized by Indiana University's Facet to be even more problematic than regular DAT tapes. So these have two additional strikes against them: the fact that they are DDS tapes, and that they are less than 13 μm (!) thick. It is amazing that they work at all.

At the ARSCList there has been a recent interesting thread resurrecting the idea of transferring audio DATs with computer drives. David Rice of AVPS is an expert on such systems, as is Tim Bathgate of Radio New Zealand, who may be presenting on the subject at the IASA conference in Philadelphia in November. In the meantime, his findings are published in the IASA journal.