itsrobert post_id=4279 time=1617975704 user_id=913 Wrote:

richard110888 post_id=4258 time=1617975138 user_id=1077 Wrote:Eamonn and Ruth handled it well for Itv but the start of itv news coverage was not the best with a long pause which I see no reason for and then another big pause after saying a statement had been released but the presenter had probably dashed down from the newsroom with little time before going on air. I doubt they would have been in the studio rehearsing for the Lunchtime News at 12pm

Yes, I think we should cut Lucrezia some slack there. They wouldn't have been anywhere near the studio/control room at 12pm. Normally preparations for the Lunchtime News are underway by at least 1pm with the presenter coming down to the studio from the newsroom (2 floors above) nearer to 1.30pm to run through various scripts and pre-record the bongs.

Under these circumstances, I imagine the corridors at ITN were a mad panic trying to get people in position quickly. Whereas, the BBC had the massive advantage that they have a 24-hour news channel that was already well under way with the presenter and crew in situ. I think it would be unfair to compare ITV and the BBC on the initial announcement. ITV has more than made up for it with its, frankly superb, continuing coverage.

deejay post_id=5947 time=1618176215 user_id=880 Wrote:There are plenty of news crews usually in London, many with live broadcast capability direct from the camera (rather than having to wait for a truck). There is little traffic in London at the moment because of lockdown (that may change tomorrow!). There are also inject points from Canada Gate which news crews can simply plug into. They will have been told to go to the palace straight away.

The story broke at 1201 with the royal family tweeting at the same time as PA filing their copy. Press Association is the source. There was no heads-up. ITN may well have been rehearsing at the time and the presenter certainly won’t have been far away from the studio. The BBC and Sky of course have the advantage that they’re on the air on their news channels anyway. Reacting to breaking news is simply what news production teams do and, as it says in the tweet linked to earlier in this thread, it was very fast indeed on Friday.

Black clothing, such as Martine’s cardigan, is kept in news studios precisely for this kind of scenario.

Nathan post_id=4339 time=1617977388 user_id=988 Wrote:On the Polish BBC channels:

Presumably there is similar on the various other international commercial BBC channels.

Ash101 post_id=5946 time=1618176174 user_id=936 Wrote:Considering they don’t have a news channel, ITV did amazingly well to get the breaking news on air by (I believe?) 12:15.

valley post_id=5900 time=1618169318 user_id=971 Wrote:

BBI45 post_id=5894 time=1618168287 user_id=1008 Wrote:

valley post_id=5889 time=1618167457 user_id=971 Wrote:

BBI45 post_id=5879 time=1618165081 user_id=1008 Wrote:

valley post_id=5875 time=1618164449 user_id=971 Wrote:From what I've heard some newsrooms were informed at about 11:30 there was a Category A announcement due at around midday - they weren't informed what it was actually going to be, so there was little to be done other than to inform key production staff to be ready, and to get Royal Correspondents and Commentators on the phone. It could've just been that someone was going into hospital, of course.

This might be a stupid question, but what is the benefit of confirming there will be an announcement whilst leaving the content unknown? As you say, it could have been that someone was going to hospital. Surely with that little information, you can either do nothing other than brace for potential impact, or have a guess at what it might be and risk being left with egg on your face.

A vague "there'll be an announcement" warning allows producers and editors to:

• Get relevant correspondents on the phone or moving to the studio
  
• Get a senior presenter on standby
  
• Start sending out camera crews - there was a camera at Canada Gate within five minutes of the PA announcement and one at Windsor within fifteen minutes I believe
  
• If you're planning on being "off-tape" from transmission at the the time of the announcement, you have time to cancel that and ensure there's a full gallery/studio crew ready to go
  
• Get the floor manager to dig out the bag of black ties
  
• Last but not least it gives you warning that someone needs to keep their eyes on the incoming wires and do nothing else!
  

A lot of television journalism is preparing for the worst. I'd much rather be prepared only for it to be trivial and have to justify your decisions to management, than being unprepared when it's something major.

That makes sense. Fair enough. But that still leaves the question of why only some newsrooms were informed, whilst others seemingly only became aware once PA snapped it. With every broadcast that I've seen, it's felt like (whilst handled amazingly well) nobody was expecting it.

I'm not 100% sure if all were informed, but I know that some were given a warning of news but perhaps on an informal basis. I do feel like there would be an acknowledgement that whilst, say, BBC and Sky News would benefit from some degree of warning it is unlikely that newspaper or radio newsrooms would require that.
And yeah, I hypothesise that senior editorial staff were hoping that it was nothing too serious. Perhaps presenters and gallery staff were told that there may be some breaking news imminently but not that it was royalty related. However, looking at how quickly the news channels got up specialist correspondents it seems clear to me that there was some degree of pre-planning; Sam Washington threw to Rhiannon Mills on the phone after just 19 seconds. TBU lines have to be rung up, routed to the gallery, checked by sound and talkback assigned before being put on air which is not a hugely fast process, although not as long as a video live.

Roger Darthwell post_id=5957 time=1618176804 user_id=1160 Wrote:

Nathan post_id=4339 time=1617977388 user_id=988 Wrote:On the Polish BBC channels:

Presumably there is similar on the various other international commercial BBC channels.

Before this thread closes, I have a question that has come up, why the ticker on BBC First Poland is in English instead of Polish?

Roger Darthwell post_id=5959 time=1618176960 user_id=1160 Wrote:

Ash101 post_id=5946 time=1618176174 user_id=936 Wrote:Considering they don’t have a news channel, ITV did amazingly well to get the breaking news on air by (I believe?) 12:15.

This is why I always think that ITV should relaunch it's news channel

joshuanesbit post_id=5948 time=1618176274 user_id=1556 Wrote:I wonder why BBC one didn't just immediately cut the programme and go straight to Martine? or they were waiting for formal obit

Orry Verducci post_id=5966 time=1618177930 user_id=731 Wrote:

joshuanesbit post_id=5948 time=1618176274 user_id=1556 Wrote:I wonder why BBC one didn't just immediately cut the programme and go straight to Martine? or they were waiting for formal obit

It's not immediate as they need all the channels, not just BBC One, to join together for the bulletin at the same time. This requires some co-ordination to change all the transmission playlists across various playout facilities (Red Bee and the nations, in particular Scotland). Usually this would include BBC Two, but on Friday it was by chance already simulcasting with the News Channel.


It's easier for presentation and the news gallery to agree a fixed time for them all to join, allowing it to be prepared and done cleanly with the slate and announcement, rather than messily crashing the channels one by one in to the News Channel.

joshuanesbit post_id=5955 time=1618176600 user_id=1556 Wrote:what time did itn break the story? they must have been the last due to the fact they weren't in studio/position as not a rolling news channel?

Brekkie post_id=5969 time=1618178277 user_id=976 Wrote:

joshuanesbit post_id=5955 time=1618176600 user_id=1556 Wrote:what time did itn break the story? they must have been the last due to the fact they weren't in studio/position as not a rolling news channel?

ITV were on air about 12.08, just before BBC1. Still surprises me C4 took till half past considering they had only just gone off air from a news summary. C5 were baffling - had a news bulletin scheduled at 12.15 but pulled it and went straight into an obit doc with a banner across the top.

Dan95 post_id=5968 time=1618178163 user_id=1557 Wrote:Hi folks,

I’ve just joined the forum but have been following this thread since the news broke on Friday.

The reason I wanted to jump in on this thread is there’s been a lot of debate over how much notice newsrooms had of the impending breaking news.



I had the job of breaking the news on social media for a national newspaper. We had been given an off record steer from the Palace earlier in the morning that Philip was expected to pass ‘soon’, possibly over the weekend and we were advised to be on standby to break the news when we were given the word. There had naturally been a major step up in preparations during his hospital stay and these went into overdrive after it became clear the news was to break sooner rather than later on Friday morning.

Even with that, I don’t think any of us expected it to happen on Friday but instead on Saturday so when we found out at 11:59 that the announcement was to be made immediately it still came as a bit of a surprise and I even had to double take before posting the news as I was following BBC One and expected them to have already have started their news report. Instead, it turned out I broke the news only a minute after Martine Croxall had made the initial News Channel announcement at 12:04.

If we were made aware that the news was to come soon, at least within the next couple of days, I would imagine other outlets would also have been fed the same information without explicitly being told when it was to be announced, hence why there was such a sudden reaction to the news when the statement was released.

Brekkie post_id=5969 time=1618178277 user_id=976 Wrote:

joshuanesbit post_id=5955 time=1618176600 user_id=1556 Wrote:what time did itn break the story? they must have been the last due to the fact they weren't in studio/position as not a rolling news channel?

ITV were on air about 12.08, just before BBC1. Still surprises me C4 took till half past considering they had only just gone off air from a news summary. C5 were baffling - had a news bulletin scheduled at 12.15 but pulled it and went straight into an obit doc with a banner across the top.