LJ
Do news presenters use open talkback or switched talkback when reading the news or does it vary?
IT
It depends on personal preference. Some presenters like to keep it open at all times. Some keep it open unless they're in the middle of a complicated interview or studio discussion that requires their full concentration. The danger with shutting it off is that the director has to physically press a switch in order to override it and speak to the presenter. Obviously in the high-pressure environment of a live news broadcast gallery the director could forget to do this, hence it's always safer to listen to talkback at all times.
itsrobert
Founding member
Do news presenters use open talkback or switched talkback when reading the news or does it vary?
It depends on personal preference. Some presenters like to keep it open at all times. Some keep it open unless they're in the middle of a complicated interview or studio discussion that requires their full concentration. The danger with shutting it off is that the director has to physically press a switch in order to override it and speak to the presenter. Obviously in the high-pressure environment of a live news broadcast gallery the director could forget to do this, hence it's always safer to listen to talkback at all times.
WE
It depends on personal preference. Some presenters like to keep it open at all times. Some keep it open unless they're in the middle of a complicated interview or studio discussion that requires their full concentration. The danger with shutting it off is that the director has to physically press a switch in order to override it and speak to the presenter. Obviously in the high-pressure environment of a live news broadcast gallery the director could forget to do this, hence it's always safer to listen to talkback at all times.
I read a copy of Frank Bough's autobio 'Cue Frank' years ago in the local library & he said on the one edition of 'Nationwide', he was due to interview a couple of people sitting in the Birmingham studio.
He introduced them, then was told by his director that 'They're not there yet!'
Later on he told the production team that he wanted open talkback in his earpiece so he could be aware, to stop the programme looking 'inefficient'.
Do news presenters use open talkback or switched talkback when reading the news or does it vary?
It depends on personal preference. Some presenters like to keep it open at all times. Some keep it open unless they're in the middle of a complicated interview or studio discussion that requires their full concentration. The danger with shutting it off is that the director has to physically press a switch in order to override it and speak to the presenter. Obviously in the high-pressure environment of a live news broadcast gallery the director could forget to do this, hence it's always safer to listen to talkback at all times.
I read a copy of Frank Bough's autobio 'Cue Frank' years ago in the local library & he said on the one edition of 'Nationwide', he was due to interview a couple of people sitting in the Birmingham studio.
He introduced them, then was told by his director that 'They're not there yet!'
Later on he told the production team that he wanted open talkback in his earpiece so he could be aware, to stop the programme looking 'inefficient'.
JW
Furthermore, is "foldback" only heard in their earpiece on the news set, or is there a series of speakers built into the set? to play the audio that the viewer hears? If so, where are these speakers normally placed? (( may have asked this question before but can't recall the answer here.)
Over on the news channel thread, aconnell has posted a clip of Gavin Grey on the overnights. I posted a comment there about the poor fade-down of the BBC News theme music when the presenter started speaking. Whilst we the viewer hear a little bit of an overrun of the music even whilst the presenter has started his main delivery, but what does he/she actually hear at that point?
Foldback is the term used when gallery cuts the speakers when the mic is up, right?
Guess I've just answered my own question.........................
Do news presenters use open talkback or switched talkback when reading the news or does it vary?
Furthermore, is "foldback" only heard in their earpiece on the news set, or is there a series of speakers built into the set? to play the audio that the viewer hears? If so, where are these speakers normally placed? (( may have asked this question before but can't recall the answer here.)
Over on the news channel thread, aconnell has posted a clip of Gavin Grey on the overnights. I posted a comment there about the poor fade-down of the BBC News theme music when the presenter started speaking. Whilst we the viewer hear a little bit of an overrun of the music even whilst the presenter has started his main delivery, but what does he/she actually hear at that point?
Foldback is the term used when gallery cuts the speakers when the mic is up, right?
Guess I've just answered my own question.........................
CH
Over on the news channel thread, aconnell has posted a clip of Gavin Grey on the overnights. I posted a comment there about the poor fade-down of the BBC News theme music when the presenter started speaking. Whilst we the viewer hear a little bit of an overrun of the music even whilst the presenter has started his main delivery, but what does he/she actually hear at that point?
Indeed. Does the presenter hear the headline bed? My guess would be no as there are often clips of the presenter being out of sync with the thunderclaps when they used to be timed every four seconds.
Over on the news channel thread, aconnell has posted a clip of Gavin Grey on the overnights. I posted a comment there about the poor fade-down of the BBC News theme music when the presenter started speaking. Whilst we the viewer hear a little bit of an overrun of the music even whilst the presenter has started his main delivery, but what does he/she actually hear at that point?
Indeed. Does the presenter hear the headline bed? My guess would be no as there are often clips of the presenter being out of sync with the thunderclaps when they used to be timed every four seconds.
SP
I think foldback just refers to the speakers themselves rather than the specific mix fed to it.
JW
So, what is the mix fed to these speakers, normally? There was a long and lingering end to GMT with Zeinab Badawi a little while ago. The end music faded up and was quite loud whilst she was still speaking. She appeared to speak louder, as if to overcome the volume of the music that was "drowning her out'. So, from where would she have heard the music playing?
Or, did perhaps her spoken volume just remain the same, but the sound engineer turned up the volume for us?
This whole sound/vision integration on live news is fascinating me. Being a fly on the wall in the studio during a broadcast is probably a very silent affair, as the only actual noise heard in the open are the voices of the presenters. Everything else is "dropped-in" from somewhere offsite.
I think foldback just refers to the speakers themselves rather than the specific mix fed to it.
So, what is the mix fed to these speakers, normally? There was a long and lingering end to GMT with Zeinab Badawi a little while ago. The end music faded up and was quite loud whilst she was still speaking. She appeared to speak louder, as if to overcome the volume of the music that was "drowning her out'. So, from where would she have heard the music playing?
Or, did perhaps her spoken volume just remain the same, but the sound engineer turned up the volume for us?
This whole sound/vision integration on live news is fascinating me. Being a fly on the wall in the studio during a broadcast is probably a very silent affair, as the only actual noise heard in the open are the voices of the presenters. Everything else is "dropped-in" from somewhere offsite.
RO
This is shamelessly stretching the purpose of this thread, and is more of a moan about journalism in general - but why is it acceptable to quote people as saying things that they haven't said? An example being on the BBC News home at the moment: "M5 witness: 'I carried baby to safety'". He talks about it, but he doesn't say
that
. I know this is painfully pedantic, but is paraphrasing the thrust of a quote good enough?
SP
I think this is the item you're referring to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15608179
I think in that case it's acceptable - the headline is phrased in an awkward way that nobody would ever actually say in natural speech, so I don't think the audience would take that to be a direct quote and would understand it to be paraphrased. It's also in single quotes rather than the double quotes that the BBC House Style uses for direct quotes.
Providing it's not the Daily Mail's favoured technique of a sensationalist headline and story with a final paragraph that actually contains the truth which contradicts everything that has preceded it I think it's ok.
I think in that case it's acceptable - the headline is phrased in an awkward way that nobody would ever actually say in natural speech, so I don't think the audience would take that to be a direct quote and would understand it to be paraphrased. It's also in single quotes rather than the double quotes that the BBC House Style uses for direct quotes.
Providing it's not the Daily Mail's favoured technique of a sensationalist headline and story with a final paragraph that actually contains the truth which contradicts everything that has preceded it I think it's ok.
IS
They're not built into the set, in my experience they're normally on a trolley with the video monitor. The trolley is so the crew/floor manager can move them out the way of the cameras or in view of a presenter/guest.
Nope, you usually hear cut items on the speakers in the studio. Sometimes the output of an incoming line too
'Offsite'? no, the programme is put together in the studio gallery
Furthermore, is "foldback" only heard in their earpiece on the news set, or is there a series of speakers built into the set? to play the audio that the viewer hears? If so, where are these speakers normally placed? (( may have asked this question before but can't recall the answer here.)
They're not built into the set, in my experience they're normally on a trolley with the video monitor. The trolley is so the crew/floor manager can move them out the way of the cameras or in view of a presenter/guest.
Quote:
This whole sound/vision integration on live news is fascinating me. Being a fly on the wall in the studio during a broadcast is probably a very silent affair, as the only actual noise heard in the open are the voices of the presenters.
Nope, you usually hear cut items on the speakers in the studio. Sometimes the output of an incoming line too
Quote:
Everything else is "dropped-in" from somewhere offsite.
'Offsite'? no, the programme is put together in the studio gallery
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 6 November 2011 7:33pm - 4 times in total
GE
I think that you can partly blame Ceefax for this phenomenon.
Ceefax gets its stories from the BBC News website. Originally, the headline on every story had to be between 31 and 33 characters long - to fill a Teletext line. Things changed a little two years ago, and stories could have a longer headline on the story page; but links from index pages would still be the short version.
The headline you've quoted above is 38 characters, but there was probably a not all that much shorter version that linked to it.
Another example, which I can find a link to: Lion reports disrupt rail service becomes "Lion sighting reports disrupt rail service" on the story page.
Incidentally, it's also the case that the first 7 or 8 paragraphs become the Ceefax story - which is why you'll find a potted summary of the story followed by some more detail.
thegeek
Founding member
This is shamelessly stretching the purpose of this thread, and is more of a moan about journalism in general - but why is it acceptable to quote people as saying things that they haven't said? An example being on the BBC News home at the moment: "M5 witness: 'I carried baby to safety'". He talks about it, but he doesn't say
that
. I know this is painfully pedantic, but is paraphrasing the thrust of a quote good enough?
I think that you can partly blame Ceefax for this phenomenon.
Ceefax gets its stories from the BBC News website. Originally, the headline on every story had to be between 31 and 33 characters long - to fill a Teletext line. Things changed a little two years ago, and stories could have a longer headline on the story page; but links from index pages would still be the short version.
The headline you've quoted above is 38 characters, but there was probably a not all that much shorter version that linked to it.
Another example, which I can find a link to: Lion reports disrupt rail service becomes "Lion sighting reports disrupt rail service" on the story page.
Incidentally, it's also the case that the first 7 or 8 paragraphs become the Ceefax story - which is why you'll find a potted summary of the story followed by some more detail.