The Newsroom

Manchester Terror Attack

On 22 May 2017, there was a suicide bombing at Manchester Arena which killed 22 people (May 2017)

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GO
gomedia
BBC News at Ten, major news day including the breaking news of the critical terror threat, what ident precedes the news? Bunch of birdwatchers gawping through their binoculars. So I took it upon myself to replace it with one of the more respectful, generic idents.

Also, as I'm a big fan of the 90s Nine O'Clock News themes, I replaced the intro music. Such a strong theme which I find so much more impactful. Wish they would maybe make a similar theme or variant of the the existing theme for special reports/significant events.

Khairul, London Lite and NYTV gave kudos
AN
Andrew Founding member
Charlie Stayt has been drafted in on Breakfast this morning, live from Manchester. Louise is back in the studio.

There is an interview with Peter Kay on the ITV Granada News website, speaking exclusively to Lucy Meacock. An interview like what you will never have seen before with Peter as he usually only appears on screen in messing about mode. Peter used to work at the arena as well as obviously performing there many times.
SP
Steve in Pudsey
UKnews posted:

It's a 'pooled' interview, a very very common thing. The person - often a politician or other senior public figure - agrees to do one interview to be provided on a 'pool' basis. It is then made available to all the broadcasters in the U.K. pool (BBC, ITN, Sky) at the same time- no exclusive first showing for the broadcaster that filmed it.


This happens at regional level too. There was a documentary a good few years ago going behind the scenes at Calendar, and it showed them effectively pooling with Look North on an interview with a woman - I can't remember the exact circumstances, possibly recently bereaved or mother of a missing child. She had agreed to do one interview, which was then copied from camera to camera - I guess Broadcast tape cameras had inputs so they could work as VTRs for this kind of circumstance.
MA
Markymark
Steve in Pudsey posted:
I guess Broadcast tape cameras had inputs so they could work as VTRs for this kind of circumstance.


I don't ever recall that, (certainly not with Sony kit), unless you're talking about the separate VTR and camera era for ENG, mid 70s to early-mid 80s ?

Otherwise it's a case of taking the tape back to base, and dubbing off copies, or playing it down the line to the other broadcaster.

The major use of pooling, both voice reports and footage was the Falklands War. You'd hear Brain Hanrahan, and Michael Nicholson on BBC and ITN. Same on the radio, Kim Sabido of IRN, I can't remember the BBC Radio reporter ? You'd sometimes hear the radio reporters on the TV and vice versa too.
Last edited by Markymark on 24 May 2017 7:51am
SP
Steve in Pudsey
Markymark posted:
Steve in Pudsey posted:
I guess Broadcast tape cameras had inputs so they could work as VTRs for this kind of circumstance.


I don't ever recall that, (certainly not with Sony kit), unless you're talking about the separate VTR era for ENG, mid 70s to early-mid 80s ?


I may be misremembering, the programme I saw went out in 1995. I'm almost certain they were able to transfer the footage in the field without any sort​ of. mobile edit suite.
IS
Inspector Sands
The crew would likely have had a record deck which they'd connect to the camera to form an edit pair - the camera provided the playback machine. It was the usual way of editing on the road before laptops.

Presumably they were using that to dub off the copy
GE
thegeek Founding member
UKnews posted:
Whilst UK broadcasters are competitive on an editorial level on a technical level they're good at co-operating when needed.

There's a similar arrangement around use of helicopter pictures. Sky lease use of one helicopter, and the BBC and ITN have joint use of another. I think the BBC have day-to-day editorial control​ of theirs, but have an agreement to share all pictures live with ITN. In the event of big, pre-planned stories (major state occasions, for example), then the same pictures will be pooled by all three broadcasters. It saves two helicopters getting basically the same shot and means you can have one take over while the other one goes off to refuel.
MA
Markymark
thegeek posted:
UKnews posted:
Whilst UK broadcasters are competitive on an editorial level on a technical level they're good at co-operating when needed.

There's a similar arrangement around use of helicopter pictures. Sky lease use of one helicopter, and the BBC and ITN have joint use of another. I think the BBC have day-to-day editorial control​ of theirs, but have an agreement to share all pictures live with ITN. In the event of big, pre-planned stories (major state occasions, for example), then the same pictures will be pooled by all three broadcasters. It saves two helicopters getting basically the same shot and means you can have one take over while the other one goes off to refuel.


And both live at Redhill Airfield anyway, in the same hanger, (along with Arena's OB fleet)
It's also the coldest place on earth (even in mid summer !)
IS
Inspector Sands
The other advantage with the helicopter arrangement is that there's only 2 of them competing for airspace
MA
Markymark
Inspector Sands posted:
The other advantage with the helicopter arrangement is that there's only 2 of them competing for airspace


They are also very much part of the 'London and SE' helicopter community and the Met, so for instance are able
to get good access to central London events, that otherwise would be restricted.
NG
noggin Founding member
thegeek posted:
UKnews posted:
Whilst UK broadcasters are competitive on an editorial level on a technical level they're good at co-operating when needed.

There's a similar arrangement around use of helicopter pictures. Sky lease use of one helicopter, and the BBC and ITN have joint use of another. I think the BBC have day-to-day editorial control​ of theirs, but have an agreement to share all pictures live with ITN. In the event of big, pre-planned stories (major state occasions, for example), then the same pictures will be pooled by all three broadcasters. It saves two helicopters getting basically the same shot and means you can have one take over while the other one goes off to refuel.


Yes - and there is a very grown-up arrangement in how the helicopters operate. If Sky are taking BBC pool pictures of a major event, they will allow their helicopter to be directed by the BBC as part of this.
WO
Worzel
UKnews posted:
Worzel posted:
Just noticed a Sky News interview with the Met Police Commissioner going on the BBC News channel. What's the agreement between the broadcasters in events like this? Is it a matter of the BBC and Sky having a mutual agreement where say, if you give us this - we'll give you that? If so, how do they go about distributing the VT between one another?

It's a 'pooled' interview, a very very common thing. The person - often a politician or other senior public figure - agrees to do one interview to be provided on a 'pool' basis. It is then made available to all the broadcasters in the U.K. pool (BBC, ITN, Sky) at the same time- no exclusive first showing for the broadcaster that filmed it. If the broadcasters all have trucks in a pariticular location they might link into whoever is playing out the pool interview so they can record it / feed it back but what usually happens it that it'll be fed back (file transfered or played out) by the broadcaster who recorded the interview. The other broadcasters book circuits to that broadcaster once a playout time has been agreed. (They wouldn't downlink another broadcasters satellite feed in all but the most extreme of circumstances.) This feed may be arranged some time in advance, other times it's arranged with a matter of minutes notice. If the other broadcasters want to broadcast that interview / feed as it's coming in to them they are allowed to.


Who is the pool tends to rotate around, but it's not a strict rule. It may come down to who has the crew / facilities in the right place at the right time. The pool for royal stories (most of which are known about in advance) tends to just come down to whose 'turn' it happens to be. (Although in the case of the royals there is a cameraman who is paid for by the BBC, ITN and Sky who films most royal events.)

For larger events the pool may be a camera provided by each broadcaster that is then mixed by one of them. If it's an event occurring in several different places (like the Queen's jubilee) one broadcaster may be the pool for one place, another for the next one and so on.

Whilst UK broadcasters are competitive on an editorial level on a technical level they're good at co-operating when needed. So sometimes arrangements for a pool are adapted by the people on the ground for one reason or another.


Great insight. Thanks.

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