Newsflash Over the Years

[Tom]

Following on from the above post, Dermot Murnaghan interupting the chart show with more Diana news and the death annoucement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltoJ7e9w5W4

Also, a good summary of the various newsflashes that night, also I notice that Martyn Lewis is slightly calmer on the BBC2 newsflash compared to the earlier newsflash on BBC1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEf2zwbbc2w

[W. Knight]

I believe in 1985 the Manchester Runway disaster saw TV-AM supplying a lot of footage with both ITN and Granada unable to get anywhere near MAN due to traffic?  Indeed, I seem to recall the IBA gave TV-AM a special pass to stay on air past 09:25 as ITN weren't in a position to pick up the coverage?

Well, the 1985 Virgin Television Yearbook does say that TV-am did broadcast after 9.25 as they had footage of the disaster, as they happened to have a crew there, and neither the BBC or ITN were there yet. They say it was the first time TV-am were able to broadcast to the whole network outside their specified hours, but it's not clear as to whether they continued rolling coverage or they went off air at 9.25 and then came back, ITV going to them for a newsflash in the same way they would usually go to ITN. I think it was probably the latter as we didn't generally have rolling coverage in those days. 

That's another example of serendipity playing a part in coverage, we saw it again last night when the Beeb were able to get some eyewitness reports from the trouble in Paris as a couple of Beeb people were there as fans. 

Surprised to see TV-am's name in huge news event like this: Looks like their tight-fisted newsroom was improved, after the telephone report from Brighton bombing?

---

Nation-specific branding on BBC1 NI, in reporting Iraq and Clinton impeachment.


And across the Atlantic, 20/20 giving way to Peter Jennings announcing Nixon's death. The first time, smoothly (love Jennings' stress on Nixon “may” have died here btw, in the age of breaking news from “Sources”)...

The second time, less so (at 1:50):

[Steve Williams]

Surprised to see TV-am's name in huge news event like this: Looks like their tight-fisted newsroom was improved, after the telephone report from Brighton bombing?

Well, TV-am's news coverage certainly did improve over the years - in the One Day In The Life Of Television book from 1988, Gordon Honeycombe said that the news has improved "100%" since he arrived as they now had their own reporters and crews at home and abroad, as opposed to when he started in 1984 when pretty much all their footage came from other sources which they would just voice over. But as I say, sometimes it's just pot luck where you happen to be in the right place at the right time.

Here's the relevant passage from their diary of the year, from 21st August 1985 (although it was actually on the 22nd)...
"For the first time in its hstory, TV-am is able to provide the ITV network with a special news bulletin after the breakfast show has finished. Using a freelance crew, TV-am put out the first live pictures from the scene of the Manchester air disaster at 9.20am, as well as new pictures in the special bulletin at 10.05am. The BBC broadcast their first pictures at 10am."

Funnily enough I remember this disaster being mentioned in, of all places, Fast Forward because in their Christmas issue in 1989 they invited various people to discuss what they did in every year of the decade, and Andy Crane was one of them and he said in 1985 he was on air on Piccadilly Radio when that happened and he had to deliver the first reports on it.

[Markymark]

EDIT: The late John Myers mentions in his book that Border were supplying their footage to international agencies as well, I'm guessing a sat truck would have had to come on site to facilitate this?

No, way too early for SNG trucks, back then they were on big trailers, here's a typical US one from that year

https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Br...988-01.pdf

I don't think the BBC or ITN had anything like that, and ceratinly not Border TV !

If an uplink had been used, it'll have been the BBC's UKI-1 or the similar IBA rig, seen here  
https://youtu.be/RfqGM0XmNek

[Stuart]

I believe in 1985 the Manchester Runway disaster saw TV-AM supplying a lot of footage with both ITN and Granada unable to get anywhere near MAN due to traffic?  Indeed, I seem to recall the IBA gave TV-AM a special pass to stay on air past 09:25 as ITN weren't in a position to pick up the coverage?

IIRC TV-am had a base in either Knutsford or Wilmslow, both of which are very close to Manchester Airport.  They could have been there within minutes.

[Steve in Pudsey]

However, one cannot discuss the Newsflash of course without the posting of a link to this excellent ITV documentary.  Border Television's role in supplying pictures to accompany the Lockerbie Disaster is a particular highlight - something that would be exceptionally easy to do if (God forbid) it were to happen today, but in 1988 getting pictures on-air was a whole different story.

On the BBC I gather they led the Nine with a voice report phoned in to Radio Cumbria by a freelance journalist who was supposed to be covering their bulletins that evening so the staff could enjoy their Christmas Party, which was soon abandoned.

[Inspector Sands]

On the BBC I gather they led the Nine with a voice report phoned in to Radio Cumbria by a freelance journalist who was supposed to be covering their bulletins that evening so the staff could enjoy their Christmas Party, which was soon abandoned.

They had a number of phone interviews - with someone from a local RAF base, eyewitnesses and a reporter from Radio Cumbria who was speaking from the scene..

It looks like there was another bulletin later on - which was a follow on from the 9 o cock news that did have footage. But what time that was on I don't know, there was a 90 minute drama on afterwards so it either replaced, interrupted or displaced that. Or possibly on BBC2 as there was no Newsnight scheduled it being Christmas week. 

A rare example of it being a disadvantage having their main bulletin first

[Steve Williams]

It looks like there was another bulletin later on that did have footage, but what time that was on I don't know, either at 11 after the drama that was on or it replaced that. Or possibly on BBC2 as there was no Newsnight scheduled it being Christmas week. 

One of the websites where VT and pres people share their memories mentions this, and that they had to interrupt the drama, which was a very high profile production, halfway through for a news update, and then try and cobble together a synopsis of what had happened so far when they rejoined it. They also say the team were then all on shift again two weeks later for Kegworth.

[Inspector Sands]

It looks like there was another bulletin later on that did have footage, but what time that was on I don't know, either at 11 after the drama that was on or it replaced that. Or possibly on BBC2 as there was no Newsnight scheduled it being Christmas week. 

One of the websites where VT and pres people share their memories mentions this, and that they had to interrupt the drama, which was a very high profile production, halfway through for a news update, and then try and cobble together a synopsis of what had happened so far when they rejoined it. 

That might explain why the drama appears in the archive as 90,60 and 30 minutes. Presumably they wanted to beat or be on air the same time as ITN

EDIT - Incidently I've found that page and it's great reading. She mentions the Thatcher newsflash but it's totally different to what actually happened as seen on the YouTube clip of it (and what's in the archive)

[Steve in Pudsey]

On the BBC I gather they led the Nine with a voice report phoned in to Radio Cumbria by a freelance journalist who was supposed to be covering their bulletins that evening so the staff could enjoy their Christmas Party, which was soon abandoned.

They had a number of phone interviews - with someone from a local RAF base, eyewitnesses and a reporter from Radio Cumbria who was speaking from the scene..

Found the detail https://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/content/ar...ture.shtml

[telebox2001]

http://www.tech-ops.co.uk/pres/page2.html

[Hatton Cross]

 

Here's the relevant passage from their diary of the year, from 21st August 1985 (although it was actually on the 22nd)...
"For the first time in its hstory, TV-am is able to provide the ITV network with a special news bulletin after the breakfast show has finished. Using a freelance crew, TV-am put out the first live pictures from the scene of the Manchester air disaster at 9.20am, as well as new pictures in the special bulletin at 10.05am. The BBC broadcast their first pictures at 10am."

Without wishing to dilute the horrific and tragic accident of the day, TV-am staying on line does lead to an interesting question about the bending of the IBA rules for that broadcast.
As we know, TV-am was 'unplugged' at 9.25 am each day, so what would have happened for the special broadcast at 10.05.? 

Would the scheduled programme between 9.25-10.05 been fed up from Thames and received into Hawley Crescent as an o/s, or would TV-am, as per usual, having been detatched from the national TX chain at 9.25, meant that it was Thames that put them to air for the network as their o/s?

[Markymark]

 

Here's the relevant passage from their diary of the year, from 21st August 1985 (although it was actually on the 22nd)...
"For the first time in its hstory, TV-am is able to provide the ITV network with a special news bulletin after the breakfast show has finished. Using a freelance crew, TV-am put out the first live pictures from the scene of the Manchester air disaster at 9.20am, as well as new pictures in the special bulletin at 10.05am. The BBC broadcast their first pictures at 10am."

Without wishing to dilute the horrific and tragic accident of the day, TV-am staying on line does lead to an interesting question about the bending of the IBA rules for that broadcast.
As we know, TV-am was 'unplugged' at 9.25 am each day, so what would have happened for the special broadcast at 10.05.? 

Would the scheduled programme between 9.25-10.05 been fed up from Thames and received into Hawley Crescent as an o/s, or would TV-am, as per usual, having been detatched from the national TX chain at 9.25, meant that it was Thames that put them to air for the network as their o/s?

Almost certainly the latter, if only for contractual and licensing reasons. TV-am was not a 'broadcaster' after 09:25, the ITV regional companies took over. Leaving TV-am in circuit (and therefore invoving BT on a large scale at very short notice) would have been full of technical risks. Far better to feed TV-am into Thames or ITN as an OS.

[W. Knight]

Moira flawlessly delivering a Newsflash about the Tiananmen Square protests. Mind you, the CA intro was slightly less flawless.......

In light of the tragedy's 33rd anniversary, here's how TVB Pearl in Hong Kong broke the news of intruding troops, 3/6/1989:

Sometimes, a simple voiceover and holding slide can bring the message as clearly.

[no1fanofthepals]

Moira flawlessly delivering a Newsflash about the Tiananmen Square protests. Mind you, the CA intro was slightly less flawless.......

In light of the tragedy's 33rd anniversary, here's how TVB Pearl in Hong Kong broke the news of intruding troops, 3/6/1989:

Sometimes, a simple voiceover and holding slide can bring the message as clearly.

While simple voiceovers and holding slides work, I feel it's always better to have a person on screen to reduce fear. I understand Hong Kong was still part of the UK at this time but China was right next door and people - especially children - could be scared.