+- TV Live Forum (https://www.tvliveforum.com)
+-- Forum: TV Live Forum (https://www.tvliveforum.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Presentation (https://www.tvliveforum.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Thread: Tvam- Timeslot (/showthread.php?tid=367)
Tvam- Timeslot - bluecortina2 - 06-06-2021
Steve in Pudsey post_id=17022 time=1622961797 user_id=942 Wrote:I think we thought it more likely that the facility playing out ads for the rest of the country (either Didsbury or Wilmslow depending on who you
ask https://tvforum.uk/forums/post1243901#post-1243901) was also covering macro regions played out from London
The ads were played out from their London HQ and a smaller site in Knutsford. Though what would’ve happened if they decamped to Thames I don’t know. Obviously potentially that would not have technically affected the Knutsford operation. Thankfully another career near miss for me.
Tvam- Timeslot - Markymark - 06-06-2021
bluecortina2 post_id=17061 time=1622978307 user_id=1578 Wrote:Steve in Pudsey post_id=17022 time=1622961797 user_id=942 Wrote:I think we thought it more likely that the facility playing out ads for the rest of the country (either Didsbury or Wilmslow depending on who you
ask https://tvforum.uk/forums/post1243901#post-1243901) was also covering macro regions played out from London
The ads were played out from their London HQ and a smaller site in Knutsford. Though what would’ve happened if they decamped to Thames I don’t know. Obviously potentially that would not have technically affected the Knutsford operation. Thankfully another career near miss for me.
Did they use ACR-25 (or similar) cart machines, or just compile the breaks onto 1 inch C-Format I wonder ?
I wonder how much 'disaster recovery' provision they had with Thames ?
It clearly included in vision 'pres', and the playout of standby programming, but commercials would have been a bit more involved, because obviously they have to be what ever had been sold for that morning on site at Thames ?
Teletext routing etc, open this link, drill down to 'IBA Tech Reviews 1-24', select 20, look at pages 27-36
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZF58QkZu1NO9K0JYw0bfmabV2pRQVXAFGb7
Tvam- Timeslot - bluecortina2 - 06-06-2021
Markymark post_id=17069 time=1622979516 user_id=1078 Wrote:bluecortina2 post_id=17061 time=1622978307 user_id=1578 Wrote:Steve in Pudsey post_id=17022 time=1622961797 user_id=942 Wrote:I think we thought it more likely that the facility playing out ads for the rest of the country (either Didsbury or Wilmslow depending on who you
ask https://tvforum.uk/forums/post1243901#post-1243901) was also covering macro regions played out from London
The ads were played out from their London HQ and a smaller site in Knutsford. Though what would’ve happened if they decamped to Thames I don’t know. Obviously potentially that would not have technically affected the Knutsford operation. Thankfully another career near miss for me.
Did they use ACR-25 (or similar) cart machines, or just compile the breaks onto 1 inch C-Format I wonder ?
I wonder how much 'disaster recovery' provision they had with Thames ?
It clearly included in vision 'pres', and the playout of standby programming, but commercials would have been a bit more involved, because obviously they have to be what ever had been sold for that morning on site at Thames ?
Teletext routing etc, open this link, drill down to 'IBA Tech Reviews 1-24', select 20, look at pages 27-36
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZF58QkZu1NO9K0JYw0bfmabV2pRQVXAFGb7
You’ve asked a question now. In 1982 the ACR was not really an option as it was no longer a big seller. I’m not sure when Ampex actually stopped production but it must have been around that time. I remember the following details from a tour I was given around the technical areas by an ex-colleague who was one of the engineers in charge of the VT department, this was a few weeks before they went on air. There were equipped with Marconi 1” vt machines - quite a lot. They had contracted with a 3rd party for a system which would remotely control all the machines and automatically compile the breaks from a row of source machines presumably loaded up with all the necessary commercials onto another machine with the breaks made up in a linear fashion. I can’t remember the name of the 3rd party supplier. It didn’t work. So all of this work had to be completed manually and the overtime bill was horrendous as you can imagine the work involved. I don’t know if the automatic system ever worked or whether it was eventually replaced with something else. How this fitted in with the Knutsford operation I do not know.
Edited to add, I see this was touched on before and my post above doesn’t really add anything to it. I was Googling to try and find out the name of the 3rd party supplier.
https://tvforum.uk/tvhome/history-central-39411/page-18
Tvam- Timeslot - Markymark - 06-06-2021
bluecortina2 post_id=17091 time=1622987168 user_id=1578 Wrote:Markymark post_id=17069 time=1622979516 user_id=1078 Wrote:bluecortina2 post_id=17061 time=1622978307 user_id=1578 Wrote:The ads were played out from their London HQ and a smaller site in Knutsford. Though what would’ve happened if they decamped to Thames I don’t know. Obviously potentially that would not have technically affected the Knutsford operation. Thankfully another career near miss for me.
Did they use ACR-25 (or similar) cart machines, or just compile the breaks onto 1 inch C-Format I wonder ?
I wonder how much 'disaster recovery' provision they had with Thames ?
It clearly included in vision 'pres', and the playout of standby programming, but commercials would have been a bit more involved, because obviously they have to be what ever had been sold for that morning on site at Thames ?
Teletext routing etc, open this link, drill down to 'IBA Tech Reviews 1-24', select 20, look at pages 27-36
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZF58QkZu1NO9K0JYw0bfmabV2pRQVXAFGb7
You’ve asked a question now. In 1982 the ACR was not really an option as it was no longer a big seller. I’m not sure when Ampex actually stopped production but it must have been around that time.
What did the ITV companies do about C4 commercial playout, they also needed to equip themselves in 1982 for that ?
Tvam- Timeslot - bluecortina2 - 06-06-2021
Markymark post_id=17095 time=1622988574 user_id=1078 Wrote:bluecortina2 post_id=17091 time=1622987168 user_id=1578 Wrote:Markymark post_id=17069 time=1622979516 user_id=1078 Wrote:Did they use ACR-25 (or similar) cart machines, or just compile the breaks onto 1 inch C-Format I wonder ?
I wonder how much 'disaster recovery' provision they had with Thames ?
It clearly included in vision 'pres', and the playout of standby programming, but commercials would have been a bit more involved, because obviously they have to be what ever had been sold for that morning on site at Thames ?
Teletext routing etc, open this link, drill down to 'IBA Tech Reviews 1-24', select 20, look at pages 27-36
https://u.pcloud.link/publink/show?code=kZF58QkZu1NO9K0JYw0bfmabV2pRQVXAFGb7
You’ve asked a question now. In 1982 the ACR was not really an option as it was no longer a big seller. I’m not sure when Ampex actually stopped production but it must have been around that time.
What did the ITV companies do about C4 commercial playout, they also needed to equip themselves in 1982 for that ?
I can’t really answer your question as each company would likely use whatever they already had, perhaps using it in a different way to pre-compile breaks (?) or invest in some new kit. Certainly LWT were using an ACR until at least 1985 and I think TVS too though their machines were much older as I think Southern were early adopters. Lots of options really.
Edited to add. I’m trying to think when LWT bought their ACRs, there were two. Maybe they were bought as a pair in time for C4 - the machines were originally due to be delivered to another company but were ‘diverted’ to LWT (ahem).
Tvam- Timeslot - Steve in Pudsey - 06-06-2021
bluecortina2 post_id=17061 time=1622978307 user_id=1578 Wrote:Steve in Pudsey post_id=17022 time=1622961797 user_id=942 Wrote:I think we thought it more likely that the facility playing out ads for the rest of the country (either Didsbury or Wilmslow depending on who you
ask https://tvforum.uk/forums/post1243901#post-1243901) was also covering macro regions played out from London
The ads were played out from their London HQ and a smaller site in Knutsford. Though what would’ve happened if they decamped to Thames I don’t know. Obviously potentially that would not have technically affected the Knutsford operation. Thankfully another career near miss for me.
As so much of the South of the country was without power (or received TV from a transmitter site that was) it may have been a bit of a moot point.
I daresay it wouldn't have been beyond the wit of the IBA and BT to route Thames >Knutsford > Crystal Palace etc
Tvam- Timeslot - James Martin - 06-06-2021
Didn't Gyngell ditch regional ads in any case due to the cost and man hours involved in putting the breaks together (a team which had their own night shift?)
Tvam- Timeslot - Inspector Sands - 06-06-2021
This is what Thames used for its ads and promos for both ITV and Channel 4
![[Image: Screenshot_20210606-175048_Drive.jpg]](https://up.metropol247.co.uk/Inspector%20Sands/Screenshot_20210606-175048_Drive.jpg)
It says three but AIUI there were two MARCs - one for ITV and one for Ch4. They were tried live but were too unreliable so compiled upcoming breaks during programmes. They weren't in use for long in the end of course, they ended up retiring to Teddington and doing the ads for UK Living and BBC World
Tvam- Timeslot - JK1985 - 06-06-2021
James Martin post_id=17103 time=1622992002 user_id=872 Wrote:Didn't Gyngell ditch regional ads in any case due to the cost and man hours involved in putting the breaks together (a team which had their own night shift?)No surprise, as Gyngell was infamous was his stingy approach to the TV-am budget. He literally kept a tight hold on the purse strings at TV-am, only letting it a bit loose from 1988 to 1991 when TV-am was making super profits for him.
However once the announcement of TV-am loss of franchise from Jan 1st 1993, he went back to his old ways, and took a hacksaw to the budget.
Tvam- Timeslot - Markymark - 06-06-2021
Inspector Sands post_id=17127 time=1623000610 user_id=1003 Wrote:This is what Thames used for its ads and promos for both ITV and Channel 4
It says three but AIUI there were two MARCs - one for ITV and one for Ch4. They were tried live but were too unreliable so compiled upcoming breaks during programmes. They weren't in use for long in the end of course, they ended up retiring to Teddington and doing the ads for UK Living and BBC World
I know Thames ran their ACR25s for ITV in tandem. I witnessed a quick cross fade from one to another on a couple of occasions when the primary machine became unstable.
I visited TVS in 1987, they were compliling their ITV breaks off of ACR25, and dubbing onto 1 Inch for playout
Tvam- Timeslot - Inspector Sands - 06-06-2021
JK1985 post_id=17129 time=1623001076 user_id=1347 Wrote:No surprise, as Gyngell was infamous was his stingy approach to the TV-am budget. He literally kept a tight hold on the purse strings at TV-am, only letting it a bit loose from 1988 to 1991 when TV-am was making super profits for him.Can't say I blame him, once they were going out of business and they didn't have to do all the expensive worthy stuff it was a case of the company making as much money as they could for the shareholders in the remaining months
However once the announcement of TV-am loss of franchise from Jan 1st 1993, he went back to his old ways, and took a hacksaw to the budget.
Tvam- Timeslot - Markymark - 06-06-2021
Inspector Sands post_id=17133 time=1623003343 user_id=1003 Wrote:JK1985 post_id=17129 time=1623001076 user_id=1347 Wrote:No surprise, as Gyngell was infamous was his stingy approach to the TV-am budget. He literally kept a tight hold on the purse strings at TV-am, only letting it a bit loose from 1988 to 1991 when TV-am was making super profits for him.Can't say I blame him, once they were going out of business and they didn't have to do all the expensive worthy stuff it was a case of the company making as much money as they could for the shareholders in the remaining months
However once the announcement of TV-am loss of franchise from Jan 1st 1993, he went back to his old ways, and took a hacksaw to the budget.
Yes, in fact it's exactly what you would expect a profitable company placed on death row to do!
Tvam- Timeslot - James2001 - 06-06-2021
Provided an inferior service for the viewers though. Weren't they even repeating several year old Wacaday editions at one point?
Tvam- Timeslot - bluecortina2 - 06-06-2021
Markymark post_id=17131 time=1623001813 user_id=1078 Wrote:Inspector Sands post_id=17127 time=1623000610 user_id=1003 Wrote:This is what Thames used for its ads and promos for both ITV and Channel 4
It says three but AIUI there were two MARCs - one for ITV and one for Ch4. They were tried live but were too unreliable so compiled upcoming breaks during programmes. They weren't in use for long in the end of course, they ended up retiring to Teddington and doing the ads for UK Living and BBC World
I know Thames ran their ACR25s for ITV in tandem. I witnessed a quick cross fade from one to another on a couple of occasions when the primary machine became unstable.
I visited TVS in 1987, they were compliling their ITV breaks off of ACR25, and dubbing onto 1 Inch for playout
From memory Thames had ‘A’ and ‘B’ versions of the ACR. The original A versions had analogue glass delay lines in their time base correctors, When these became unavailable Ampex moved over to digital TBC’s.
Southern’s were so old they must have been original A versions - sharing much in common with their AVR1 machine.
Tvam- Timeslot - soupie - 06-06-2021
James2001 post_id=17147 time=1623009523 user_id=956 Wrote:Provided an inferior service for the viewers though. Weren't they even repeating several year old Wacaday editions at one point?Steve Williams has commented on this before so can hopefully clarify, but I think in the summer of 1992 they were showing Wacadays from 1987?! The repeats were early at weekends to be fair, but like most live TV- by its very nature- clearly wasn’t designed to ever be shown again...let alone several years later.