I think I'm right in saying that "Mix-minus" is one of those terms that the BBC calls something different to the rest of the broadcasting industry! They call it a "Clean feed".
So, if, using a current example, Ben Brown is in Adjabiya and both BBC News 24 and BBC World are coming to him at :02 past the hour to simulcast a fifteen minute segment, after each of the channels has done their own respective bulletin openings, who does Ben actually hear in his ear? Is it the News 24 studio presenters or gallery, or, is it the BBC World studio presenter or gallery? Or does he hear nothing, but just receives a cue? If so, from who?
I recall the Glasgow Airport bombing a few years ago, when STV's Louise White dipped in to provide a live report for CNN International. Although she was being "interviewed" by a CNN anchor who was in the London studio, Louise reported on the STV website at the time that she was receiving her "cues" and instructions from an entirely different operation, namely CNN's main Atlanta control room at the CNN Center. Why would that be?
(So many questions about this fascinating industry................................)
I think I'm right in saying that "Mix-minus" is one of those terms that the BBC calls something different to the rest of the broadcasting industry! They call it a "Clean feed".
No, the BBC uses 'Clean Feed' when referring to the audio feed that's sent back to a remote guest/reporter. 'Mix-minus' is the term I've seen which refers to what the sound desk is putting out, IIRC it is called that on some desks. There is a difference, a mix-minus could be used for other things and the 'clean feed' given to a guest will have a switched talkback across it so they can talk to the guest.
I've only heard the term 'Clean Feed' used at the BBC. 'IFB' or Interruptible Fold Back is more common in my experience. 'Clean Feed' is slightly confusing as it can refer to a clean feed of a programme too; i.e the news programme without captions
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 1 April 2011 11:25am
So, if, using a current example, Ben Brown is in Adjabiya and both BBC News 24 and BBC World are coming to him at :02 past the hour to simulcast a fifteen minute segment, after each of the channels has done their own respective bulletin openings, who does Ben actually hear in his ear? Is it the News 24 studio presenters or gallery, or, is it the BBC World studio presenter or gallery? Or does he hear nothing, but just receives a cue? If so, from who?
He'll hear the gallery that's producing that bit of the programme, it'll only be one of them. I assume that in that situation BBC World would be producing it and the News Channel just take the World gallery output at the pre-arranged time.
If he was doing 2 seperate lives, one to each channel they'd 'drop' the clean feed from one and then connect the second. At BBC News this is fairly simple as it all goes through the same control room and it's just a case of pressing something on a router. If someone's doing 'Lives' into 2 programmes in different places the first will hang up (it's usually a phone line) and the second will have to dial in and start again.
Quote:
I recall the Glasgow Airport bombing a few years ago, when STV's Louise White dipped in to provide a live report for CNN International. Although she was being "interviewed" by a CNN anchor who was in the London studio, Louise reported on the STV website at the time that she was receiving her "cues" and instructions from an entirely different operation, namely CNN's main Atlanta control room at the CNN Center. Why would that be?
I believe that CNN works a slightly odd way. AIUI all their output comes from Atlanta, when you see a presenter in London it's essentially just a camera feeding into the Atlanta gallery. Therefore she would be hearing the gallery in Atlanta as they are running the show.
By comparison AJE do have a full gallery in London for their sections so if she was doing an insert into one of their programmes from London she would be liasing with people in London and not Doha
In answer (via PM) to one of my queries above, I learned that one of the previous re-brands of BBC News (visual and sound) took almost 2 years to implement from start to finish, making it a rather big project.
Who has the final say in choosing the final product/revised brand that will appear on our screens? Do news presenters have any say at all in the matter, perhaps with regard to desk shape and positioning and other "comfort" or practical considerations?
Another practical query: is autocue used on location? Or does the anchor have to memorize his/her script? (By on location, I mean particularly non-studio cases such as the current Libya or Kabul rooftops, as opposed to a pre-planned big OB event).
One of the news anchors at BBC News was kind enough to email me and explain a little bit about their operation in one of the current "conflict zones", and where the temporary headcount (from anchors to drivers to camera staff to helpers) runs at 35-40 people. That's quite a big team to eat, feed, sleep, drive, visas, inoculations, medical coverage, flight tickets, wardrobe, laundry, blah, blah, blah.........who exactly takes care of all this kinda stuff? On the ground? And back in HQ? Is there a "project team" to look after all this?
Genuine question - do news correspondents travel with seven big suitcases to cover every eventuality, or will Lyse Doucet and Jeremy Thompson be buying ad-hoc from the local souk?
(Thanks to everyone who has indulged me and provided answers to some of the logistical queries in this thread so far. Fascinating.)
Another practical query: is autocue used on location? Or does the anchor have to memorize his/her script? (By on location, I mean particularly non-studio cases such as the current Libya or Kabul rooftops, as opposed to a pre-planned big OB event).
There's an app for that! obviously in foreign parts it might be a little trickier to get the software to talk directly to ENPS (the newsgathering database used by most big news organisations), but I'd imagine it's straightforward enough to email a script straight to it. Some of the BBC's UK-based satellite trucks will establish a 2-way comms link over the satellite, so that as well as sending pictures, they can get a data link straight back into the BBC's network, and even have a phone extension which is, for all intents and purposes, on the TV Centre exchange.
Another practical query: is autocue used on location? Or does the anchor have to memorize his/her script? (By on location, I mean particularly non-studio cases such as the current Libya or Kabul rooftops, as opposed to a pre-planned big OB event).
There are certainly apps that you can run on iPhones and iPads that allow you to prompt in the field (often with the mirror image required for use with a half-silvered mirror attachment)
Some allow you to use two devices - one to control the prompt speed and the other to actually display the text.
However for most 'quality' location assignments they will take out a laptop with an Autocue / Autoscript app running on it and a proper hand controller, along with a proper small prompt screen for use on a decent camera. It's pretty simple for a producer to operate.
I think I'm right in saying that "Mix-minus" is one of those terms that the BBC calls something different to the rest of the broadcasting industry! They call it a "Clean feed".
Clean Feed is quite common as the term in the UK. IFB is used in the US, and Mix-Minus in other areas.
However it is usually known as "Clean Feed" rather than "A Clean Feed" (odd I know)
Mix Minus refers to it being the main mix MINUS the source you are contributing on. Clean Feed refers to a feed clean of yourself.
In the old days it wasn't uncommon for all outside sources to be fed a single clean feed - meaning OSs heard studio presenters, VTs etc. but didn't hear OTHER outside sources... Far from a great set-up - and thankfully long-gone in most set-ups.
(It meant two OSs couldn't talk to each other, and when an OS was on-air, other OSs heard silence and thought they'd lost their incoming sound...)
Is this just a case of "
headphones will spoil my hair, so I will wear my old earpiece instead
", or is there a more technical reason for a newsreader to wear the traditional earpiece on a radio news programme?
I've no idea why dear Moira wears an earpiece for Radio - it might well be that she's uncomfortable with headphones - they are quite awkward to use if you're not used to radio. Particularly during interviews, you'll still see plenty of professionals with one ear uncovered - it's actually quite hard to listen to a person through headphones as normal human perception of sound is very precise - you can fine tune into someone's voice over a lot of background sound. However when you listen to headphones, a lot of sounds all blur together, the brain loses virtually all it's sense of directionality of sound and sound field/depth so it finds it much harder to distinguish between voices.