In some cases, a hands free kit is used so only the presenter (not the truck or camera operator) can hear the remote studio. This is common in mainland Europe - but less so in the UK. It makes quick change-overs much easier, as each reporter dials out their own link back to the studio, so can be ready to go as soon as they stand in front of the camera. On the downside it means that the camera and truck have no idea what is going on until the reporter tells them or starts talking...
BBC News usually do their headlines live if the presenters are in the studio. When the presenter is on location it is increasingly common to pre-record their contribution. However where there is a presenter on location AND a presenter in London it is likely that the London presenter is still live on the BBC.
BBC World and BBC News 24 do all their headlines live. Often the presenter in the remote location will do two headlines on both channels, the two channels then do three headlines of their own with their London presenters, play their own titles, and then both mix back to the remote presenter at the end of the titles.
Quite complicated to achieve, but something which works most of the time. One of the News24 or World gallerys will act as the lead gallery and drive the programme and the other one will pick up their gallery output and slap their own Tower over the top.
BBC World and BBC News 24 do all their headlines live.
Just to clarify - my comments on this topic were referring to
networked bulletins
, rather than 24 hour news channels. Clearly rolling news programmes don't generally have the luxury of pre-recording anything! Apologies for any confusion.
In some cases, a hands free kit is used so only the presenter (not the truck or camera operator) can hear the remote studio. This is common in mainland Europe - but less so in the UK. It makes quick change-overs much easier, as each reporter dials out their own link back to the studio, so can be ready to go as soon as they stand in front of the camera. On the downside it means that the camera and truck have no idea what is going on until the reporter tells them or starts talking...
Hmm. Doesn't sound like a very good idea!
It is often a sensible way of working if lots of reporters are sharing a pooled dish. The way this works is that the output of the dish can be picked up by all the TV stations expecting a feed at the same - and the reporter from each station can use their own mobile-phone to establish that they can hear the studio prior to their slot. Then they just stand in front of the dish, put on a mic (or it may just be stood in front of them out of shot on a stand), and do their live.
Much, much quicker than having to get the satellite truck to dial up individual studios (or wait to be dialled) - especially if the reporter doesn't speak the same language as the satellite engineers.
In cases where this system isn't used - and the uplink facility expect each TV station to dial in to establish their clean-feed - you often see reporters holding up bits of paper with the phone number to dial on it!
Most of the time nowadays, after the problems with Bill in Biloxi, the heads are pre-recced a few mins earlier....
I noticed that - the first day Bill was in Biloxi the headlines didn't happen, the second day they did but, as you say, they were pre-recced. All of Sian's headlines seem to have been pre-recorded too. In both cases, it shows the problems of communicating with disaster-hit areas.
I happened to be keeping an eye on N6's output on the first night Bill Turnbull was in Biloxi, and they'd rehearsed the headline sequence a few times, but just with the studio. The first sign of Bill was about 10 seconds before the top of the hour, which is probably why he was still looking a little gormless for the first couple of seconds.