Sign-on (broadcast)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sign-on (or startup) is the term used to describe the beginning of operations for a television station. It is the opposite to a sign-off (or closedown).
As with sign-offs, sign-ons vary from country to country, and from station to station.
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[edit] North America
In the United States and Canada, sign-ons are often the exact reverse of a sign-off. Commercial stations often sign on between 5-6 a.m., while some public stations may not sign on until as late as 7:30 a.m. Television sign-ons are very rare these days as most stations operate 24 hours a day. In these cases, the sign-on sequence is shown between commercials or before a program around the 6 a.m. hour (5 a.m. in the Central and Mountain time zones); for instance, before the start of a network's early morning newscast, or that station's morning news show.
The sign-on sequence often includes the following:
- In some cases, a signal to turn on any remote transmitters—usually a series of Touch Tones.
- The national anthem.
- A "good morning"-type greeting to viewers.
- Technical information, such as the callsign, transmitter power, translators used, transmitter locations and STL links.
- Ownership of the station.
- Contact information – such as street and mailing addresses, telephone number and Web site address.
- List of related organizations.
- A disclaimer that station programming is taped, aired live, or originates from a television network. Some stations also air another disclaimer that programs are for personal use only (previously only at time of viewing; this has been appended with the spread of VHS and DVR devices), and businesses cannot profit from showing them by applying a cover charge for viewing.
- A commitment to quality (or perhaps, a slogan).
The above is often followed by a station jingle, usually played over a montage of local video clips.
For stations that cut off their signal during off-broadcast hours, a test pattern may appear 15-20 minutes before the actual sign-on.
On radio stations owned and operated by the CBC, a short introduction is aired, before it goes into its announcement. On CBC TV stations, the Coat of arms of Canada is displayed, followed by a video montage accompanied by the national anthem, and a special "broadcast day bumper" video sequence, which includes a legal ID showing callsign, channel number and city of licence.
[edit] The Philippines
In the Philippines, there is no such uniform format for signing on. ABS-CBN Channel 2 starts with a message where will they send comments to, and followed by a message saying that they will be on a nationwide satellite broadcast, then the staples for signing on (such as the National Anthem, callsigns, network specifications, etc.) ABC-5 ususally shows a test card with a time on it and the date. NET-25 usually plays music with the test card (the station's logo) in it.
[edit] United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the ITV network stations were required to make an authority announcement, and play a piece of music before beginning its daily broadcasts. The music played was often popular with those served by the station. The music had to be registered with the Independent Television Authority/Independent Broadcasting Authority. The BBC signed on by simply cutting straight from the testcard to the first announcement.
