Metropol

Something has gone pear shaped - a record cut off abruptly, then after a minute or so of dead air the emergency "tape" kicked in and has been playing for the last 20 minutes or so.

Webcams for Radio 1 and 1xtra are showing No Video rather than Test Card C (as is usually shown when they are turned off). I'm guessing it's a power cut at Yalding. Or some idiot has put a JCB through the fibre connecting it to Broadcasting House.

It was a power cut.

They are now at broadcasting house.

Shame it did not affect TV, its been a while since a Power cut!

Hmm not sure they really are at BH if they're in the same building as Radio 2 and 6 Music, they'll be in Western House.

The Newsbeat update at 11.30am came from the temp studio. Very brief - no clips or jingles (excluding the intro bed used throughout.)

I heard them go off air and it made me wonder, what do BBC Radio 4 and 5 Live use as their emergency tapes?

With Radio 4 it depends on the nature of the problem - they are pretty much split site with so much of the news output coming from TV Centre, so if there is a problem at BH they often get the news studio to sustain, if the news falls off the air the announcer at BH fills.

Seems they're not yet happy that Yalding is properly up and running, Ferne and Reggie are doing the Request Show from R2.

The Radio 1 and some 1Xtra webcams have now been switched off (though Radio 1 are on Radio 2's webcam at present). Presumably the webcams are automated to switch between studios?

Would I also be right to think that Radio 1, 1Xtra, 2 and possibly Asian Network are all hot seating it? Amazing considering three stations were affected how little interruption there really was.

Wonder if they are hoping to be able to switch back at 1900 when Radio 1 and 1Xtra are simulcasting - or does that make it an even bigger headache?

Add 6 Music into the hot seat shuffle. Presumably Western has 4 studios like Yalding does so that if either building is out of action they can run all four services from whichever is available.

out of interest, what are the plans for Yalding once BH is finished? Are they staying or being moved again?

Staying I think, ditto Western.

Steve in Pudsey wrote:With Radio 4 it depends on the nature of the problem - they are pretty much split site with so much of the news output coming from TV Centre, so if there is a problem at BH they often get the news studio to sustain, if the news falls off the air the announcer at BH fills.

But they still need emergency material no matter where it comes from. Having news from a different building is all very well but how long can you get a newsreader to fill for?

The Radio 4 emergency tape was broadcast a couple of years ago when all the BBC stations went off air for a while. It's classical music with announcements, I assume that Radio 3's is similar.