IS
Coming back to this subject - this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmnlRaFn0oM is a programme from day 1 of BBC Choice. If you go 2 minutes in - that is the 4th floor transmission area, seemingly up and running. the 'office' she is walking into is Suite A (which ended up being used for Knowledge)
(I have vague recollections of a temporary presentation area being built on the 6th floor central wedge, but can't recall whether that was for rehearsal purposes for the new channels or whether it was used on air.)
Coming back to this subject - this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmnlRaFn0oM is a programme from day 1 of BBC Choice. If you go 2 minutes in - that is the 4th floor transmission area, seemingly up and running. the 'office' she is walking into is Suite A (which ended up being used for Knowledge)
DE
Great clip. I see the production standards for BBC digital channels haven't exactly improved much! That two-shot with little and large at the beginning is hilarious! The perils of a single camera shoot I suppose (and by the look of it, a cheap single camera at that!) The area featured two minutes into that clip is the very area we were referring to earlier in this thread: the 4th 1/2th floor at TVC. She walked in to the operator's and engineer's central area and then she turned left into BBC Choice's presentation control room. I think that control room became BBC Knowledge's control room eventually and Choice moved to the other side of the central area to Suite D and eventually to the multi-stream area before becoming BBC Three. As mentioned earlier in the thread, this whole area is still intact, though stripped of all technical equipment.
IS
Whatever happened to Lindsay Fallow eh?
Yep.
Also of Interest is that the family at the end tune into a test transmission, presumably of Trooping of The Colour, I wonder how long before launch that was filmed
Great clip. I see the production standards for BBC digital channels haven't exactly improved much! That two-shot with little and large at the beginning is hilarious!
Whatever happened to Lindsay Fallow eh?
Quote:
I think that control room became BBC Knowledge's control room eventually and Choice moved to the other side of the central area to Suite D and eventually to the multi-stream area before becoming BBC Three.
Yep.
Also of Interest is that the family at the end tune into a test transmission, presumably of Trooping of The Colour, I wonder how long before launch that was filmed
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 19 July 2009 10:20am
DE
I think it is worth considering definitely. The orgeranised tours are generally well done, though it can depend on what's going on in the studios as to whether you see anything really exciting going on. I don't think you get to see in production galleries, you do get shown around the dressing rooms, observations galleries to the studios and places like that. For real pres anoraks, you won't get shown the live presentation areas (where the channels are actually broadcast from with the announcers and so-on) because (A) they're not at TV Centre any more and (B) they're run by an outsourced company called Red Bee Media (though most of RBM's staff work in a BBC building to which BBC staff still have access - all rather complicated!)
Is TVC worth a visit? Taking a group of Scouts to London next week and the tour is an option. Is it just those who are interested in TV pres who'd be interested or do people who've been think 'normalites' will enjoy it. They're aged 10-14.
I think it is worth considering definitely. The orgeranised tours are generally well done, though it can depend on what's going on in the studios as to whether you see anything really exciting going on. I don't think you get to see in production galleries, you do get shown around the dressing rooms, observations galleries to the studios and places like that. For real pres anoraks, you won't get shown the live presentation areas (where the channels are actually broadcast from with the announcers and so-on) because (A) they're not at TV Centre any more and (B) they're run by an outsourced company called Red Bee Media (though most of RBM's staff work in a BBC building to which BBC staff still have access - all rather complicated!)
MO
I think it is worth considering definitely. The orgeranised tours are generally well done, though it can depend on what's going on in the studios as to whether you see anything really exciting going on. I don't think you get to see in production galleries, you do get shown around the dressing rooms, observations galleries to the studios and places like that. For real pres anoraks, you won't get shown the live presentation areas (where the channels are actually broadcast from with the announcers and so-on) because (A) they're not at TV Centre any more and (B) they're run by an outsourced company called Red Bee Media (though most of RBM's staff work in a BBC building to which BBC staff still have access - all rather complicated!)
Do you get to see anywhere in BBC News - N8, N9 etc?
Is TVC worth a visit? Taking a group of Scouts to London next week and the tour is an option. Is it just those who are interested in TV pres who'd be interested or do people who've been think 'normalites' will enjoy it. They're aged 10-14.
I think it is worth considering definitely. The orgeranised tours are generally well done, though it can depend on what's going on in the studios as to whether you see anything really exciting going on. I don't think you get to see in production galleries, you do get shown around the dressing rooms, observations galleries to the studios and places like that. For real pres anoraks, you won't get shown the live presentation areas (where the channels are actually broadcast from with the announcers and so-on) because (A) they're not at TV Centre any more and (B) they're run by an outsourced company called Red Bee Media (though most of RBM's staff work in a BBC building to which BBC staff still have access - all rather complicated!)
Do you get to see anywhere in BBC News - N8, N9 etc?
IS
I was watching at least one of their news channels at the time and didn't notice anything. They're (BBC World, News Channel and 5 Live are the only channels that come from there now)
It's very unusual for the whole building to have a fire alert and normally those who are broadcast critical remain inside until they're absolutely sure that there is a fire and they're in the same part of the building
I'll put it in here because I don't think it deserves a thread in its own right but I've been reliably informed that TVC had a fire alarm and was evacuated at about 3pm on Sunday afternoon.
Did any channels/programmes get interrupted at all during this?
Did any channels/programmes get interrupted at all during this?
I was watching at least one of their news channels at the time and didn't notice anything. They're (BBC World, News Channel and 5 Live are the only channels that come from there now)
It's very unusual for the whole building to have a fire alert and normally those who are broadcast critical remain inside until they're absolutely sure that there is a fire and they're in the same part of the building
JU
This is right, the area she was in was the Digital Transmission Area or DTA as it was known. That area was on the 4th floor of the South Hall in TVC, which used to house the gallery style pres area of the 80's. In the early 90's all analogue transmission came from the 2nd floor of the south hall, from the Network Transmission Area (NTA) this was where automation was first introduced. Eventually in 2001 the DTA took over analogue and digital transmission for all BBC channels until the move to the broadcast centre in 2004/5. The 1st floor of the south hall was the Commercial Digital Transmission Area or CDTA that housed BBC World/Prime and UK TV channels.
Great clip. I see the production standards for BBC digital channels haven't exactly improved much! That two-shot with little and large at the beginning is hilarious! The perils of a single camera shoot I suppose (and by the look of it, a cheap single camera at that!) The area featured two minutes into that clip is the very area we were referring to earlier in this thread: the 4th 1/2th floor at TVC. She walked in to the operator's and engineer's central area and then she turned left into BBC Choice's presentation control room. I think that control room became BBC Knowledge's control room eventually and Choice moved to the other side of the central area to Suite D and eventually to the multi-stream area before becoming BBC Three. As mentioned earlier in the thread, this whole area is still intact, though stripped of all technical equipment.
This is right, the area she was in was the Digital Transmission Area or DTA as it was known. That area was on the 4th floor of the South Hall in TVC, which used to house the gallery style pres area of the 80's. In the early 90's all analogue transmission came from the 2nd floor of the south hall, from the Network Transmission Area (NTA) this was where automation was first introduced. Eventually in 2001 the DTA took over analogue and digital transmission for all BBC channels until the move to the broadcast centre in 2004/5. The 1st floor of the south hall was the Commercial Digital Transmission Area or CDTA that housed BBC World/Prime and UK TV channels.
IS
In the early 90's all analogue transmission came from the 2nd floor of the south hall, from the Network Transmission Area (NTA) this was where automation was first introduced.
AIUI the NTA didn't come on air until about 1994/5, there were lots of technical issues with the automation and scheduling software which delayed it's introduction.
It's closure and the transfer to the digital area was long and drawn out, the first stage starting in late 1999 - so it after all the complications of setting it up it only really lasted a few years
In the early 90's all analogue transmission came from the 2nd floor of the south hall, from the Network Transmission Area (NTA) this was where automation was first introduced.
AIUI the NTA didn't come on air until about 1994/5, there were lots of technical issues with the automation and scheduling software which delayed it's introduction.
It's closure and the transfer to the digital area was long and drawn out, the first stage starting in late 1999 - so it after all the complications of setting it up it only really lasted a few years
NG
It's closure and the transfer to the digital area was long and drawn out, the first stage starting in late 1999 - so it after all the complications of setting it up it only really lasted a few years
Yep - I remember it opening AND closing in a pretty short space of time. When it closed studios lost their red lights being flashed by Pres ISTR.
In the pre-DTA-only days Pres were able to remotely control studio red lights - so that Pres told the studio when they were on-air and about to be on-air. Once the NTA shut the red light control became purely the responsibility of the studio.
noggin
Founding member
It's closure and the transfer to the digital area was long and drawn out, the first stage starting in late 1999 - so it after all the complications of setting it up it only really lasted a few years
Yep - I remember it opening AND closing in a pretty short space of time. When it closed studios lost their red lights being flashed by Pres ISTR.
In the pre-DTA-only days Pres were able to remotely control studio red lights - so that Pres told the studio when they were on-air and about to be on-air. Once the NTA shut the red light control became purely the responsibility of the studio.