Most local radio stations would have a Standby CD or MD at the transmitter that kicks automatically after a short period of silence. They'd update it every so often with new music and jingle packages as appropriate. I imagine it's slightly different and more complex for a national network.
Although there are some who record an emergency disc and then leave it there for years so that when it's finally needed it contains old jingles, sacked presenters and ancient music
All of the national radio networks have evacuation boxes for people to grab and indeed sets of certain things needed are kept in various locations but for obvious reasons I'm not going to go into exactly where. This is for a variety of reasons - fire, bombs, power failures etc.
To change which studio has control during a news bulletin, the SM in the "new" studio (let's call it studio 2) would fade up the studio with the newsreader in it (which may be the current studio, which we'll call studio 1). The SM in studio 2 would then press a button on a touchscreen to request control of the network. The SM in studio 1 would press a button to grant the request, and then the SM in studio 2 would accept control, putting their desk live to the network so they can open their presenter's mic and he/she can pick up at the end of the news bulletin.
Hope that makes sense?!
But there are exceptions when the studio going on air doesn't take the network until after the news bulletin; ie at the beginning of Mayo at 1pm. The Mayo studio plays the prefade, Mayo picks up for the menu at 1pm, then the Tag, then the news is read by the newsreader who is still in The Midday News studio. Mayo's studio then takes control during the sport. This is because the newsreader stays in with Allen Robb throughout the Midday News, and for some reason doesn't leave at 1255 to go nextdoor.
There are even times when the studio coming on air takes the network before the end of the hour, and has the studio that's coming off going out through them. This is done if there is a co-pres from location. It's all about clean feed; but the same result can be achieved by sending the location cue for the top of the programme, and switch them back into clean feed soon after.
To rectify a small point made earlier about how many studios are used for Five Live.... although all the studios in Stages 5 and 6 (6 being the News Centre) can take the network directly, only S2. S4, S5 and S6 reguarly contribute to Five Live.
S2 is where Morning Reports comes from. It is then mainly used for prep by pther progs, but also does the Sonia Deol prog for the Asian Network, and the 1800 and mignight news for R4.
S4 and S5 are the two main Five Live studios.
S6 is the Five Live sport studio, although it is also used for prep, aswell as Moneybox Live on Mondays.
S1 is where Radio 4 news progs come from, and S7 is for World Service sport. There is no S3, as they ran out of money before it was built. It was going to be where the national news gallery ( N6) is.
And the workshops can go on air too - a friend of mine was having a private conversation in one of them the other day only to find out that it had been going out on 5 Live Sport Extra
And the workshops can go on air too - a friend of mine was having a private conversation in one of them the other day only to find out that it had been going out on 5 Live Sport Extra
Not all the work shops. Only W3, W7 and W10 can take 5 Live. SCAR can too.
W10 basically IS Sports X, and your friend should be more careful to make sure it isn't live. But then why wasn't the HitPlayer on air is Sports X was off air?
In addition, if Five Live breaks down for whatever reason, the emergency DAT, which is at Broadcasting House, is fired off after 2 minutes of silence on the main and reserve lines.
W10 basically IS Sports X, and your friend should be more careful to make sure it isn't live. But then why wasn't the HitPlayer on air is Sports X was off air?
He is more careful now But he tells me that there's no obvious sign (e.g. a red light), you have to check using the touchscreen - which strangely he didn't think to do as he didn't think it would be possible that the studio would be left on air without anyone noticing..!
How does talk back work between radio studios? is it like an intercom device? Nemone often talks to Chris moyles on talkback and ive always wondered what it is.
W10 basically IS Sports X, and your friend should be more careful to make sure it isn't live. But then why wasn't the HitPlayer on air is Sports X was off air?
He is more careful now But he tells me that there's no obvious sign (e.g. a red light), you have to check using the touchscreen - which strangely he didn't think to do as he didn't think it would be possible that the studio would be left on air without anyone noticing..!
The red light is only on if the Red Light button is depressed.
The furthest one of the left is definately a computer as I can just make out the BBC wallpaper and white Windows 2000 login box in one of the pics. The other three ones I have no idea what they are for - I assume they are for the playout system.
Actually, you might be interested to hear that the playout computers use windows too (at least in the case of Radioman - Radio 1's VCS
might
be different). The only difference is that a special keypad is hooked up to the playout pc (it has a regular keyboard too, so that changes can be made to the running order). This is sometimes referred to as the 'Fisher Price keyboard' as it's so simple to use - it's often just a case of hitting the big square button that says 'GO'!
How does talk back work between radio studios? is it like an intercom device? Nemone often talks to Chris moyles on talkback and ive always wondered what it is.
Yes. Generally, you press the button for the appropriate studio, and what you say comes out through speakers or - if the other person has the microphone open - in their headphones.
How does talk back work between radio studios? is it like an intercom device? Nemone often talks to Chris moyles on talkback and ive always wondered what it is.
Yes. Generally, you press the button for the appropriate studio, and what you say comes out through speakers or - if the other person has the microphone open - in their headphones.
I take it if there microphone is open it would be broadcast on air? Or does it depend on which studio is in control of the radio station at the time, i.e. if Chris's studio has control of radio one and nemone talks via talkback with an open mic, would it only be heard in chris's headphones or would the nation hear it? Sorry to be technical.
