31 Part Two: Live Coverage

solar devices if necessary. Live TV can literally be done from any spot on the face of the Earth as soon as the crew arrives and sets up. Travel time is the only limit to getting it on the air.

Communications

None of this would be possible without a top-rate communications package. This usually means a good two-way radio system or a cell phone or both. As men- tioned earlier, it is critical that the transmitter and re- ceiver of both microwave and satellite systems be pointed directly at each other. Being off by as much as one degree can mean the difference in getting the sig- nal or not. Microwave systems are one-way transmis- sions. When you are in the field, you cannot tell if you are lined up with the receiver; someone at the receiving point must tell you when you have it right. Microwave receivers are generally controlled remotely from the TV station by an ENG coordinator. He or she watches a digital readout of the incoming signal’s strength, pans the receiver to get the strongest reading, then has the transmitter operator pan the truck’s antenna until the strongest signal is found. The truck operator usu- ally has a map with the receive site(s) on it and can aim the antenna fairly accurately with a compass or a good guess. The fine-tuning should be an easy process with good communication.

Satellite setups are much more technical but can be done without talking to anyone. Because a satellite also sends a return signal, it is possible for the operator to see the quality of the signal as it is returned and tell how well in line the two are. The concern here is knowing which satellite, which channel, and what time to set up. Because people from all over the coun- try might be trying to use the same satellite, there has to be a coordinator who tells each uplink what to do and when. Unlike a microwave system, this coordina- tor is usually at the headquarters of the satellite com- pany, which might be on the other side of the country. Having a cell phone is sometimes the only answer, but having some type of phone is mandatory.

The receiver dish must be lined up with the satel- lite in use and tuned to the channel of video and au- dio; these are two separate systems within the trans- mission. The exact times of transmission must be con- firmed. Satellite time can be bought on the spot or can be arranged in advance to ensure availability. Satellite time is purchased in multiples of five minutes and of- ten cannot be extended. If you buy five minutes of time for 12:00:00 P.M., at 12:05:02 P.M. you are off the air; the satellite owner pulls the plug. For ENG

Figure 2-11 Satellite news gathering (SNG) trucks make it possible to feed live pictures and reports from just about anywhere in the world.

Figure 2-12 Workers set up a fly-away satellite uplink. (Courtesy of Earth Stations)

32 Chapter 2: Part Two: Live Coverage

work, this means you either buy more time than you think you need, or have someone on the phone con- stantly with the satellite company to okay purchasing more time if it looks like the shot is going to run long. It is also possible that the next time block has already been sold and is unavailable to you. For major news events, a network might buy up all the time available and share the time with others, using a local coordina- tor at a single feed point. The coordinating network feeds its material first, and all others literally line up on a first-come, first-served basis to feed their material. Because of the time factors involved with satellites, most recorded material is edited before sending, and live shots are locked into specific times so local produc- ers must slide everything else in their program to ac- commodate the satellite. This is one reason most satel- lite trucks contain edit systems.

The use of satellite trucks for EFP is generally much less hectic. These situations are usually planned well in advance, and the satellite time is booked with much spare time to work out any bugs or in case things run long.

Interrupted Feedback

Interrupted feedback (IFB) is just as essential as the communications needed to set up the transmissions. The on-camera talent needs to be able to hear the cue that they are on the air. IFB systems offer small ear- phones for the talent to wear, thereby allowing them to receive directions in one ear while they are on camera.

Portable TV

The most primitive way of doing this in live news is to have a portable TV set tuned to your station; the tal- ent can simply see when they are on the air. An ear- phone run from the TV set lets them hear the intro- duction and any questions that may follow. The cam- era operator usually has the same two-way radio used to set up the microwave signal with an earphone to lis- ten for any instructions from the station. If the regular speaker in the TV is used when the reporter’s mic is live, it can cause an audio feedback (a high-pitched screech) that would ruin the shot. Using this type of IFB setup does not have the interrupt part of the sys-

tem, because the audio is right off the TV. Any in- structions from the show director, producer, or assign- ment desk must be relayed to the reporter by the pho- tographer listening to the two-way radio. It is a good idea to be sure everyone understands the basic hand signals of TV production in case things need to be communicated while on air.

Mix-Minus

The more common form of IFB is a separate off-air audio feed called mix-minus. This feed is from the on-air audio board with the audio from the remote or live shot taken out or subtracted. Talent can be an- noyed by their own voices coming back in their ears while they are talking. Because of the time delays in- volved in the signal transmission, particularly with a two-second satellite delay, the talent hear their voices as strange echoes. A mix-minus feed is usually patched into a telephone line or a two-way radio. Some TV stations have a radio channel dedicated to broadcasting nothing but off-air or program audio 24 hours a day. In this way, an IFB system is always in place. Other stations with multiple channels on their two-ways might simply give one channel over to IFB for the short time needed to do the shot and use it for other traffic the rest of the time. This mix-minus sys- tem allows the producer or other needed participants to interrupt the program audio and give special in- structions, cues, a countdown to hit a soundbite, or whatever else is necessary, over the radio or phone IFB (hence the name “interrupted feedback”). Just like the dedicated radio channel for IFB, many sta- tions have dedicated phone lines that, when called, automatically hook up to the mix-minus feed. In large markets, where there can be as many as six or seven different live shots back to back, the radio and phone systems can be quite complex.

Form and Style

Essentially, live shots are just like stand-ups. They are generally short and are done in a controlled manner. The biggest difference is that they occur at a very spe- cific point in time and there can be no second take.

33