In the old days, TV went wrong far more often than it does today.
Programmes on film and VT broke down when machines developed problems.
Live programmes could suffer from all sorts of issues.
Outside broadcasts were also prone to all kinds of failings – from the link to the studio going down to the fire bell going off at a venue.
But for BBC viewers at least, these problems rarely led to on-air catastrophes.
Within seconds a slide would appear. Then came the familiar, reassuring voice of the announcer to apologise followed by some music.
If the fault was likely to last for some time, a filler programme could be taken from the shelf.
In the nations and regions there was an added risk.
What if the network link broke down or suddenly started carrying the wrong material?
In the nations at least, the local presentation departments were usually on the case within seconds.
Indeed dealing with these situations was an Important part of the announcer’s job.
Former senior announcer Richard Straker explained it during a 1987 edition of Open Air when a viewer wondered if they might start appearing in-vision like the CBBC presenters.
Indeed I wonder how often Richard and his colleagues sounded like they were calmly keeping the show on the road while their colleagues in NC1 and NC2 were frantically trying to sort out major problems.
Of course, it was the moments like these which those of us who enjoyed Presentation in our younger days cherished.
But these moments also told us so much about the professionalism of BBC Presentation and the resilience arrangements.
Continuity was the first line of defence in a disaster. Continuity made sure that breakdowns – which were then much more frequent than today – did not compromise the integrity of the BBC.
I highlight all of this because of last week’s disaster in Scotland during the first few minutes of the BBC News at Six.
It is not for us to speculate on just how this catastrophe occurred or say who was or was not responsible.
But I would suggest the BBC needs to think carefully about resilience arrangements more generally up and down the country.
There have been too many examples in recent years of problems and breakdowns becoming catastrophes. I still shudder at the night an edition of Panorama went wrong.
I would suggest a few basic steps might be considered.
Firstly it should always be possible to cut to a breakdown caption within seconds. There should never be a blank screen or the “wrong” material.
Secondly we need announcers who can calmly apologise without stumbling – even when their heart is beating faster.
Thirdly, should announcers be required to play some appropriate music like they used to? To my mind, the looped ambient sound which accompanies the breakdown caption makes things worse.
A few other questions are worth exploring.
In general, might some network directors and announcers lack sufficient experience in dealing with emergencies? This can be put right with training and realistic exercises in dealing with all the likely scenarios.
Perhaps part of the discussion might involve asking whether network presentation should be brought back in-house when Red Bee’s contract expires.
Playing out BBC One or Two is not like playing out a minor satellite channel.
BBC Presentation used to symbolise all that was best in the corporation’s professionalism in an age when things went wrong far more frequently.
With the right resilience arrangements, it could again.
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PICTURED: BBC One Scotland ident. COPYRIGHT: BBC.
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