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Meteorologist orders everyone out of the studio

Not uncommon. When I briefly lived in Oklahoma city this happened atleast a couple of times. I suppose there is some dramatic effect with this, but I believe they are doing it for their own safety.
 
seatownmedia said:
Not uncommon. When I briefly lived in Oklahoma city this happened atleast a couple of times. I suppose there is some dramatic effect with this, but I believe they are doing it for their own safety.
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The station I prefer for news has their studio at the base their broadcast tower. I can't think of any place I would like to avoid during a tornado more than directly beneath a 1000ft steel tower.

But, during the 3-5 minutes that the television studio may be at risk, it would be ideal to stay on the air with narration from a place of shelter. Modern broadcast graphics systems, which can be controlled from an iPad, along with wireless mics, generally permit that.
 
Studios are usually pretty good size rooms and all those lights that can come tumbling down on you are good reason to go to an interior small room with your 'clickers' and wireless mics until the area of rotation passes.

I was in Houston when KHOU TV flooded during Tropical Storm Alison. I recall a dimly lit spot where they continued broadcasting after water entered the studio. About every 45 minutes or so, the screen would go black or they flip to the network as they changed out the battery on the single camera in use.

I doubt stations would do the 'take shelter' thing for dramatic effect especially during a time when everybody's adrenaline level is high. You get super focused on what you're doing and the importance of what you are doing. But taking shelter does happen from time to time.
 
b-turner said:
I doubt stations would do the 'take shelter' thing for dramatic effect especially during a time when everybody's adrenaline level is high. You get super focused on what you're doing and the importance of what you are doing. But taking shelter does happen from time to time.
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I never interpreted it as "dramatic effect" but when I read the newspaper article I had to watch it to see what it was like for them. They were very professional. It's never explained how they continued to have video and audio or if someone was taking more of a risk then they were.

I probably couldn't have watched it live if I had known because this is the station that messes up when a car goes by, and wind might have made it worse. But I think where I live the wind came later, and it wasn't that serious. One TV station showed a funnel cloud closer to where I live than I would have liked.
 
I imagine they were very professional in their retreat. Funny how that works. You're freaking out inside but calm and cool outside. I recall being at a radio station in a tornado outbreak. There was the DJ on the air and the news director. I was there with two other station employees. We watched a tornado form over us, ran inside and in a most calm voice the news director announced it and from memory the streets in the path. He didn't get it all out as the power went out as we ducked under desks. It didn't hit us but we were all shaking in our boots. As we talked with listeners later, they told us the power going out got them to take cover, not our words. The funnel touched down about 2 city blocks from us. They thought the station took a direct hit. Go figure.
 
I won't put all my faith in a wireless phone link. We spread out the failure points in our backup studios.
I remember the video of the tower in the Netherlands, that burned and fell a few years ago. The image of the guy who stepped in front of the camera while on his phone, and began screaming obscenities as we saw the tower collapse behind him (and his phone quit), has been permanently burned in to my mind.
 
I never said it was deliberate dramatic effect, I was just noting how the audience might have reacted to it. But it’s all good.
 
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