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Just push TWO buttons on the character generator and Voila...
Posted on 11/22/2005 9:43:43 AM PST by conservative in nyc
XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX TUE NOV 22, 2005 11:54:02 ET XXXXX
CNN: 'IT WAS A COMPUTER BUG'
'IT IS NOT SOMETHING WE CAN RE-CREATE TO SHOW YOU HOW IT HAPPENED'
CNN on Tuesday morning hoped to explain how and why a black 'X' flashed over Vice President Dick Cheney's face during a live speech.
The startling 'X' flashes over Cheney's face were first revealed by the DRUDGE REPORT. One top White House source expressed concern about what was aired:
"Is someone in Atlanta trying to tell us something?"
CNN transcript:
CNN anchor/reporter Daryn Kagan: "I have come back into the control room because we want to explain something to you that happened on this newscast yesterday. During our live coverage of a speech by Vice President Dick Cheney there was a technical malfunction, you'll see it here.
It involved a switcher, something we call a switcher. It's a machine that we use to switch between visual elements.
Now, that glitch resulted in that 'X' that you saw being flashed briefly across the screen as the vice president was speaking.
The story has made it on to the internet and various blogs in there.
In response, CNN has issued this statement.
'Upon seeing this unfortunate but very brief graphic, CNN senior management immediately investigated. We concluded this was a technical malfunction not an issue of operator error.'
Joining me to explain what happened Steve our CNN director of technical operations.
We're putting you on the hot seat here.
People at home are watching Vice President Dick Cheney.
What happened?
What were we trying to create behind the scenes?
At the end of the speech the plan was to do, to have a CNN logo up on the screen and use that as the way of getting back from the speech back to you on camera and one of the many graphics we use here at CNN.
MORE
A majority of graphics we use on the air, we use as a big x to identify at what point should the tape be cued up.
This is the x you see in the control room but it is never meant to be seen on the air.
It's being used.
The controlroom will use that kbrx to cue up the CNN logo to get it ready for air and as you see there, getting it ready.
We're doing this now, live. We're showing what you're trying to do exactly.
That is what was being prepared during the speech and due to the technical glitch that happened with the switcher, it accidentally got on the air because of the switch.
And it's the sort of thing that just like your computer will glitch and will suddenly lock up and do something weird, our equipment does the same thing on occasions.
ot something we can re-create to show you what happened.
Which is a really important point.
First of all, a switcher is a machine, not a person.
Correct.
When we were talking about doing the segment and said, let's do it again. You can't make it happen on purpose.
That's correct.
For all the conspiracy theories out there and we want to have someone who is trying to make a statement about the nature of vice president cheney's speech, it's a computer bug. Ours was in front of millions of people.
That is absolutely correct. As it goes. So, we're getting it fixed, i hope?
Yes, much like you have to reboot your computer from time to time, we're going to reboot our computer from time to time to make sure it doesn't happen again.
END
Full of POOP!
I was hoping Brit Hume would do a story on the glitch and roll film of CNN's CEO explaining away this idiocy while FOX flashed a BIG ZERO over his face!
Well, those control room guys certainly are quick on the "graceful" recovery. Not only did they kill the offending graphic glitch in 1/15th of a second (a human reaction speed record) but they were able to repeat the amazing feat two times after that with similar results.
As someone who works in a television "control booth" (local, not network) I can understand CNN's lame but plausible explanation. The full explanation is far too long and technical to try to explain, and most people wouldn't understand it anyway (certainly not the majority of CNN's viewers, and likely few members of CNN's management team would even get it). "Computer bug" is a dummed-down way to put it, but the comparison is accurate enough for most people to grasp.
Most televised sporting events use a similar process when effecting from live game action to an instant replay and back, although from what I've seen, most production trucks are smart enough to use the word "cued" (or something similar) instead of a big fugly "X" at the start of their video clips. Plus, I've not seen the "cued" message so big and obvious. Usually it is smaller and unobtrusive so as to be less noticeable in the accidental event that it makes it to air (which I've also seen happen). This frame is never intended to be aired; it is simply a reference point to indicate that the video clip is ready to roll. (Most facilities run these clips off of hard drives, although videotape can still be used.) The "switcher" rolls the clip, then one or two frames into the clip, (after the reference frame is gone) the switcher "switches on" the TV signal for that clip, adding it to whatever other video source you are seeing. At the end of the clip, the switcher turns off the signal from that clip, so it can then be recued for later use, without the viewer seeing the clip recue.
Any of a number of things could have happened at CNN to cause the switcher to turn on the clip's signal without actually playing the clip, thus causing the "X" to have been visible when it shouldn't have been. I can't help but chuckle at those who believe the mistake was intentional, although I must admit that if somebody wanted to pull something like this off, it would not be difficult to override the system and do it. It seems far more likely, though, that it was in fact a technical glitch.
But... if CNN had used the word "Cued" instead of a big X, I doubt any of us would have given the mistake a second thought -- it would have been an obvious technical problem -- still embarrassing, but more easily forgivable. The fact that it was a big X and the fact that it appeared over the Vice President makes a simple oopsie that much bigger. I'm not saying that anybody is making this bigger than it is, though. Even with as much heat as CNN is taking, I personally don't think it's enough. Technical issues happen, but this didn't need to be as ugly as it was. Using a full-screen X is stupid and unnecessary. CNN deserves every bit of embarrassment this error causes it.
I believe audiences are much more forgiving when a mistake is obviously just a mistake. But when the mistake comes off looking as if it could have been intentional, there will always be those who assume the worst first. That's human nature. And given CNN's well-earned reputation for being easy on libs and overly critical of conservatives, there's all the more reason for concern, and all the more reason for CNN to make extra efforts to avoid this kind of thing from happening in the first place (assuming they care what we think of them).
I doubt we'll see heads roll (employees canned) over this mistake. But imagine if the big X would have appeared over, say, Hillary Clinton. You can bet both buttcheeks that CNN would have pink-slipped somebody, although probably somebody completely uninvolved with the problem.
I think somebody at CNN should be canned over this. Basic TV 101, rule 1: anything you put on a tape (or a hard drive) could go on the air at any time. If you don't want it to air, don't make it available! I certainly don't think anybody could have foreseen the big X appearing over the Vice President of the United States, but, whoever created the video clip should have had enough sense to think that the X could accidentally air at some point. The same problem would have been embarrassing if it had happened over a CNN anchor or reporter, albeit not as embarrassing as what actually ended up happening. In my opinion, CNN should immediately rebuild their video clips to use "cued" (or at least something less potentially embarrassing) as their reference frame, and making it smaller wouldn't hurt. But when was the last time CNN paid any attention to anything we suggest?
If I wanted to do something like this, I would have to be aware that the management might not appreciate it. So, I would take pains to create the event in such a way that it would be easy to explain it away as a "technical glitch" if I were called on the carpet. Hence, adding a stock message like "Transition begins after 5 frames of black" would be a perfect cover. I would know that the audience would only see the "X" and never be aware of the message below it. I would also know that it would only be a matter of hours before the mystery message would be deciphered and become known to the management. A perfect preemptive CYA, IMHO.
FOX & friends has been doing just that, both yesterday and today :)
And I take it that CNN still has not apologized to the VP.
Bovine Feces.
Barbara Streisand.
This is not an error that "just happens"
or a way that some hacker can "just access" the system.
This should be 100% traceable. CNN is LYING (surprise not) to cover their own incompetent bias.
I bet when the secret service finds the person it will be some kind of deniac or hitlary supporter.
As far as I know.
so what was the guy in the control room laughing about unless he knew it was there ahead of time...he probably couldn't have seen it, registered it and then larfed all about it had it just been a bug ... i'd like to think that he would have noticed something wrong and actually been concerned ... no, he did it himself
How about it CNN? Gonna practice what you preach?
Apologize to the VP.
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Hee hee. Thanks much for posting those pics!
Did Kilmeade and co. explain how they did it?
Bull shit!
Two buttons dosn't sound like an oopsie to me, especially if you need to hit something in addition for the audience to see it.
IN THE THIRD Picture, with the YELLOW "X", look at the tech's right hand, see those TWO LIT UP Buttons???
That's all it takes...he said they use the "X" in preview to sometimes indicate where to start a clip...
G
That's funny ... FNC just showed how it could happen this morning when they asked their control room
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