It was a challenging night for Seven News in Melbourne last night as a faulty cable connector linking the control room and presentation, failed. (Video Below)
Video and audio crackling made the picture and sound of such poor quality, the control room was forced to throw to a commercial break, so the problem could be rectified.
After the commercial break, at 6:03pm the bulletin returned, this time with perfect vision and sound. However by that time ratings indicate a significant percentage of viewers had made the switch to Nine. Last nights bulletin averaged just 141k in the first half hour compared with 517k on Nine.
General Manager for Broadcast Operations at Seven, Andrew Anderson said:
“We take it for granted with live broadcasts, that every time we push a button we will get the response we expect.
“Every so often we get technical reminders, like we had last night, to be ready for a whole range of unplanned outcomes.
“At the end of the day though, it’s the News anchor who has the toughest ride, and Jen Keyte’s calm professionalism, under considerable pressure was faultless.”
