AIUI they mixed between slides, symbols and clocks during their links - but all trails and programmes were run by directors and visions mixers (and of course in those days the VT machines were all big devices down in the basement so they wouldn't actually run VTs, just cue a bloke with a beard and sandals to run them instead)
The arrangement in London in the old days was as follows:
The Gallery (staffed by an Engineer, Operator, Director and PA plus - at peak times - a Presfax clerk) had a combined sound and vision mixer. One source on that was the output of the Announcer's mixer. The gallery mixer could also take any of the Anno's vision sources direct.
The Announcer had a mixer with vision channels for the symbol, the clock, and slidefile, sound and vision channels for 3 outside sources (for VT, or other studios) and sound only channels for turntables and cart machines (for standby music, national anthem etc) and the announcer's main and spare mics.
In the gallery, the Director had the remote control buttons for the VT machines. The Announcer had a duplicate set. It was possible to run the entire operation from either the Gallery (with the announcer on a lip mic) or from the announcer's studio, in the event of either side failing. Not a bad idea!
In the 80s, it was common for the early BBC1 announcer to be self op, with just an assistant in the gallery, for the junctions at start-up and into Breakfast Time. The rest of the team would arrive at about 8.30. The BBC2 Schools sequence was also often self op.
Off the back of tonight's Diesel and Pascoe on BBC One, the announcement about the news played out over the top of the speech on the promo for tomorrow's episode.
The symbol, which followed, then played with no voice-over whatsoever.
So who's going to tell us that that isn't cast iron proof that BBC One's gone over to pre-recorded continuity?
Very sad if true, though I suspected this myself a few weeks ago when the "Next" announcement for Neighbours reappeared in part over the trail which followed.
If any broadcaster should have live annos round the clock it's the BBC. What's the excuse?
Yes the announcers did do some self-oping I believe. I have watched an old clip introducing Play School from a clock. At the cut to Play School you can hear a good old fashioned clunk as a button was pressed.
I loved those clicks, there were always very noticable when the regions were opting in and out.
Anyone notice that the click has been added to the spoof =2= announcements before Look Around You?
Yes the announcers did do some self-oping I believe. I have watched an old clip introducing Play School from a clock. At the cut to Play School you can hear a good old fashioned clunk as a button was pressed.
I loved those clicks, there were always very noticable when the regions were opting in and out.
Anyone notice that the click has been added to the spoof =2= announcements before Look Around You?
Anyone spot the spoof "trailer " before last weeks episode ?
Yes the announcers did do some self-oping I believe. I have watched an old clip introducing Play School from a clock. At the cut to Play School you can hear a good old fashioned clunk as a button was pressed.
I loved those clicks, there were always very noticable when the regions were opting in and out.
Anyone notice that the click has been added to the spoof =2= announcements before Look Around You?
Anyone spot the spoof "trailer " before last weeks episode ?
If you want to spot pre-recorded intros on BBC 1 or 2 listen to the music on the symbol. If fades out nicely after the announcer stops talking just as the programme starts, then it is probably a live anno. If the symbol music crashes back up again after the announcer stops talking then it is probably a pre-recorded anno.
Then maybe the cost of live and recorded annos should be the same?
Ummmm... it obviously costs less to have no announcer there than it does to have an announcer there. Unless you're in the Nations in which case the director does both jobs.
I loved those clicks, there were always very noticable when the regions were opting in and out.
BBC NorthWest's Breakfast bulletins had them until recently, as did Leeds although not quite as noticeable.
North West Today's Breakfast bulletins were plagued not so much by clicks, but more by thunderous bangs, sounding like someone dropping an extremely large dictionary onto a wooden floor from a great height. Speaking of bangs, how is Tina? I've not been in Manchester for a while, so I've not seen her lately.
