Broadcast delay
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2016) |
In radio and television, broadcast delay is an intentional delay when broadcasting live material, technically referred to as a deferred live. Such a delay may be to prevent mistakes or unacceptable content from being broadcast. Longer delays lasting several hours can also be introduced so that the material is aired at a later scheduled time (such as the prime time hours) to maximize viewership. Tape delays lasting several hours can also be edited down to remove filler material or to trim a broadcast to the network's desired run time for a broadcast slot, but this is not always the case.
Usage
A short delay is often used to prevent
Tape delay may also refer to the process of broadcasting an event at a later scheduled time because a scheduling conflict prevents a live telecast, or a broadcaster seeks to maximize ratings by airing an event in a certain timeslot. That can also be done because of time constraints of certain portions, usually those that do not affect the outcome of the show, are edited out, or the availability of hosts or other key production staff only at certain times of the day, and it is generally applicable for cable television programs.
In countries that span multiple time zones and have influential domestic eastern regions, such as Australia, Canada, Mexico, and the United States, television networks usually delay the entirety of their schedule for stations in the west, so prime time programming can be time shifted to air in local primetime hours to improve accessibility and viewership. Although Mexico and Canada have now regularly televised their live programs in real time simultaneously across all of their territories, in the U.S., "east" feeds usually target the Eastern and Central time zones, while "west" feeds are usually oriented towards the Pacific time zone. As a result, until today, many live programs, such as music and talent competition shows, are usually tape delayed for the western half of the country and aired as-live (although they may include edits to streamline the broadcast or resolve technical faults). Australian network television schedule is largely patterned from the U.S. format.
In countries that span multiple time zones and are the most populous in their western or central regions, like
International tape delays of live global events, intended by major television networks, dominated world television until the early 2010s. For example, during the
However, since many live events became available via social media in the late 2000s, tape delays have become increasingly irrelevant because of live television's resurgence as a broadcast format. Since the mid-2010s, several high-profile entertainment programs with huge live global audiences like the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards and Tony Awards, yearly specials like the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants, and major sporting events like the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup and the National Football League's Super Bowl, air to totality live on both television and the internet virtually all across the world's time zones in and out of their countries of origin. In addition, television networks nowadays mandate prime time rebroadcasts (featuring edits as desired by broadcasters) for regions that are not covered by the original live primetime broadcasting and previously and solely relied on delayed telecasts on prime time among these otherwise live events.
In certain professional sports, like chess, broadcast delays may be used to prevent cheating or other irregularities.[1]
History
The
The broadcast profanity delay was invented by C. Frank Cordaro (July 13, 1919 – February 20, 1997), who was Chief Engineer of WKAP during the 1950s and early 1960s. Ogden Davies, then-General Manager of WKAP, assigned Cordaro the task of developing a device whereby profanity during a "live" conversation could be deleted by the radio talk show host before it was broadcast. This new device was to be used on the Open Mic radio talk show. The device Cordaro developed was the first tape delay system. WKAP was one of several stations owned by the Rahal brothers of West Virginia (later Rahal Communications). First tested and used at WKAP, this tape system for broadcast profanity delay was then installed at the other Rahal-owned radio stations. From the Rahal brothers' stations, the broadcast profanity delay went into common usage throughout the US.[citation needed]
Computerized delay
In 1977, the capacity of RAM (
In modern systems, a profanity delay can be a software module manually operated by a broadcast technician that puts a short delay (usually, 30 seconds) into the broadcast of live content. This gives the broadcaster time to censor the audio (and video) feed. This can be accomplished by cutting directly to a non-delayed feed, essentially jumping past the undesired moment (something that can be quite jarring to a viewer or listener). In other cases, dedicated hardware units similar to the original digital unit but with improved quality and editing capability can be used. These products can even "build up" delay with difficult program material such as music. Alternatively, a bleep noise or other substitute sound can be inserted. This is more difficult to do with live content, however, and more often appears on recorded material.
See also
- Bleep censor
- Effects of time zones on North American broadcasting
- Federal Communications Commission
- Pixelization
- Radio edit
- Tape delay in NBC Olympics telecasts
References
- ^ "Revisited: 15-minute broadcast delay". 14 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ Elly, Wally (2006-09-20). "In local radio, change is common - with one exception". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
- ^ Tom Tiede. "Talk-Jockey Jimmy Hits the Air". Portsmouth (NH) Times, March 4, 1977, p. 4.