Sky News control room functions are summarized in 3 sentences:
The control room coordinates the live broadcasting of Sky News, led by the director who cues footage from various sources for the vision mixer to display while coordinating with the presenter; the executive producer oversees content decisions and producers generate stories; technical staff ensure all video and data feeds are integrated for transmission to viewers.
1. SKY NEWS
(517 HD/501)
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D gallery
ntre that means you’ll get the stories behind the headlines in more detail than ever before…
them. He also talks to the front of him, the vision mixer always ahead of the on the front row and is in
presenter via an earpiece, selects them by pressing competition. charge of writing all of
so they know exactly what the corresponding button 8 Executive Producer the onscreen captions
is coming next. He ensures on the control panel. In charge of the programme that accompany the news
everything happens when 6 Outside sources – deciding what stories are items, including the 25
it should – taking the These are the pictures from covered, what order they scrolling ticker at the
PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN DOWNING
programme from a Sky’s reporters around the go out and all other editorial bottom of the screen.
computer running order country and the world, who decisions. The executive 10 Technical Director
and turning it into TV. can be cued up from the producer leads the team of Makes sure all the feeds
WORDS: JAMIE HIBBARD
5 Vision Mixer gallery. Graphics and stills are producers in the newsroom come in to the gallery and
The focus of the whole also displayed here. to generate a programme’s that the output gets to the
room. When the director 7 The opposition content, whether it’s edited transmission suites. These
decides which picture he These screens display other reports or live interviews. then send the programmes
wants the viewers to see channels’ news feeds, so 9 Text Producer to the satellites, so they get
next from all the monitors in Sky can make sure they are The text producer sits to the viewers TVs.
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