Channel 4’s fabulous new idents have received a big thumbs up from many Pres fans.
But if you’ve been keeping a close eye – or rather ear – on things, you may have noticed something a little more concerning.
The vast majority of continuity links before 7pm now appear to be very generic.
The announcer simply plugs a programme later in the week or something available online over the ident.
No attempt is made to bring the viewer into the programme about to start or whet their appetite for the next one.
On a typical day, some identical links are heard two or three times.
There’s nothing wrong with any of the individual links – there are only so many ways that even the most imaginative announcer can introduce the third episode in a row of The Simpsons – but it does start to call the purpose of announcers into question.
If they are not fundamentally there as the live link between the viewer and the broadcaster, what is the point of them?
The time could be spent on more promotions or be used to accommodate extra advertising if Ofcom gives the green light to proposals to allow more commercials on PSBs.
It is not hard to mount an argument that traditional announcers are no longer quite as fundamental to smooth presentation as was once the case.
Breakdowns are rare and Channel 4 rarely has last-minute programme changes.
But this argument would be very short-sighted.
At their best, announcers remind viewers that channels are living, breathing, live services – not the impersonal robotic product of a server loaded up hours earlier.
In recent years it has become common to pre-record some links on major channels – even, sadly, on BBC One and Two. There is no continuity on ITV 1 until 1.30pm.
But that does not mean this is desirable.
Some BBC announcers, such as Duncan Newmarch, are unsung heroes. His scripting on the night when Christmas was effectively cancelled in December 2020 was appreciated by many.
The role of a good, live announcer needs to be properly appreciated and celebrated. Otherwise the bean counters and marketing types will pounce and they will be gone.
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: BBC Wales announcer Leanne Thomas. COPYRIGHT: BBC.
Most countries don’t have continuity announcers at all anymore. Or idents, for that matter. At most there is a sting/bumper into programmes (often not even that, just straight from adverts/trailers into the show). I like announcers too, but there is perhaps an argument that their function is archaic in a world increasingly geared towards on-demand/streaming. Who knows, maybe 30 years ago you’d have written an article decrying the end of in-vision continuity! Can’t halt progress…
Wonder how far off the AI CA we might be?
I don’t think 24/7 live continuity is necessary but certainly afternoons should be considered as important as primetime and arguably more than ever their role needs to be encouraging people to stick with the channel or family of channels. And yes, there is an argument you can only introduce The Simpsons so many way, but doing it live means you can have fun with it, as they did for a period introducing it as anything but The Simpsons.