Boggenstrovia's Bit: closedown

Showing posts with label closedown. Show all posts

Sunday, 30 October 2011

Dead air is not a crime if there's something in it...

We think that only since 17th January 1983 television has been getting up early each morning to bring a serving of breakfast to the bleary-eyed viewing public or it does seem that this is the date which is remembered by the average viewer. Throughout its 75 years television has been early to rise and late to bed, it only takes a special occasion for it rise from its slumber.

Contry to this the tea and toast is pulled out on several occasions before Frank Bough welcomed the world to Breakfast Time, well he should know... He was on of the faces on the early shift years before the leather sofas were introduced to BBC1. During 1968 owing to the time difference between the UK and Mexico where the Olympics were being held that autumn, the BBC had to mount a breakfast service to cover the events as they happened from Mexico City and also again for the 1984 and 1988 Olympics as well.

" *whispers* And what you don't realise Debbie, he's going to go onto Wogan in a turquoise shellsuit.."

For the time difference between the Americas and this country meant also that the lunar landings in 1969 took place in the middle of the night allowing BBC and ITV to extend their hours, before 1972 permission was needed especially for ITV to be able to broadcast outside their hours which were limited at that time. There was racing and other events which meant the rules could be relaxed for special events then need for them to be covered was some what important.

Of the two royal weddings in 1973 and 1981, both channels opened for business early on both days with in 1973 when at that time because of the three-day week hours were held even tighter then usual thought BBC started at 7.30am and ITV an hour later. When it came to the big day in 1981 BBC started with two cartoons at 7am and ITV at

7.30am began their build-up, even BBC2 joined in at 9.45am with coverage with subtitles for the deaf which showed the versatility of the second channel. These programmes were long affairs, not like the marriages themselves! They would start off at breakfast time and go off the air at the start of the afternoon, meaning that hours and hours of coverage could be shown and with only three channels if you didn't like the pomp and circumstance you had little escape from the day on television.

This all happened before a time when the radio ruled in the morning with Radios One and Two in its infancy, it no doubt that television at this time was something new and different. Though whether that matter to the mothers and fathers going about their business of a morning is a different matter, maybe for the younger viewer this had an effect on.

General elections are another exception to the rule, with coverage starting the night before usually at 10pm when the polls closed. For most of the elections upto the 1980's the pattern would be a closedown about 4am ready to come on again at 7am the next day and for the host, on the BBC, a Dimbleby to catch some sleep with also Cliff Mitchelmore and Alistair Burnet as filling the chair for auntie. By the time of breakfast television which took on the early programmes role for general elections, this was seen the last bastion of television making special apperances before when it usually started up, but the late closedown was still there and one day in 1985 made sure that it was a very late night closedown.

"Yummy! I love a Walls Ice Cream brick!"

With Live Aid which had started at 12pm London time on the 13th July, the concert in the UK was done by 10pm but with also it taking place in America, the time difference for it to be shown on American network television and over here meant that BBC1 had to go into the early hours, but when the importance of such an occasion was realised by Michael Grade, he gave his blessing for this to happen and give over time to the American concert when realising the quality of the acts at the Philadelphia concert. By not wanting to annoy any of the music fans who had tuned in from the start, it was a wise move and thus BBC1 closed down at 4am on Sunday morning. Really with it being a Sunday in the middle of summer, it didn't really matter if BBC1 opened up at about 10am on the Sunday, before the days of 24-hour television it didn't really matter as much as the same with most of the other early starts and late close downs.

"And their line-up for this big game includes a few changes here with Dwight and Kemp coming into the midfield..."

Television eventually closed down later and later with much more things being put into the small hours, with ITV eventually covering the big boxing clashes to fill this time in terms of airtime and the same went eventually for sports which were covered such as the 1987 Rugby World Cup, various Grand Prix and other events. Now it seems no one cares when television should stop and with things like The Sign Zone which are a good thing in themselves, there is a point to that. But when BBC News is simulcasted in the early hours, when news doesn't generally happen. Through the death of Princess Diana, it seems television has felt embarassed by that ever since that they had to cut into a closedown and don't want to be caught with their night clothes on again, but surely there has to be a natural stopping point again for television. With special occasions allowed for events to be covered by broadcasters, but even television must been seen to get tired without a rest since 1989.

Maybe its time we told it go to bed and get some sleep and we'll come back when its good and ready, dead air is not a crime as long as there's something in it and television will feel refreshed for it....

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Shame about the show...

What makes a show real? Realism or a mixture of stories with something to say? Now Shameless has reached 100 shows, it has changed drama and made a debate about how it should be. Some people may see it as chavs and naer-do-wells upto no good while other may see it as the best drama in a long time. In terms of kitchen sink drama it has pushed the boundaries to the edge, learning that the basis for its drama should be what people see everyday. Of course people don't always live on a council estate, they may live in the country or in a town, but they can recognise characters they know in a show.

But these types of dramas have always tried to hold a mirror upto the nation at various time and said "Have a good look at yourself and see what you see.." Now people may not like what they see, other may see themselves and others may start to see what they are becoming. Through films such as Kes and also Saturday Night and Sunday Morning which reflected a realism which people were crying out for in the 1960's and 1970's came through a spirit, almost akin to their own properties. As we look at the 80's for example with Alan Bleasdale's Boys from the Blackstuff, showing the situation with employment as people got laid off from jobs and had to fight to survive in the atmosphere which had been created at that time. The mantra of Yosser Hughes being 'Gissa Job' was never so true at those times.

Fast forwarding to today, Shameless fills the gap where once costume drama would have filled and the characters are as compelling as any in Dallas. For Frank Gallacher, has become an idol to some but also a clarion call to others. Through the riots recently, people were screaming about this, that and everything. It is convient to show people reclaiming their cities when they think its appropriate, but for the small person it doesn't hold much truck to them. I wouldn't say that it could be claimed that I was a chav myself but in Shameless its the need for something which exists in our minds only. The need for putting everyone in the same box, there are good and bad people out there, never I could say that in judgement I could pick everyone on either side. I might be right, I might be wrong... It might be Shameless to say, that Shameless has pushed the boundaries again...

Sunday, 31 July 2011

Candy for insomniacs...

As a young child I fascinated with television and how it worked. By seeing the identity and trails of each channel this gave me an insight into this, but there was one thing which almost seemed golden to me and that was 'What happens when television starts up and closes down each day?' I had heard about closedown from people and what it did. Not all true though, everyone's image and thoughts always seemed to vary. Wheither it was always to give an easy answer to stop a young child asking all the time, I might like to think so.

So it came to a time when I was allowed to record something on our old Betamax video which was on late at night. Before you ask, it was NBA basketball which BBC1 used to show late on Saturday nights after Match of the Day in the mid-80's. So I worked out that they would close down not long after the programme had finished, deliberately I added ten minutes longer then what was needed to see this magical thing.

Clocking off...

To tell the truth, the first idea of a closedown had come from a clip of Not The Nine O'Clock News sketch with Rowan Atkinson as the announcer closing down BBC2 at the end of the night. It used freak me out a bit, that Rowan would appear from behind the BBC2 clock and it felt it was my fault that I had caught him out. But without knowing it was a comedy, I thought it was real at a very young age.

So the next day, when I played the recording back of the basketball, I waited till the end and went through the weather and to the closedown itself. The announcer said that BBC1 was closing down for the night and that they would be back in the morning and I thought that would be it and they would switch off the signal for the night. The most exciting thing was that this voice gave a name check as who'd been announcing that night... That night it was David Miles, I couldn't have said his name but would have recognised his voice straight away. The national anthem played and then they closed down for the night after that.

But if it wasn't for these voices in-between the programmes, it would be moving wallpaper just looking the same and sounding the same as can be said of many of the digital channels nowadays, they make a channel sound human still in an auto playout world. So you wouldn't recognise Duncan Newmarch, Peter Offer or Dean Lydiate if they were walking down the street, but raise a glass that they can bring a smile to your face with a comment before a show. Because if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't know when to go to bed at night...

And that's all from us on Boggenstrovia's Bit for now, we hope you've enjoyed this post and don't forget to join us next time for more ramblings... From Boggenstrovia Van Borwick, I wish you a very goodnight... Goodnight....

(National anthem plays...)

And don't forget to wipe you feet on the way out.... Goodnight, wherever you are!