Forum for former BBC staff

Forum for former BBC staff
http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> News and Comment >> BBC cuts mean return to test card (C?) http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1311247779 Message started by Mikej on Jul 21^st, 2011, 11:30am

Title: BBC cuts mean return to test card (C?)
Post by Mikej on Jul 21^st, 2011, 11:30am

From todays daily Mail (so it must be right?)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2017086/BBC-cuts-mean-test-card-returns-bosses-plan-repeats-prepare-axe-Formula-1.html

Mike

Title: Re: BBC cuts mean return to test card (C?)
Post by david en france on Jul 21^st, 2011, 10:12pm

One of the (small) peaks of my (small) career was to be giving talks in Lincolnshire to WI, Rotary Clubs etc about the Beeb and local radio. I used to love seeing their Tory jaws drop when I pointed out that the cost of the Daily Mail every day was so much greater than the TV licence....and then I pointed out how much of the Mail is adverts...and how the paper ran headlines about the Beeb going "cap in hand" to the licence payer when its cover price was going up by 5% without so much as a by your leave. Mind you, I'm glad I don't have to face up to questions about recent top level salaries and bonuses!!! Maybe nobody gives such talks any more?

Title: Re: BBC cuts mean return to test card (C?)
Post by Dickie Mint on Jul 27^th, 2011, 4:52pm

One of the unknown benefits of Test Card was that we could use the BBC2 (as it was shutdown during the afternoon) distribution as a contribution network around the country. Many regional Comms engineers would crash into their regional network 2 distribution with a Test Card and music. I used to like to do it "professionally". I'd cut to our tape machine as a London-derived tune ended, and then fade London's Test Card down and up to our Test Card!

And Mike will remember the fun to be had when sending pieces up to the regions, specially in the local opt period on BBC1 in the evening! Hanging on the phone to a region asking when the *@#* they were going to finish. I think it was Cardiff who always ran to the last second?

Won't be saving any money nowadays, as the beeb have their IP based networks.

Richard