Radio Memories Vol. 20

Up until the day I walked into WIS TV, doing a live broadcast was a solo act or at the most a two-person team; DJ and board operator or DJ and Newscaster. The same was true in television during network hours when the switcher and engineer handled the station breaks. But broadcasting a newscast required a much larger team back then. The team was headed by a director who pushed the buttons on the production switcher and called the shots. Then there was the audio operator who was responsible for the sound during the telecast. In the studio downstairs were three camera operators and a floor chief. In master control there was the air switcher operator, the video operator, and the video tape operator. 

This was the basic crew for a typical live news show, but in complicated shows, additional crewmembers could be required. There could also be a technical director who would operate the production video switcher, freeing up the director to call the shots.  In shows where there were a lot of microphones being used, there could be an A-2, a second audio operator, who was responsible for getting the right microphone on the right guest and letting the A-1, the primary audio operator, who was operating the audio board know which guest had which microphone hung around his or her neck. Yes, hung around their neck. Most of the time, TV uses lavalier microphones either hung on a lanyard around the neck or later, when lavaliers became smaller, they clipped to a piece of clothing, a jacket or the neckline of a blouse. The clip-on lavaliers are still in use today. 

Rarely used were desktop microphones, stand microphones or boom microphones. The latter was attached to a pole held over the heads of the “talent” out of camera view by a boom operator. 

So the team for a normal live show consisted of nine members, on a complicated three camera show, it could be eleven. For each additional camera, add an additional camera operator! If portable cameras are being used, there might be the need for a cable puller on each mobile camera to assist the camera operator to move around. I’ve done shows, especially remote shows where the number of crew members exceeded 25. 

The obvious challenge for a team this size was communicating with each other. This was accomplished via headsets. Back in the day, these headsets were the same as the ones used by long distance telephone operators; with a microphone held in front of the crew person’s mouth by a 3/16” diameter curved boom attached to the single earpiece on either ear. Normally only the director and the camera operators had their microphones on, but when necessary, any of the other crew members could open up their microphone to answer the director. Why did the camera operators have their microphones on? Two reasons. First, operating a camera required both hands so one was not free to turn the headset microphone on. Second, selecting a camera required a dialog that sounded like this; 

Director: “Ready One.”

Camera 1 operator: “Ready” or “One.”

Director: “Take one!” 

This way the director was alerting the camera one operator that he was about to switch that camera on the air, and the operator responding that he was ready. If this was not done, the director could possibly “take” a camera while the operator was checking his focus or changing the frame of the picture around the talent. 

Communications between the director and the talent in front of the camera consisted initially of hand signals given by the floor manager or large signs, called cue cards held up beside the camera on the air. The most common of these signs were “One minute,” “30 Seconds” and “15 seconds.” For the last 5 seconds, the floor manager would wave his or her hand with the index finger extended, remember the old “whoopee” sign. This meant “wrap it up! This segment of the show is ending!” Some of our regular talent was well known for not taking or honoring this end cue on time, so the director would compensate by sending these signals as much as 30 seconds before their due time. 

In the mid-60s, director to talent communications was significantly improved with the adaptation of “Interrupted Feedback Circuits” or IFB, which is still in use today. These are the hearing aid type “earbuds” that you see on the newscasters today. They hear the audio output from the board including their own voice and any sound or music that is playing under their voices. The “interrupted” piece is that the director or producer can interrupt the audio to give spoken information or commands directly to the talent. Each IFB wearer has a separate channel so that the others need not hear what is being said unless the director or producer pushed the “all call” button and talks to everyone who has an IFB “earbud” on.  During commercials or pre-produced news stories, the talent can talk back to the director when the audio operator places their microphone into “cue” and cuts it off from the air channel. 

Television people know this; in the original "Star Wars" movie the scene in which one of the Death Star controllers uses a lever to fire the beam that destroys Alderaan!  That lever was part of a standard production Grass Valley 300 video switcher from the 70s. This led to a slightly embarrassing moment for me when I saw the movie for the first time at the old Richland Mall Theater. While everyone around me was horrified at the destruction, I could hardly keep from cracking up because they used a video switcher to do it. “Oh no they didn’t!”was running through my mind.