SUMMERTIME : TELEVISION / TAPING SESSIONS : That's the Ticket : Although filming of network series won't start until late summer, game and talk shows still need an audience.

SUMMERTIME : TELEVISION / TAPING SESSIONS : That’s the Ticket : Although filming of network series won’t start until late summer, game and talk shows still need an audience.

By DAVID WHARTON

June 26, 1992 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

This summer, not all the hottest tickets in Los Angeles will be to see the rock band Genesis or the Dodgers. Pretty soon, tourists and locals alike will begin lining up outside local television studios to get a chance to watch, free of charge, tapings of their favorite programs.

But most prime-time shows won’t begin taping their new season’s episodes until mid-July or August. For those fans who can’t wait that long to take a seat in a studio audience, several standbys--talk and game shows--are in full swing.

True television buffs will probably be most interested in studying “The Tonight Show” during the early days of the Jay Leno dynasty. Tickets are distributed (two per person) at NBC Studios in Burbank starting at 8 a.m. the day of the show. Minimum age is 16.

Over the hill, Arsenio Hall is staying busy. The procedure for obtaining tickets to his weeknight show is the same as for “The Tonight Show”: Line up at the Fox Television Center in Hollywood at 8 a.m. the day of the taping. Be warned: Fans have camped overnight outside the box office to get into shows with particularly popular guests. Minimum age is 18.

Tickets to “The Dennis Miller Show” are distributed by Audiences Unlimited, either by mail or at a box office at the second-floor concierge desk in the Glendale Galleria. At present, tickets are also available for “Love Connection” and several new Fox Network series. Minimum age is 18.

Getting into “The Price Is Right” and “Family Feud” requires a little more planning. Tapings take place on a changing schedule and tickets must be picked up a week in advance. Minimum age is 18 for “The Price Is Right” and 14 for “Family Feud.”

Other game shows, such as “Jeopardy!”, won’t begin taping until late July.

Once the new season’s productions start up in earnest, Audiences Unlimited and Paramount will handle most, if not all, of the ticket distribution.

A final caution: In many cases, producers hand out more tickets than there are seats to ensure a full house, so it is best to line up early for the tapings.

WHERE AND WHEN

Call: For information, call:

NBC for “The Tonight Show,” (818) 840-3537.

Paramount Visitors Center for “The Arsenio Hall Show,” (213) 956-1777.

Audiences Unlimited, (818) 506-0067.

CBS, (213) 852-2458.

Television

David Wharton

David Wharton has filled an array of roles – covering the courts, entertainment, sports and the second Persian Gulf War – since starting as a Los Angeles Times intern in 1982. His work has been honored by organizations such as the Society for Features Journalism and Associated Press Sports Editors and has been anthologized in “Best American Sports Writing.” He has also been nominated for an Emmy and has written two books, including “Conquest,” an inside look at USC football during the Pete Carroll era.

SUMMERTIME : TELEVISION / TAPING SESSIONS : That’s the Ticket : Although filming of network series won’t start until late summer, game and talk shows still need an audience.

More From the Los Angeles Times