Visualising 5 Live
Have you been watching your radio? That's right, not "listening to" but "watching". At 5 Live, we've been developing a way of delivering radio that we call "visualisation".
Radio with pictures might sound like television, but it's important to remember that visualising radio is a different medium altogether. Our aim is to give the option of a rich multimedia experience while ensuring that we don't interfere with those listening to the linear transmission.
We've already experimented with visualisation using the red button () and the website (Mark Kermode), and our four-camera set-up means that we can offer the 91Èȱ¬ News Channel live content, like yesterday's phone-in when Nicky Campbell hosted Harriet Harman.
Now we're taking the next step: for the next few weeks, the Simon Mayo programme will be broadcast live for three hours in our brand new "visualisation console".
We combine the live video stream from our studio with news and sport headlines, listeners' text messages and a behind-the-scenes live information scroll, written in the control room.
Our plan also involves feeding in live pictures of breaking news. A very busy first day yesterday meant that we tested the console to its limits.
The audience response so far has been fantastic, and something we have learned from. When we broke for news, sport and travel, we initially put up a holding card. But enough listeners demanded to see what was going on that we replaced it with the video of everybody coming and going,
Unfortunately, some people haven't been able to see all the additional content because their web browser hasn't had the right Flash "plug-in" - and that included Simon Mayo in the studio. That will be the first thing we fix. The sound was out of sync with the pictures if you were watching on a Firefox browser on a Mac, and we'll fix that too.
The trial will continue for another three weeks (except on Wednesdays, when we're in our Westminster studio), finishing with a live outside broadcast from Edinburgh on June 19th. It's a learning experience for all of us, so please have a look and let us know what you think.
Brett Spencer is the interactive editor for 5 Live.
Comment number 1.
At 2nd Jun 2009, lordBeddGelert wrote:"Radio with pictures might sound like television, but it's important to remember that visualising radio is a different medium altogether. Our aim is to give the option of a rich multimedia experience while ensuring that we don't interfere with those listening to the linear transmission."
More Pseuds' Corner Birtspeak.. How long before James Naughtie is given a telling off for reading the paper 'on camera' or Sarah Montague told to go to the hairdressers before she can appear on Today. And that they have to ditch their headphones in exchange for earpieces.
And Ed 'The Ted' Stourton is given a carpeting for appearing on air without a tie ? Sounds ridiculous, but remember the flak that Peter Sissons got ? This is the thin end of a very dangerous, and pointless, wedge.
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Comment number 2.
At 2nd Jun 2009, defenderofparliament wrote:I have an idea lets do that on all Radio stations shall we, and create an effective TV programme, you might as well just do a TV programme and air it on radio to.
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Comment number 3.
At 2nd Jun 2009, forensix wrote:Has the 91Èȱ¬'s dumbing down of its audience not gone far enough already? Do you honestly believe that none of us should have or use our imaginations? Radio is not "poor" TV.
It isn't as if 91Èȱ¬ Five Live output is that good it cannot be improved as a pure radio station. Can you not respond to your listeners rather than doing your "own thing" all the time?
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Comment number 4.
At 4th Jun 2009, CollinV wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 5.
At 4th Jun 2009, KernowChris wrote:Getting frustrated,
Simon Mayo is continually plugging this service and all I am getting is a test card with a 5 logo in the middle and an off air caption.
Perhaps it might help if the studio monitored what was going out.
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Comment number 6.
At 5th Jun 2009, nicenicemark wrote:I'm fascinated with this 'experiment'.
Quite an eye opener to see how basic and rudimentary the broadcasting process is. Newsreader walks in, reads from a sheet of paper, walks out again. Guests come and go. Scruffy tee shirts everywhere.
Great stuff thank you.
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Comment number 7.
At 5th Jun 2009, Bloofs wrote:"Radio with pictures might sound like television"
-Exactly. That's what it is.
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