Why do television commercials often appear for a few seconds only to be replaced by another? It seems strange to me that it isn’t more automated - I always think of the technician going “jeez, wrong one!” and switching the tape or whatever, but it can’t be that.
TV stations don’t use tapes or discs anymore for broadcast purposes. But that doesn’t prevent accidents or programming glitches.
Think Bill Gates’ best software, :eek: and that’s what runs on many stations. C’est La Vie.
Where I am it’s caused by a relayed telecast, or so my friend who is a broadcast technician tells me.
The program transmission originates in the nearest large city, and is then relayed out across the countryside. Of course local businesses want to be able top advertise on TV too, and it makes little sense advertising local businesses in cities hundreds of miles away. So just prior to the start of the show the network transmits a code telling the local stations when the ad breaks are due to start and stop. The software at the local station then stops relaying the signal at the start of the ad break. It simultaneously starts transmitting local ads. It starts relaying again at the end of the break. By doing this the network is able to simulcast programs across large areas, yet still be able to sell local advertising and avoid annoying people by advertising products that don’t exist in their area.
The problem is that sometimes somebody makes a mistake when they are entering the codes for when the ad breaks are starting. If it’s a second or two early, the show will stop transmitting halfway through a line of dialogue and an ad will start, which we’ve all experienced to our annoyance. If it’s a second or two late the local station will keep relaying the signal from the capital, which means they will be relaying the ads from the capital as well. When that happens an add will appear for a few seconds, then get replaced by a another one one the local station stops relaying.
If you’re watching via cable or satellite, what you’re seeing is a local spot that wasn’t fired off on time.
Cable networks provide a couple of minutes per hour, depending on the network, for the local cable affiliates to sell. Say ESPN has an agreement with the folks who carry the network (Brighthouse, Comcast, Dish, etc) that they will allow the carriers to sell two minutes per hour to local advertisers.
ESPN still has to fill the local break, because they don’t know if the cable outlet in Boston sold that time to Joe’s Bait and Retread Tire Shop. And maybe Boston sold it, but San Francisco didn’t. Maybe Dish sold it, but Comcast didn’t. ESPN doesn’t want to sit in black, so they fill it as well.
ESPN will fire off a cue tone before the local spot, which is supposed to trigger the cable carriers to run their own spot, if they sold it. ESPN also fires a cue tone after the local spot, telling the cable carriers “ya’ll come back now.” Sometimes the cable carriers are a bit quick or slow on responding to that cue tone, which is why you’ll see a couple of seconds of one commercial before it switches to another, or a commercial that seems suddenly cut off.
Thanks Blake and Ivy, always wondered how it worked.