2FM Time signal / News on the hour

Johnny901

I just have to get this off my chest...

The 2FM time signal on the hour... it is rarely correct and bugs me a little, but today they took the biscuit, after the time signal pips, the news reader announced that it was 2 pm, 2 minutes early at 1.58 pm.

Now even the most unprofessional radio station down the country can get that right, thought it was very sloppy of the National broadcaster.

Is it just me getting out of the bed on the wrong side...

Johnny901

Before anyone asks, my clock was to the mili second, the factory I work in has quality control issues and the clock is linked to the Rugby time signal.

Trick of the Tail

I agree, this time signal thing lately is ridiculous. If its a time signal it should be accurate, if its not it just illustrates how sloppy they are in that they can't get their timings right!

A.

Dirigent

The one that gets me is the lunchtime (12:45) radio news on Today FM. Their gingle is "first with the news" yet it's normally 12:47 or 12:48 when they finish the ad break and go to the news.

padd b1975

9pm news on RTE 1 telly never starts on time either.

neris

98fm always seem to 2 minutes ahead of the hour aswell. News on alot of the stations now is the exact same stories with the exact same script

Johnny901

The point that I am making is is not the news on the hour starting early or late, its that 2FM have a time signal to mark the hour and it is rarely correct. But for it to be 2 minutes early is really silly.

The RTE radio 1 time signal on the hour is bang on and you could set your watch to it.

2FM should either have the time signal correct or drop it.

BrianD

You'll find that many stations in Dublin go into the news early and it's not accidental either.

Russell_James

The 2FM one bugs me bit time, so much so I actually went on the Colm Hayes show to bitch about it!

The noise in the jingle is a time signal, which to all of us means that at the final beep it is hh:00:00. 2fm, in their infinite wisdom thought it would be great to build this sound, recognised worldwide as a time signal, into their news jingle. It's not that it is inaccurate, it is also misleading.

It is seriously frustrating!

Trick of the Tail

What did Mr Hayes have to say in defence of his awful timekeeping?

europa11

alinton wrote: »

What did Mr Hayes have to say in defence of his awful timekeeping?

"Someone buy me a watch for Christmas"


.....or come to think of it, maybe he's chasing down a job on "Morning Ireland" - the home of bad timekeeping!

Yakuza

europa11 wrote: »

"Someone buy me a watch for Christmas"


.....or come to think of it, maybe he's chasing down a job on "Morning Ireland" - the home of bad timekeeping!

They usually get the minutes right, it's the hour they get wrong

coylemj

Johnny901 wrote: »

Before anyone asks, my clock was to the mili second, the factory I work in has quality control issues and the clock is linked to the Rugby time signal.

The UK signal has been broadcast from Anthorn in Cumbria for over a year. It's contracted out by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) so if the service provider changes, so does the transmitter location.

http://www.npl.co.uk/science-technology/time-frequency/time/products-and-services/msf-radio-time-signal

Don't worry, the frequency is the same as the one they used in Rugby (60 kHz) so you're picking up the new transmitter.

Johnny901

Interesting Coylemj, thanks for that

kilomike31

This morning at 9:01:40 they had what sounds like a 'time signal' and then the news reader comes on and says "It's 9 o'clock...". I can imagine people around the country setting their watches based on this !

I've heard this kind of thing now for a year or so. I even complained by email to 2FM but I was essentially dismissed with 'nobody else has complained'. That may be an insight into how standards are now set up there at RTE; never mind whether something is correct or not, how many complaints did it create ?

Have news readers been pre-recorded or have they been told not to deviate from the script no matter what time it is ? I hear other stations like Newstalk are very capable of giving the correct time (to within a minute anyway).

RTE always had a good name for being very professional; I wonder if 2FM has developed a different culture ?

mike65

For timekeeping just check Today FM during the last Word, I doubt Cooper has handed over to the newsroom at 6 O'Clock even once! (and if he did, it was accidental)

kilomike31

mike65 wrote: »

For timekeeping just check Today FM during the last Word, I doubt Cooper has handed over to the newsroom at 6 O'Clock even once! (and if he did, it was accidental)

Yes, I know what you mean, but what bugs me most, and it would appear the OP, is that they broadcast what sounds like a time signal and the news person then gives out the wrong time.

It's bad enough not being able to time the program changeovers correctly but then 2FM go on to give the wrong time. If they can't get something as BASIC as this right can you trust them with anything else ?

mike65

Radio Ones Morning Ireland seem to enjoy telling you its an hour earlier/later than it is. Happens a few times a week.

Johnny901

That's just human error, 2FM is by design and they have been told it appears from the above.

Stripey Cat

Johnny901 wrote: »

That's just human error,

It's a weird thing that they can't figure out a way to stop doing it.

Just off the top of my head, could they not use a service like
http://helvetictoc.com/ to double check the time, instead of a very small clock on a very far away wall, or whatever it is they use now.

Losty Dublin

Stripey Cat wrote: »

It's a weird thing that they can't figure out a way to stop doing it.

Just off the top of my head, could they not use a service like
http://helvetictoc.com/ to double check the time, instead of a very small clock on a very far away wall, or whatever it is they use now.

In the Today FM studio is the most almighty huge big clock that gives the time in no uncertain terms. If the exact time is being missed then it's evidentially a PD call so venom needs to be aimed at the station management.

Trick of the Tail

Oh make no mistake, its never that the station doesn't KNOW the time, its just that they aren't professional enough to run to it.

My feeling is that there's no real need to have news start exactly at the top of the hour - UNLESS you say its exactly the top of the hour or have a time signal!

Then, it HAS to be accurate!

Back in the day, a news format I designed started several minutes before the hour, and ended EXACTLY on the hour with three pips - pips that were played automatically so the reader was forced to read to time!

It required a little training and some discipline - things that are lacking in a lot of stations these days.

A.

JackPerry

The national broadcasters should play a time beep or series of beeps on the hour every hour even if this "overides" a programme, radio ad or piece of music. This way everyone is sure of the exact time. Some European radio stations do this and it works well

Losty Dublin

JackPerry wrote: »

The national broadcasters should play a time beep or series of beeps on the hour every hour even if this "overides" a programme, radio ad or piece of music. This way everyone is sure of the exact time. Some European radio stations do this and it works well

Funnily enough when you mention it but yesterday morning when Maxi was on, the pips went off for 7AM and an ad played after them.

kilomike31

This morning on RTE 2FM after the pips that "aren't a time signal" the news reader announced it was "9 o'clock"; it was actually 9:02:15.

Have these people sooo little initiative or intelligence that they can't deviate from the script to give the actual time ?

Most other radio stations will give the actual time even if they're late with something. Nobody cares if the news is two minutes late but it would be nice if you could trust the time they give you.

I could ask is there a creeping unprofessional attitude taking hold in 2FM ? RTE used have a brilliant record, even internationally, for their approach to broadcasting.

Trick of the Tail

JackPerry wrote: »

The national broadcasters should play a time beep or series of beeps on the hour every hour even if this "overides" a programme, radio ad or piece of music. This way everyone is sure of the exact time. Some European radio stations do this and it works well

One domestic broadcaster, Zenith Classic Rock, does it too!

In fact Z is the first non-RTE station I know of that ran pips at the top of the hour. And EXACTLY at the top of the hour!

Lately though it's become THE thing to do by many stations, who incorporate it into their news jingle.

But they all miss the point. There is no point in having pips if they're not accurate.

A.

mike65

Yeah and I wish you'd stop it! There one is drifting along on the progressive zephyr of say Pink Floyd and suddenly BEEP BEEP BEEEP! breaks the spell. If one station doesn't need pips its Zenith!

Johnny901

Keep it up Zenith, I listen to Zenith in work and its a handy way of keeping track of time

Sorry to see Zenith finishing up this weekend, will they ever get a full licence ?

coylemj

Listening to FM104 yesterday afternoon in the car, they played a series of pips followed by a news bulletin. Checked the time on my GPS and it was three minutes before the hour!

I always thought this was ridiculous from the very first time I heard it. Seems like 2FM put a time signal in the jingle because they thought it "sounded cool" and is in no way an accurate signal.

johndoc

If you're short of time checks, have a listen to moaning ireland.... they use the time to finish each sentence, handover to the news, handover to ad breaks, pick up from ad breaks, interview close, etc etc etc. I think its replaced the full stop in that studio.