Million tune in to BBC Scotland as stars work from home
IN their state-of-the-art headquarters at Pacific Quay in Glasgow, they have access to the latest technology.
Now, as the coronavirus outbreak spreads, the stars of the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland (GMS) radio show are broadcasting to the nation from the comfort of their own homes.
Host Gary Robertson, 52, has swapped the studio for his kitchen table, while copresenter Laura Maxwell is based in her attic, just as audiences to BBC news programmes have soared in the past week.
On Monday night, when BBC Scotland carried a news special combining live statements from Boris Johnson and the First Minister, the TV audience rose to the highest for a news programme here in a decade, at more than a million.
The two GMS anchors now alternate working from home, using new equipment just issued to most of the corporation’s presenters, which allows them to broadcast from their front rooms – or in Miss Maxwell’s case, a camping desk in her converted loft.
Mr Robertson, who lives in Glasgow, said: ‘Like everywhere else in the counteam
‘Occasional barking dog and alarm clock’
try, life at BBC Radio Scotland has changed markedly, with Good Morning Scotland going from being prepared in a bustling newsroom to now being produced by a skeleton staff in the studio while all its contributors and a presenter are scattered to the winds.
‘Usually there are several guests every morning arriving in the studio to be interviewed – now all guests are interviewed remotely on phones or laptops.
‘And a studio normally full of colleagues bringing you news, sport, weather, travel and business news is almost empty as people broadcast from home.’
The veteran presenter said it was a ‘technological and logistical juggling act on the part of a very talented production and audio technicians to connect everyone up and make it all sound relatively seamless’.
But he admitted there has been the ‘occasional barking dog, screaming child and alarm clock going off mid-interview’.
And sport presenter Kenny Crawford remembered on air that his bins needed to go out immediately after his bulletin finished.
Renfrewshire-based Miss Maxwell, 45, made the decision to convert what she assumed was the quietest room in her home into a makeshift studio, complete with attic view overlooking the hills. She said: ‘Broadcasting a radio programme is never a solitary endeavour, especially when you sit in a small room with your copresenter for three hours.
‘But just as our listeners are being asked to work from home and social distance, so are we.
‘We’ve introduced strict hygiene measures in our studios and the cubicles where all the technical staff work. Only essential staff are allowed in, with alcohol wipes and gel at the door for hand hygiene.
There has to be at least one presenter in the studio, in case of emergencies.
‘So we’re now alternating broadcasting from home, which throws up its own challenges.’
Miss Maxwell’s mobile kit is set up on a ‘dodgy’ camping table in her bedroom, with sound proofing provided by two blankets including a tartan rug.
She said: ‘Technically, it should be the quietist place in the house, away from possible interruptions from my little girl and the dog. My other half has been providing a very good waiter service with coffee on demand. We shall see how long that lasts.
‘I keep in touch with the studio constantly through various means; messenger, email or, most importantly, talkback from the output producers.
‘They let me know when my microphone is open, if the next guest is ready, who’s talking next, how long until audio finishes – and, probably the bit they like most, telling me when to shut up.
Without them, it’s safe to say, it would be a stramash.
‘However, when it works it sounds like Gary and I are sitting in the same room.’
There have been some positives to working from home, such as getting longer in their beds for their 6am on-air starts rather than the early commute to Pacific Quay.
Mr Robertson said: ‘The question we’ve been asked most, however, is whether we are broadcasting in pyjamas. So far the answer is a resounding No!’