Well Tony, I won't be one of the four trolls! I believe you!
One that you might have had to make, a "Transmitter Information" announcement. I remember on STV in the mid 1980s (I was only a child then enjoying Rugby Union, I'm now an adult enjoying Rugby Union and missing all this stuff we're talking about!) seeing a holding slide. It was black, with red lettering. The IBA logo was on the top, the words "TRANSMITTER INFORMATION" below. On the BBC, it was simply a photo looking up a transmitter, with the same words.
And speaking of slides, here's one I remember from the BBC in the 1980s. A slide reading "Weather warning". The duty CA would read out a weather warning, in this case issued by the Glasgow weather centre. Black background with yellow lettering.
Sorry to bring this thread up again, after over a months inactivity on it.
The demise of teletext services, with red button facilities, means that this caption I'm referring to is no longer needed. In fact, on Sky boxes, the option to have subtitles is available using the "help" button.
I'm of course referring to the "888" service on both Ceefax and Oracle, with subtitles. On BBC1 and BBC2, the 888 was usually part of the ident. On ITV, there was a caption placed on the opening titles of the programme, though STV did, from 1993 I think, have the 888 or subtitles logo on their ident.
And, one for us in STV. A service that they tried, and you don't hear much about it anymore. OKTV. I'll let Mr Currie explain that one.
Until around 1986, the channel numbers were different on each channel. 170 on BBC1, 270 on BBC2, 199 on ITV. Eventually they decided to standardise it and 888 came to be.
You no longer hear ( due to the introduction of stereo sound on televisions years ago ) ... A simultaneous broadcast with Radio 1 / 3. And the information about the placement of speakers.
The old Ceefax listings used to also have, in those circumstances, "A simultaneous broadcast with radio whaever".
During the BBC proms season, especially in the early to mid 1990s, on BBC2, about 9pm, they would have a holding slide, detailing the concerts for the following evening. Haven't seen one of those for years.
The absence of 'subtitles' on idents I think is more to do with it being the norm rather than just a select few subtitled programmes. If TV companies still used one it would be on before every programme.
It's the same as how use of captions for colour or stereo eventually became obsolete. I can't remember when 'stereo' indications disappeared but I remember Carlton having it on their early idents
Of course there were never captions for audio description
The demise of teletext services, with red button facilities, means that this caption I'm referring to is no longer needed. In fact, on Sky boxes, the option to have subtitles is available using the "help" button.
Which is where its been all along (on Sky+ anyway, not sure about the older boxes). 888 as a teletext page was an option for Sky programmes back in the day as well (many channels fed it through their teletext services) but the technology all changed for that and it's now as you say an option in the software and done through the box.
You don't hear closedown announcements now either, the advent of 24hr broadcasting put paid to that. This gives me an ideal opportunity to post this wonderful closedown skit from Not The Nine O'Clock News which never gets old:
It's the same as how use of captions for colour or stereo eventually became obsolete. I can't remember when 'stereo' indications disappeared but I remember Carlton having it on their early idents
Some time early in 1995 I think, at least on the BBC.
"Hello again" was sloppy lazy writing on the part of in-vision continuity announcers. Not a phrase I ever used. (At this point at least four trolls will spend the next 48 hours pouring through old N1500 tapes of my junctions in order to prove me wrong....)
Over at Tyne Tees, Bill Steel's alternative to that (annoying) habit was to either make a joke at the expense of the previous promo, or to name-check the announcer voicing the trail (even if it was some obscure production from the far reaches of the network) as if they were all his old mates. He probably gave out a "thanks Tony" at the end of a Wheel of Fortune trail once...
I was in Amsterdam last week, and was astonished to see NOS use an '888' ident at the start of one of their programmes (unless it was an archive show with it burnt in)
I was in Amsterdam last week, and was astonished to see NOS use an '888' ident at the start of one of their programmes (unless it was an archive show with it burnt in)
RTÉ One had 888 on its idents for years, I think they've stopped now, but still common in 2010. However I'm sure one of our Irish contributors will be able to clarify more.