As anyone in radio is more than well aware, when you get to the end of your playlist at the end of the evening there will be silence as there is nothing there to be played.. there will be no servers cued, tapes ready, slides available saying ANYTHING.
I work in radio, and if the studio goes silent for more than a minute, a standby CD starts playing at the transmitter on repeat (arguably the radio equivalent of the blue screen), as is the case at most radio stations, so that's not true at all.
I still don't understand what this thread is about anymore!
Is the debate that if LNN ran out of programmes to transmit then the London News Network KRS thingy would be displayed?
If that is the case is there a similar bit of kit at LNN (as there is at most of the transmitters) that generates that image?
OR
does someone have to select that KRS image to be broadcast?
Can I ask another question? Do LNN still provide the playout for ITV? I only ask because I thought LNN was formed to produce local news for London, and as they don't do that anymore is there any reason for them to exist other than for transmitting ITVs programmes? I wouldn't have thought a business just to playout ITV programmes was viable, so what else do they do?
I still don't understand what this thread is about anymore!
In simple terms:
(a) if, for the sake of argument, LNN staff all walked out and just left things running, it is conceivable that the KRS caption or a test signal of some sort might eventually end up being broadcast when the current programme finishes. Hopefully, a freelancer or member of management might just put up some sort of apology...or maybe you might just get black and silence. Possibly some freelance staff might even be able to sustain a programme service of some sort.
(b) if everyone at LNN went out on strike and LNN/ITV management felt that they couldn't provide a service **at all** (something similar to the 1979 situation), then it is possible that LNN bosses would pull the plug on the feed out to NTL and the transmitter network. Then, if no signal is received at the transmitter site, most main NTL transmitter stations will broadcast a blue apology caption rather like the one I supplied earlier in this thread.
The main point of this thread is that in a situation as that outlined in (b), the blue apology caption **can** still be broadcast.
Can I ask another question? Do LNN still provide the playout for ITV? I only ask because I thought LNN was formed to produce local news for London, and as they don't do that anymore is there any reason for them to exist other than for transmitting ITVs programmes? I wouldn't have thought a business just to playout ITV programmes was viable, so what else do they do?
LNN has been renamed ITV plc Southern Playout Centre
I still don't understand what this thread is about anymore!
In simple terms:
(a) if, for the sake of argument, LNN staff all walked out and just left things running, it is conceivable that the KRS caption or a test signal of some sort might eventually end up being broadcast when the current programme finishes. Hopefully, a freelancer or member of management might just put up some sort of apology...or maybe you might just get black and silence. Possibly some freelance staff might even be able to sustain a programme service of some sort.
(b) if everyone at LNN went out on strike and LNN/ITV management felt that they couldn't provide a service **at all** (something similar to the 1979 situation), then it is possible that LNN bosses would pull the plug on the feed out to NTL and the transmitter network. Then, if no signal is received at the transmitter site, most main NTL transmitter stations will broadcast a blue apology caption rather like the one I supplied earlier in this thread.
The main point of this thread is that in a situation as that outlined in (b), the blue apology caption **can** still be broadcast.
OK, I think i'm getting the gist of this thread now!!!
SO, for instance, if LNN had a power-cut something at LNN would automatically generate that KRS image of London to put out to the network and hence, the transmitters?
As anyone in radio is more than well aware, when you get to the end of your playlist at the end of the evening there will be silence as there is nothing there to be played.. there will be no servers cued, tapes ready, slides available saying ANYTHING.
I work in radio, and if the studio goes silent for more than a minute, a standby CD starts playing at the transmitter on repeat (arguably the radio equivalent of the blue screen), as is the case at most radio stations, so that's not true at all.
Yes.. thanks for that. I think the point which I was making was there will be silence first - BEFORE anything happens.
There are countless stories of backup CDs kicking in during Sept 11, Queen Mums Death, Rememberence Sunday etc...
There will be black on screen if there is nothing loaded in the schedule - and therefore no KRS 67 slide (which would have to be scheduled as a source either on the mixer or via MCR) - if anything it would be an ITV slide.
Of course this won't actually happen. The viewer will have no idea what is going on behind the scenes.
Can I ask another question? Do LNN still provide the playout for ITV? I only ask because I thought LNN was formed to produce local news for London, and as they don't do that anymore is there any reason for them to exist other than for transmitting ITVs programmes? I wouldn't have thought a business just to playout ITV programmes was viable, so what else do they do?
LNN became wholey owned by ITV plc and has been renamed to LNN transmission. They are still referred to as 'LNN' by various people on here for the same reason that people still referred to 'GMG' long after Granada Media Group became Granada plc.
A similar thing happened when Mark and Lard left radio 1. Wasn't thier studio in Manchester? For a last practical joke when coming up to 3pm to hand over to sara cox for the very last time, they just said good bye but never let go of the feed to hand back to london, they left it on complete silence for a couple of seconds. Eventually the backup kicked in and Sara Cox explained that if complete silence happens for more than 7-10 seconds on radio 1 an emergancy playout of songs is played. Which it eventually did.
ITV STRIKE TO HIT LIVE PROGRAMMING AND FILMING SCHEDULES
:: PR Newswire, London, March 31. This press release is transmitted on behalf
of Amicus and BECTU.
LONDON, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- A strike by broadcasting unions, Amicus and
BECTU, at ITV's main
production centres is set to 'blackout' popular live programmes such as Ant
and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and disrupt filming schedules for soaps
such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale. The industrial dispute is over pay.
The action to be taken by Amicus and BECTU members at London Weekend
Television, Yorkshire TV, 3sixtymedia and Granada will start strike action at
7 am on Friday 8th April through to 7 pm on Saturday 9th April, disrupting
ITV productions in London, Manchester and Leeds over that 36 hour period.
Both unions will be taking further action at LWT only starting again at 7 am
on Friday 15th April.
BECTU members at ITV Central (Nottingham and Birmingham), ITV Anglia in
Norwich and at the company's Southern Transmission Centre in London will also
take part in a two-hour stoppage from 12 noon to 2 pm on Friday 8 April. In
total more than 700 production, technical and support staff will be involved.
The strike follows member's rejection of a 3.3% pay offer in a ballot
that closed last week. Members are angry that once again their pay rise
barely touches inflation after a year of record job cuts and a strong
financial performance. During the last five years ITV pay has fallen short of
average earnings by 10% and has also fallen below inflation.
Mike Smallwood, Amicus' National Officer for the broadcast industry,
said:
"Our members have had enough of the company's penny pinching when it
comes to staff pay rises. Staff living standards are being eroded year on
year and they deserve a far better deal given their contribution to the
company's continuing success. Staff have been told that the company needs to
keep pay in line with inflation yet ITV's senior management and directors are
being awarded excessive amounts, We want a substantial increase for our
members."
Sharon Elliot, BECTU Supervisory Official for Independent Broadcasting,
said:
"ITV is traditionally regarded as a high payer. The fact is that high pay
only applies to the few in ITV. Constant cost-cutting coupled with an
enduring long hours culture, particularly in programme production, makes ITV
below average when it comes to rewarding its staff. Some staff in ITV are
paid as little as GBP11,000 a year. In a year when the company has exceeded
its cost-cutting targets by 20% and cut more than 1500 jobs ITV staff deserve
a substantial increase."
The two unions have condemned boardroom pay at ITV plc where Chief
Executive Charles Allen, has received a bumper remuneration package of
GBP8.7m. ITV's Finance Director is also reported to be paid GBP1m a year. ITV
plc reported a 57% rise in profit in their first year as a merged company, a
pre-tax profit of GBP340m. Carlton TV and Granada merged to form ITV in June
2004.
Amicus and BECTU are also seeking meaningful national pay negotiations
with ITV plc rather than with the individual ITV companies.
BECTU members at ITV Central (Nottingham and Birmingham), ITV Anglia in Norwich and at the company's Southern Transmission Centre in London will also take part in a two-hour stoppage from 12 noon to 2 pm on Friday 8 April.
interesting, i presume the strike will affect central south in abingdon too. it'll be intersting to see whether we will get the lunchtime news at all all - and if so, what'll happen during the regional news slot in central land.