The world of broadcasting has been shaken up by the recent embarrassment that BBC had to face. On Wednesday evening, during their live broadcast of the Football Association Challenge Cup matches between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool. Their feed was interrupted by unprofessional and explicit pornographic audio. The source of the interruption was a prankster who had sneaked a mobile phone into the studio, which emitted an inappropriate sound.
It goes without saying that having a successful live broadcast can be a bit challenging, and even one wrong step can lead to an overall failure. BBC was one of the biggest news broadcasters in the world and in the UK, and no one was expecting this to happen. It was sure to have had a deep impact on the reputation of BBC and the broadcasting world, and a statement of apology was issued soon after. People reacted in different ways. Some were embarrassed, some were amused and some were both. Regardless of the mixed responses, BBC is under close scrutiny to fix the issue and make sure that nothing similar ever happens again.
It is also important to identify who the prankster was and take appropriate action in light of this unfortunate incident. In a world where digital media dominates, live broadcasting is still a crucial part of news coverage and entertainment. As media professionals, it is our responsibility to ensure that broadcasting is done correctly, or else the consequences could be disastrous. BBC may have taken a hit with this embarrassing situation, but the lesson which can be learned is invaluable. It serves to remind us of how important live broadcasting is and how important it is to take the utmost caution and preparation when it comes to successful transmission.
