Finally, I sketched a little control panel on an index card around 1985. This is a 2002 color version of that sketch. The panel is designed for a hypothetical radio broadcast of a state high school wrestling tournament or similar event.
In the first round of Pennsylvania's PIAA tournament, there are maybe 16 matches in each weight class. On the floor of the arena, four mats allow four matches to take place at once.
From 1974 to 1980, I worked for the cable system in Washington, PA; we ignored most of the matches, videotaping only the ones that featured our local wrestlers. But local radio station WJPA broadcast the whole four-ring circus live — and somewhat chaotically, of course.
Is there a way for a radio production to switch relatively smoothly from one match to another? Perhaps a computer can help the announcers decide where to go next.
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Suppose that we put an announcer near each of the four mats, plus another at the PIAA officials' table. Each of the five announcers has one of these control panels. There's also a host at an anchor location to read the commercials.
Say that this panel belongs to Jim at Mat Four. At first, none of the four lights is lit; Jim is on a break or has nothing to say. Pressing the big blue button toggles the green READY light on and off. If it's on, it means that Jim is prepared with an update. In addition, he can light the green URGENT button (by pressing it) to signal that he has something of high priority to report.
A computer assigns priorities to the panels: First any URGENTs; next any READYs (first come, first served); then the anchor; finally (if the anchor isn't ready) a tape player. Each panel displays its queue priority: “1” means that as soon as the current reporter wraps up, Jim will be live.
When that reporter signals, Jim's yellow STANDBY light comes on. When he signals again, the yellow light goes out, the red ON AIR light comes on, and Jim begins talking.
When Jim is almost done, he hits the big blue button once, and the WRAPPING light appears. The computer makes its final decision and flashes the ID of the next reporter in Jim's IS NEXT window, for example "Fred." Fred's STANDBY light comes on.
Referring to the window, Jim says something like "Now let's go over to Fred on Mat Two." When he presses the big blue button a second time and holds it, Fred is on the air. As long as Jim holds that button, he is also on the air, so he and Fred can have a conversation. Once he releases the button, he's off the air and all four lights go out.