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And now the test card and tone....

(June 2001)

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AS
Asa Admin
Produxion.com are reporting that Broadcaster and transmission network representatives are understood to have discussed the possibility of a 24-hour analogue shutdown late this summer at a meeting held last Wednesday (6 June). But the Independent Television Commission (ITC), whose project director Greg Bensberg chaired the meeting, denied suggestions that analogue signals would suffer as a result of boosting digital coverage.

The report goes on to mention that analogue signals would be turned off to see how strong digital signals could become without analogue when the switchoff finally occurs.

Could you imagine a BBC One closedown again? And what about ITV and C4 who haven't closed down for years and C5 who will find it a very new experience!

http://www.produxion.com/news/asp/ArticleViewUser.asp?aid=6597&sid=7&pid=1

Cheers, Asa
CA
cat
Radio4 still close down, very amusing listening to them signing off at 1am.

The old BBC One Closedown was great, with the national anthem, I liked the BBC 2 Close as well with that little clock.

However, ITV stations rule the roost for closedowns, they were really good and always had a little clock and a picture of something, I think TSW used to have a picture of the night sky over the south west, brilliant.

Don't forget to unplug the telly! (As if it would blow up or something!)

There is of course one station that still closes down every night.....

S4C
BH
BillyH Founding member
Right,If this happens,let us all know on this post.
The last time I saw THIS:
http://www.thetvroom.com/images-bbc-two/bbc-two-97/testcard-f.jpg

Was ages ago! Well actually it was on a Sunday in November 1998,no music,just a tone,the Pink Panther Show was on BBC1 at 6:50 am. This is when I was 10,when I was scared of it!
Please,PLEASE let this happen again,i'm not scared anymore! Smile

(Edited by Billy Hicks88 at 9:09 pm on June 15, 2001)
MV
Mr Voiceover
Yes little old S4C close down for a couple of hours. They used to go off air completly leaving nothing but that dotty snow stuff...

..but they now have a black screen with the tone, so people like me can enjoy the delights of Sbectel (S4C Teletext).

I noticed a special ident is shown just before kids programmes at 5pm! Smile
MV
Mr Voiceover
Billy Hicks88 posted:
Right,If this happens,let us all know on this post.
The last time I saw THIS:
http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/bbc_test/tcf_bbc2_051097.jpg

Was ages ago! Well actually it was on a Sunday in November 1998,no music,just a tone,the Pink Panther Show was on BBC1 at 6:50 am. This is when I was 10,when I was scared of it!
Please,PLEASE let this happen again,i'm not scared anymore! Smile

(Edited by Billy Hicks88 at 8:52 pm on June 14, 2001)



Who is that girl in the testcard? My mum says the girl has been on the testcard since SHE was young, now thats gong back about 30 years!!!!
BH
BillyH Founding member
Mr Voiceover posted:
Who is that girl in the testcard? My mum says the girl has been on the testcard since SHE was young, now thats gong back about 30 years!!!!


It's Carol Hersee,daughter of George Hersee,who sadly died A few months ago Sad.
CA
cat
The girl in the photo is indeed Carole Hersee.
A testcard special is at ::

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1282000/1282160.stm

(Edited by cheshirec at 10:06 pm on June 14, 2001)
BH
BillyH Founding member
Thanks,I've added my own comment!
IS
Isonstine Founding member
cheshirec posted:


However, ITV stations rule the roost for closedowns, they were really good and always had a little clock and a picture of something, I think TSW used to have a picture of the night sky over the south west, brilliant.



Central in about 1986 when the Central cake was being phased in had a shot of the night sky and a town and one by one all the lights switched off whilst the announcer told us about tomorrows programmes and how Central Jobfinder was coming up after closedown. Then the Central Cake formed to become the 'moon' and it said 'Good Night' it was all very cosy.
BB
BBC Choice
Mr Voiceover posted:
Who is that girl in the testcard? My mum says the girl has been on the testcard since SHE was young, now thats gong back about 30 years!!!!

It has been the same test card for donkey's years - did you know that the actual photograph was mirrored, to make everything the other way around because the girl was left-handed, and was playing noughts-and-crosses with her left hand, and this was in the time when being lefthanded was still seen as abnormal, or demonic, so the Beeb were forced to mirror the image to rectify this and make her right handed?
Here's an example of how it may have looked had they not changed it!
http://members.aol.com/focusvid/testcard.jpg

Well there's a bit of useless information for you! Wink
BTW, I like the parody of the testcard they use in It's Only TV But I Like It !

Mark Grindon

(Edited by BBC Choice at 5:28 pm on June 15, 2001)
BH
BillyH Founding member
That's just a myth.

Oh,and everyone that says the 'x' on TCF is the middle of the card:Rubbish! TCJ has the 'x' in the middle!

And TCF is not around anymore! If you ever see it again:it would be:  http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/bbc_test/testcard_j.jpg

Notice the picture has now been zoomed out more. But the last BBC testcard shown EVER was this,nearly a year ago during the power failiure on BBC News 24:

http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/testcard/bbc_test/testcard_w.jpg

'Kay?

(Edited by Billy Hicks88 at 6:34 pm on June 15, 2001)

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