Back in my days of radio continuity if an announcer had the need to cough , he / she would turn of the mic. first.
Surely it must be better to have a couple of seconds silence than a 'close up ' of someones bronchial condition as we get today ? !!

I cannot say anything about the very latest version of "the Presenter's Talkback box" - which would surely be fitted in the New LBH studios - but the generation of such which were in place in the News Studios at TC did indeed incorporate a 'Cough' button (to mute the mic momentarily). I'd be very surprised if IPE (who I believe installed many of the new studios) supplied a new design which didn't incorporate the feature. [I'll check with my contacts there!]

Perhaps the problem is more that with keyboard, mouse - as well as much paper! - directly in front of a presenter and his computer screen, that said Talkback box is pushed 'further away' and perhaps even 'out of easy reach' of the presenter!

The poor panel SM doesn't have a Cut switch (which would do the same thing as the cough button) but a fader, and doesn't really know how much coughing to try to exclude. Yes, he could fade it out, but would then be perhaps subject to a 'late fade-in'!

As far as JonW's experience, the 60's generation of Continuities had Mic On/Off buttons (recessed into a thick transparent Perspex 'puck' on the desk surface) allowing the Con Announcer full control over when the Mic was live: the TO merely controlled the level when it was. However, with Self-op programmes becoming more common, that 'feature' disappeared in the early 70s (when the Cons were rebuilt in Type-D form) and was replaced by giving the Announcer pretty much a full set of faders.

But I do agree: a couple of seconds silence (or at least some 'off-mic' coughing!) would be preferable to such a "close up" of someone's bronchial condition! [What a lovely turn of phrase!]