PURPOSE: To prevent damage to be caused to a tape by providing a control mechanism which taking a loaded cassette tape out forcibly when a power switch is turned off and inhibits a cassette tape from being loaded in case of dew condensation due to temperature variation.

CONSTITUTION: When the power switch 12 is turned off while a cassette is loaded without dew condensation, a control circuit 17 detects the state of the power switch 12 and also detects the state of a cassette loading/unloading detection switch 13 associated with a control loading mechanism, and outputs a driving signal for driving amotor 15, which rotates to take the cassette tape out forcibly. In case of dew condensation, a dew detecting element 10 detects that and supplies its detection signal through an amplifier 11 to the control circuit 17, which inhibits the driving signal from being outputted to the motor 15 even when a command for loading a cassette tape in a front loading part is generated, disallowing the cassette to be loaded in VTR. Thus, damage to be caused to the tape is prevented.