Usually it comes from a CBS-TV studio in New York, where there is no snow, no need for remote units or any other special equipment, no special reason to panic.

But this week, the Omnibus show is different.

It all started back in January, when the producers decided it might be nice to do an entire hour-and-a-half program from Harvard to depict an American university at mid-century.

Andrew K. Lewis, one of the frequent writers of the show and a Harvard grad, class of '49, was assigned to do the script. By the end of January, he had a preliminary outline done. Until three weeks ago, he constantly revised and tightened this up. The he started writing his final draft.

Producers, directors, cameramen, and technicians started drifting through Cambridge between other shows. Preliminary details were made. Then, this week they all appeared, some 50 or 60 of them. Within a week, they had to have the show from Harvard perfected.

Headquarters for Omnibus is Room number 1 in Weld Hall. It has been crowded for most of the week. After lunch hour on Thursday one rather tall, crew-cut man walked out and muttered, "Only one world for what's happening around here: Chaos."

Inside, two men were discussing music stands: "What do you mean, they're locked up: Don't they have classes around here in the afternoon?"

"Yeah, sure they do, but the band has most of them. They're putting on a concert tomorrow night."

"Well, sent some of the boys out. Tell them not to come back until they have four music stands."

The men thought they desparately needed these stands for holding some photographs scheduled to appear on the show.

A secretary entered looking for director Delbert Mann, who had just returned from New York after winning an Oscar the night before for his direction of Marty. "It's Hollywood calling, Del."

Mann picked up the phone: "Yes, very exciting... You sure did, right on the nose... Sounds good, but could you do this for me, check with Bobby Sanford in New York. He's my agent. I'm sure it'll be all right."

Some one mentioned that Del had received "about 12 offers already this morning."

Man might have been the center of outside attention, but in Weld everyone had things to do. With 15 cameras and three remote units--all the mobile equipment CBS has available in the East--scheduled to do the show, attention could not possibly remain with one man for long.

A technician began wondering about the van from New York with two of the remote units. It was scheduled to arrive at 11 a.m., but at last report was wandering around Boston. (It arrived later.)