# Terrorism at a tape delayed olympics
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [July 27, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587 "2012-07-27T17:15:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/1 "2012-07-27T17:15:56Z")
Obviously terrorism at the Olympics would be breaking news. If it were to happen at a recorded event would the networks show the terrorism event as it unfolds in real time on their telecast? Personally I think it would be tasteless, but tempting for the producers to show that level of drama as it happened. Just what would the networks reaction be to that kind of tragedy?
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/2 "2012-07-27T17:56:50Z")
At the moment something like that happens, all the networks go live with the news as it happens. Any taped coverage would be immediately stopped and switched to the live news.
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### Author:  [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/3 "2012-07-27T18:01:16Z")
I was watching the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The networks most definitely followed the unfolding tragedy live (it is burned in my memory). I have no doubt that they would do the same today.
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### Author:  [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/4 "2012-07-27T18:48:09Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#):
>
> I was watching the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The networks most definitely followed the unfolding tragedy live (it is burned in my memory). I have no doubt that they would do the same today.
My exact thoughts. I remember watching as a small kid as it unfolded on live TV.
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### Author:  [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/5 "2012-07-27T18:56:39Z")
I understand the incident would be televised as it happens. My question is that during the tape delay telecast that night would the network let it run in real time or would they skip over what happenef up to the time of the attack?
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### Author:  [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/6 "2012-07-27T19:02:41Z")
I’m sure that if there is a terrorist event, that will pre-empt any sort of telecast of the swimming events, track events, etc. But also, it will be re-played over and over by all the networks, just as 911 was and will continue to be shown again and again.
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### Author:  [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/7 "2012-07-27T20:57:31Z")
> [@diggerwam](#):
>
> I understand the incident would be televised as it happens. My question is that during the tape delay telecast that night would the network let it run in real time or would they skip over what happenef up to the time of the attack?
Chances are the such an event would so much disrupt the entire news cycle that the original tape delay broadcast schedule will largely be scrapped. Even if they did mostly keep to the schedule, coverage of that particular event would be replaced with an overall coverage of the attack.
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### Author:  [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/8 "2012-07-29T18:29:46Z")
Didn’t someone come to their senses and realized that the terrorists were watching the tv also, following every assault move, and order the broadcasting be shut off?
That’s not a rhetorical question; I think the live video was stopped.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/9 "2012-07-29T19:06:22Z")
They wouldn’t broadcast the tape delayed competition, they’d just cover the aftermath of the attacks live. The sporting events would be of no interest or news value and broadcasting them would be somewhat distasteful. Maybe years later it would appear on ESPN Classic or something, but it would not be broadcast after the attacks.
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> Didn’t someone come to their senses and realized that the terrorists were watching the tv also, following every assault move, and order the broadcasting be shut off?
No. I think this is an urban legend that appeared much later (haw haw, stupid media/stupid cops!). The failed assault on the terrorists happened at an airport far from the Olympic village.
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### Author:  [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/10 "2012-07-29T19:38:30Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23;]
No. I think this is an urban legend that appeared much later (haw haw, stupid media/stupid cops!). The failed assault on the terrorists happened at an airport far from the Olympic village.
[/QUOTE]
I recently read a book about Munich, the aftermath and the mythology surrounding it and IIRC, they cut the electricity to the dormitories after the Palestinian guerillas took them over so I don’t think the Black September guys would even have been able to watch TV broadcasts of it.
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### Author:  [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/11 "2012-07-31T13:30:55Z")
It might be worth noting that there are no ‘taped’ events at the current Olympics - every single event is going out live, as it happens, on one of the 24 new HD channels set up by the BBC, along with their other normal 4 or 5 channels doing synopsis reports and features on specific, noteworthy achievements. If something were to happen (at an event, as there is not much general coverage of the Olympic park itself outside of the venues, just an occasional heli shot) then it would pretty much go out live by default.
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### Author:  [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/12 "2012-07-31T13:44:48Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#):
>
> I recently read a book about Munich, the aftermath and the mythology surrounding it and IIRC, they cut the electricity to the dormitories after the Palestinian guerillas took them over so I don’t think the Black September guys would even have been able to watch TV broadcasts of it.
Couldn’t they watch on their cell phones?
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/13 "2012-07-31T14:11:29Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#):
>
> Couldn’t they watch on their cell phones?
They probably just didn’t think of that. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/14 "2012-07-31T14:24:03Z")
> [@Aro](#):
>
> It might be worth noting that there are no ‘taped’ events at the current Olympics
NBC continues to show a lot of events in the U.S. on tape delay. They always do this, and becomes more risible every Olympics.
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### Author:  [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/15 "2012-07-31T16:58:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#):
>
> NBC continues to show a lot of events in the U.S. on tape delay. They always do this, and becomes more risible every Olympics.
I didn’t mean to suggest no footage goes out from previous recordings, of course lots will due to schedules and time zones etc. All I meant was that any given event is being carried live by the host broadcaster, so someone will definitely be viewing it live should some disturbance unfortunately happen at any event.
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### Author:  [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/16 "2012-07-31T17:35:43Z")
It’s a bit of a silly question, since it sadly has happened before, in 1972, so we know what would happen. Exactly as **SpoilerVirgin** said.
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### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/17 "2012-07-31T19:02:07Z")
Bob Costas: “Lots of drama tonight at the Men’s 200m butterfly final. I won’t spoil it, but you’ll want to be watching our coverage tonight at 8:30 eastern, 7:30 central. We go back now to Women’s Field Hockey, where Croatia leads Brazil 2-1 after the half. Right here on NBC.”
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### Author:  [@The\_Great\_Cornholio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Cornholio)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/18 "2012-07-31T19:10:34Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#):
>
> Couldn’t they watch on their cell phones?
They only had black and white ones then, with one ring tone, a bell. And they were massive. Rumbelows used to sell them, I think. 😛
In the event of any large scale security incident, mobile phone networks are disabled (leaving thousands of families in utter panic because they can’t get through to their loved ones to see if they are OK).
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### Author:  [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/19 "2012-07-31T20:11:42Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#):
>
> Couldn’t they watch on their cell phones?
No, because they didn’t have cell phones, they had mobiles.
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### Author:  [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terrorism-at-a-tape-delayed-olympics/629587/20 "2012-07-31T22:49:52Z")
> [@Marley23](#):
>
> NBC continues to show a lot of events in the U.S. on tape delay. They always do this, and becomes more risible every Olympics.
Assuming you have paid NBC in some way for their coverage (and the $4.5B it cost them to get the coverage rights), you can see every event in the games live somewhere. Wanted to see the women’s gymnastics final this morning? It was on [NBC.com](http://NBC.com) for the full 2 1/2 hours. Wanted to see Michael Phelps finish second in the Men’s 200 M Butterfly? [NBC.com](http://NBC.com) had it live this morning. As soon as the events were finished the footage was posted to the site and anyone could watch it at their leisure.
The evening coverage on NBC is a highlights package, but anything you see there was shown live elsewhere during the day.
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