BBC Two/Lambing Live Problem

What a breakdown. Apart from that lousy fault 'slide', it's interesting to note how the announcer seemed to have almost no control over the level of the music he was playing. If he was dipping it for his frequent announcements, he certainly wasn't dipping it enough. Given that breakdowns aren't all that common these days, it's perhaps not surprising that the balance between keeping the viewer informed and just sounding plain repetitive when you've got nothing much new to say is being forgotten.

And as for that Coast filler, to me, that sounded like DigiBeta dropout - dirty heads, something like that - do RedBee still run emergency material like that off tape? I know that virtually all programmes are played out from server, but I have known very late programmes to be transmitted directly from tape so it's certainly possible.

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As I mentioned yesterday, it could be that it was cached to server with a tape fault and not checked.

I know they keep a tape copy of programmes handy should the server system go down, I'd have thought they'd have some standbys kicking around on tape too

Hey, it's easy to say "0" after the programme's finished!? . Are you having a bet on the Grand National this weekend once the race is over??

Hmm - what's the point of cacheing things to server and not checking the recording??

Red Bee haven't covered themselves in glory recently have they?

Quite, surely the'd have a few reliable programmes on server ready to go

And hopefully some on tape, or a completely independent server to the one that's playing out the programmes.

It's noticeable that in almost all recent breakdowns the announcers have been talking a lot, which makes me think it's an instruction from above rather than of their own initiative. Even when that World Cup match fell off the air and they faded up 5 Live's commentary the anno was still interrupting it to state the bleedin' obvious every couple of minutes.

yes, I put a bet on Dawn Run NOT running in the 2012 grand national

if Harry Hill was on he'd be betting on which sheep was best, the beltec or the sweldale FIGHT!

Only a selection of material is ingested for standbys as otherwise servers would get full pretty quickly. In this instance no warning was given that a programme of that shorter length was required. It was played from tape and so no matter how many times you preview a tape it is always possible for it to clog at the time you put it to air. It's nothing to do with Red Bee or any glory it has or doesn't has. It was an unprecidented problem to have a breakdown within a breakdown and one that was handled quickly and proffesionaly. Just as it would be by many on here I'm sure?!!

Of course there was no notice, but that's no excuse for not being prepared. There is little excuse for not having something on server ready to go in such an instance. When I worked in pres standbys were routinely loaded and previewed for live programmes. I do remember at least one that head-clogged.... but it did it when it was previewed! It's something that's easier to do these days as with servers it's all there ready to go.


That is very true, those involved were unlucky and did a good job in the circumstances

Standbys of various lengths are ingested and checked prior to the live programme, but often schedulers will dictate a standby to play, not the pres director or editor anymore, so tapes are often needed last minute and they can head clog without notice. It's not a question of not being prepared standbys are on server and checked. Not every duration can ever be ingested as it would simply require too much server space only a selection make it to server.