The House Recording Studio provides radio and television recording services to members, committees, and officers of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. The studio's purpose is to provide a convenient way for members to convey information to their constituents, the

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

, and the

general public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlic ...

. The studio was established by the authority of and consists of two

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

studios, two

television studio A television studio, also called a television production studio, is an installation room in which video productions take place, either for the production of live television and its recording onto video tape or other media such as SSDs, or for ...

s, and tape duplication facilities. The services provided include basic recording services, live or recorded

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...

transmissions,

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

recordings, preparation of

teleprompter A teleprompter, also known as an autocue, is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Using a teleprompter is similar to using cue cards. The screen is in front of, and usually be ...

scripts,

transcription Transcription refers to the process of converting sounds (voice, music etc.) into letters or musical notes, or producing a copy of something in another medium, including: Genetics * Transcription (biology), the copying of DNA into RNA, the fir ...

of recorded material, post-production services, and television

makeup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

. The studio staff also provide program production and technical assistance. Each time a member uses the recording studio, the member’s official account is charged for the services provided.

History

Prior to the establishment of the House Recording Studio, television cameras were only occasionally allowed into the Chamber of the House of Representatives for special events such as the State of the Union and for speeches by visiting foreign dignitaries. The first time that a full House session was publicly televised was in March 19, 1979, with Rep. Al Gore being the first House Member to give a live televised speech during a session of the Congress. Shortly after, the House approved the permanent establishment of its own TV and broadcasting system, starting with the installation of six cameras in the Chamber and a dedicated studio space in the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

basement.

References

Recording Studio Recording studios in the United States {{US-Congress-stub