FROM THE ARCHIVE OF: The TV Room
RTÉ Network 2 is about to close down for the night – but the gremlins get in first.
Video content
[00:00:00] PROGRAMME MENU GRAPHIC: an animated menu graphic is used for this listing of programmes coming up for the first half of the broadcasting day tomorrow.
Network 2 comes on air at 12.40pm with Fleadh Cheoil ’93.
[00:00:30] PROGRAMME PROMOTION: a look ahead to some programmes coming up on Monday on Network 2:
- Home and Away.
- Blackboard Jungle.
- Last Frontier of the Himalayas.
- Top 30 Chart Show.
- Now You’re Talking.
- Cybil.
- The Black Box.
[00:02:01] GRAPHIC: an animated 2FM logo – played in off laserdisc – is used to promote the radio station’s overnight programmes.
The network director would usually mix through to the clock now. However, at the point that this would’ve happened, the animation of the 2FM logo stops.
The network director seems to have requested the announcer to proceed with the closing announcement, knowing that the technical issue won’t be resolved quickly.
Based on what we’re seeing here, it would seem the network director was powerless to do anything. The desk remains stuck on the 2FM logo.
At [00:03:35] video and audio are temporarily lost. Not sure what was attempted here but the 2FM logo reappeared fairly quickly.
Shortly after this, master control took the pres suite out of the transmission chain, by switching to the test card.
If you know what playout software/hardware was used on RTÉ Network 2 (1992 – early 2000s), please get in touch. Any insights regarding what might have gone wrong here would be greatly appreciated.
[00:03:45] TEST CARD: the Philips PM5544 test card appears initially, accompanied by the live audio of 2FM.
This is quickly switched to colour/black and white chroma bars – which was the test card typically put out overnight on both RTÉ TV channels.
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: RTÉ Network 2 programme menu graphic.. COPYRIGHT: RTÉ.
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