UKTV/BBC essential overnight maintenance this week

I predict it will be something about BBC ONE closing for essential engineering work, and saying that BBC NEWS 24 will be at 5 o’clock. I don't think much else will be said.

I'd be surprised if any of the Nations were still on the go at 5am.

The fact that the announcer actually admitted they that had to 'close down' is one reason, instead of just going 'off air'. And he wished us a Good Night too. It felt like a proper closedown announcement from the past.

I also have the 2001 test on video, and I recall that the anno went something like this- "Due to essential work on our transmitters, BBC1 will be off the air for the next hour. We'll rejoin BBC News 24 at 4.00. Digital Viewers, though, can select BBC News 24 in their Electronic Programme Guide." Then a short pause, and the card faded out to be replaced with TCW, which went to TCJ a few seconds later on analouge. I recall a TV Forum thread about it at the time and me being in the TV Ark chatroom with Alan Britton the whole time.

I'd forgotten the announcement on One for 2002's, thanks for reminding me. I do remember the stylish wipe to black after BBC2 closed down though, instead of just a normal fade. It was experimented with over the next few days, unfortunately they didn't stick with it. I also remember the way the BBC1 ident 'turned off' almost immediately afterwards, almost as if someone pulled the plug...which they kind of did.

I'll certainly be up tonight, although perhaps the title of this thread should be changed to include this downtime news.

EDIT: It seems this downtime was decided very late in the day. Radio Times just says BBC News 24 runs from 4.20-6.00 tonight, and 4.10-6.00 on Thursday morning...while BBCi has a blank space between 4.20-5.00 tonight, and 4.10-5.00 on Thursday Morning. That's a point...why are there TWO downtimes this year?

The power problem last week was in a totally diffrent part of the building, which isn't involved with the non-news channels at all.

I think the work is a co-incidence

Huh, always letting the truth get in the way of a good announcement opportunity.

For anyone interested, http://www.tvhome.co.uk/bbcone/1997-misc.shtml features the 2001 engineering announcement.

A gap's appeared on DigiGuide for BBC Two between 4:00 and 5:00 on both Thursday 4 December and Friday 5 December.

The two programmes, Work Talk: France, and Work Talk: Germany, have been shifted to Saturday and Sunday at 5:00.

BBC News 24 still shows on BBC One for both days.

well, we got a bit of an announcement in the Learning Zone programme run down at 00:30
lzeng.mp3
not bad for a run-down menu

Work Talk: Spain isnt being shown. It looks like BBC2 will be off air from 4am - 5am

Will digital terrestrial viewers get BBC News 24 as per last year?

So to confirm:

BBC Two

Wed 4/12
4:00-5:00 off air

Thu 5/12
4:00-5:00 off air

Fri 6/12
4:00-5:00 Work Talk: Spain (originally scheduled Wednesday at 4:00)

Sat 7/12
5:00-6:00 Work Talk: France (originally scheduled Thursday at 4:00)

Sun 8/12
5:00-6:00 Work Talk: Germany (originally schefuled Friday at 4:00)

The closedown on BBC Two consisted of an announcement over this slide, detailing the new transmission times of the Languages programmes:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.hardy63/lee/stuff/bbc2annoclosedown.jpg

Followed by test card W:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.hardy63/lee/stuff/bbc2testcardw.jpg

Then test card J with tone:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.hardy63/lee/stuff/bbc2testcardj.jpg

Well, BBC2 has just closed down over a Learning Zone 'Languages' slide, with the anno mentioning an 'essential closedown for urgent transmission work' or something like that. Analogue and Digital are both currently showing TCW (4:3 Cutout on Analogue) with no tone, just silence.

Oh, hang on, as I write this (4.05) the tone has just come on both Analogue and Digital and TCW has changed to TCJ.

Ooh, hello! What's happening on Digital? The Learning Zone ident just appeared, before going back to TCJ. Don't know if Analogue did the same thing.
Anyway, BBC1 close in 10 minutes.

Then at 4:10am the Learning Zone ident is started:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.hardy63/lee/stuff/bbc2-410.jpg

But isn't given chance to finish, as a shrunken test card J appears:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.hardy63/lee/stuff/bbc2testcardjcropped.jpg