Clock ident
Encyclopedia
A clock ident is a form of television ident that employs a clock displaying the current time with the station logo, typically used before news bulletins and closedown.
s. In particular, many ITV
regions in the UK adopted a digital clock design overlaid on to a coloured card using CSO
during the 1970s and 1980s. The backgrounds were generally static, but some clocks had movement - for example Associated-Rediffusion
had a spinning Adastral, and the final clocks used by RTÉ One
and RTÉ Two
from 1995-1998 were overlayed onto a video background.
The first station clocks were mechanical, but started to convert to an electronically generated format in the 1980s.
A clock will usually visually match a television channel's normal ident or idents, but not in some channels like TVP from Poland.
At the time digital television
started to become commonplace in the late 1990s and 2000s, clocks started to drop out of mainstream use - delays caused by digital systems meant that clocks were a few seconds slow. Most television channels no longer sign off at night, and this eliminated another use for clocks. BBC One stopped using a clock at Easter 2002 when it changed its idents from the balloon to the dancers. One notable exception is Welsh-language channel S4C
, which used a clock until 2007 at closedown and before news bulletins.
In UK, the clocks usually have the background sound of speaking of the next program, and current time. This is only used in UK.
In Portugal
, analogue clock idents were used in both the public RTP
channels until a major rebranding on January 28, 2002, when they were replaced by digital, less obtrusive clocks. Clock idents in Portugal have been mostly used before newscasts, although they were sometimes used in RTP channels to align programming with the schedule, as a form of continuity.
In Scandinavia
except in Iceland
, before news program or sign-on/off usually have clock idents, and in Sweden
always have music in background since 1980. For Denmark
and Norway
doesn't have music on clocks, however it has beeps every 10 seconds. In Iceland
does not broadcast clocks.
In Eastern Europe, clocks usually don't match the idents, and the sound is usually quiet. Soviet Union
had clocks, but today only Ukraine
and Lithuania
have clocks. Poland
used the old clock from 1979, but with small changes, for Czech Republic
and Slovakia
have no clocks, even today.
In Hungary
had only two TV stations in the same network to 1992, which is MTV
, MTV had no clocks to 1998. Duna TV
introduced clocks to Hungary in 1994.
, NHK
had the famous clock from 1969–1985, which is in the blue background, with white clock, the most famous part of the clock is 3, 6, 9, 12 has two bars, while other has one bar. There is also NHK
logo near the clock. This clock have only 2 colors. This clock is also used in some countries such as Sweden
(1970–1980), Myanmar
(1995-today) and Thailand
(2008–2010). NHK
has many other clocks after that, but no one copied them. NHK
still broadcasts clocks prior to 7am news, but does not use during sign-on or sign-off as it broadcasts 24 hours a day since 1989.
In China
, every program comes on time, The programs usually play with 10 minutes at the last to make next program come on time, after the program schedule, CCTV fills to the time with the clocks.
In Hong Kong
, clock idents were used in between programmes, especially news bulletins, although they were not used during signoffs or startups, contrary to the example shown above.
, Cambodia
(formerly), Malaysia, Indonesia
, Singapore
, Brunei
and Vietnam
.
In Indonesia
, which is one of three earliest countries in South East Asia to have the clock idents, the rest are Malaysia.
In Malaysia, which is one of three earliest countries in South East Asia to have the clock idents
In Vietnam
, clocks were introduced in 1970, on Vietnam Television
. VTV used to broadcast only in the sign-off until 2003. Since 2003 clocks are broadcast before main news program and broadcast in the breaks when there's no commercials on.
In Thailand
, Channel 3
used to air a digital clock video counting up to 8:00am and 6:00pm for the national anthem. This practice has ceased since 2009.
In Cambodia, there are no local channels that broadcast clocks, there is an international channel, CTN
, which is in the US, broadcasts the clock ident, however it's not in the sign-on or sign-off sequences as it broadcasts 24 hours a day, but they broadcast clocks prior to 5pm and 11pm, which are times for National Anthem
.
Appearance
On screen, clock idents typically displayed an analogue clock, although some broadcasters did occasionally experiment with using digital clockDigital clock
A digital clock is a type of clock that displays the time digitally, i.e. in cyphers, as opposed to an analog clock, where the time is displayed by hands. Digital clocks are often associated with electronic drives, but the "digital" description refers only to the display, not to the drive mechanism...
s. In particular, many ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
regions in the UK adopted a digital clock design overlaid on to a coloured card using CSO
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
during the 1970s and 1980s. The backgrounds were generally static, but some clocks had movement - for example Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion, London, was the British ITV contractor for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 1954 and 29 July 1968. Transmissions started on 22 September 1955.-Formation:...
had a spinning Adastral, and the final clocks used by RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
and RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
from 1995-1998 were overlayed onto a video background.
The first station clocks were mechanical, but started to convert to an electronically generated format in the 1980s.
A clock will usually visually match a television channel's normal ident or idents, but not in some channels like TVP from Poland.
Europe
Traditionally, clock idents are used before news bulletins to ensure that the bulletin begins at the exact time dictated by the schedule. Clocks could also appear at closedown or startup.At the time digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
started to become commonplace in the late 1990s and 2000s, clocks started to drop out of mainstream use - delays caused by digital systems meant that clocks were a few seconds slow. Most television channels no longer sign off at night, and this eliminated another use for clocks. BBC One stopped using a clock at Easter 2002 when it changed its idents from the balloon to the dancers. One notable exception is Welsh-language channel S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
, which used a clock until 2007 at closedown and before news bulletins.
In UK, the clocks usually have the background sound of speaking of the next program, and current time. This is only used in UK.
In Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, analogue clock idents were used in both the public RTP
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, S.A.,commonly known as RTP, is Portugal's public service broadcasting organization. It operates four terrestrial television channels and three national radio channels, as well as several satellite and cable offerings....
channels until a major rebranding on January 28, 2002, when they were replaced by digital, less obtrusive clocks. Clock idents in Portugal have been mostly used before newscasts, although they were sometimes used in RTP channels to align programming with the schedule, as a form of continuity.
In Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
except in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, before news program or sign-on/off usually have clock idents, and in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
always have music in background since 1980. For Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
doesn't have music on clocks, however it has beeps every 10 seconds. In Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
does not broadcast clocks.
In Eastern Europe, clocks usually don't match the idents, and the sound is usually quiet. Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
had clocks, but today only Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
have clocks. Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
used the old clock from 1979, but with small changes, for Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
have no clocks, even today.
In Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
had only two TV stations in the same network to 1992, which is MTV
Magyar Televízió
Magyar Televízió is the Hungarian national public service television company, with three TV channels, called m1 , m2 and m3....
, MTV had no clocks to 1998. Duna TV
Duna TV
Duna TV or Duna Televízió is one of two public television services in Hungary. "Duna" is the Hungarian name for the Danube. Duna TV operates two channels: Channel 1 and Channel 2-Autonómia....
introduced clocks to Hungary in 1994.
East Asia
In JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
had the famous clock from 1969–1985, which is in the blue background, with white clock, the most famous part of the clock is 3, 6, 9, 12 has two bars, while other has one bar. There is also NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
logo near the clock. This clock have only 2 colors. This clock is also used in some countries such as Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(1970–1980), Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
(1995-today) and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
(2008–2010). NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
has many other clocks after that, but no one copied them. NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
still broadcasts clocks prior to 7am news, but does not use during sign-on or sign-off as it broadcasts 24 hours a day since 1989.
In China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, every program comes on time, The programs usually play with 10 minutes at the last to make next program come on time, after the program schedule, CCTV fills to the time with the clocks.
In Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, clock idents were used in between programmes, especially news bulletins, although they were not used during signoffs or startups, contrary to the example shown above.
South East Asia
In South East Asia, clock idents are broadcasted in almost all countries, but only few channels. The countries that broadcast the clock idents are: ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
(formerly), Malaysia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
In Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, which is one of three earliest countries in South East Asia to have the clock idents, the rest are Malaysia.
In Malaysia, which is one of three earliest countries in South East Asia to have the clock idents
In Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, clocks were introduced in 1970, on Vietnam Television
Vietnam Television
Vietnam Television, or VTV, is the national television broadcaster for Vietnam. Like all media of Vietnam, its programming is directly controlled by the government.-History:...
. VTV used to broadcast only in the sign-off until 2003. Since 2003 clocks are broadcast before main news program and broadcast in the breaks when there's no commercials on.
In Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Channel 3
Channel 3 (Thailand)
Thailand Colour Television Channel 3 is a Thailand television channel. The headquarters are located in Bangkok, Thailand. The channel was established in 1970.The owner of the channel is BEC-TERO.- Ident :-Broadcast times:...
used to air a digital clock video counting up to 8:00am and 6:00pm for the national anthem. This practice has ceased since 2009.
In Cambodia, there are no local channels that broadcast clocks, there is an international channel, CTN
Cambodian Television Network
Cambodian Television Network was launched in March 2003 as a joint venture between local conglomerate the The Royal Group and Stockholm-based Modern Times Group, this free-to-air terrestrial television channel Cambodian Television Network is now part of Mobitel...
, which is in the US, broadcasts the clock ident, however it's not in the sign-on or sign-off sequences as it broadcasts 24 hours a day, but they broadcast clocks prior to 5pm and 11pm, which are times for National Anthem
Nokoreach
"Nokor Reach" is the national anthem of the Kingdom of Cambodia. It was based on a Cambodian folk tune and written by Chuon Nath, the anthem was originally adopted in 1941 and reconfirmed in 1947, around the time of independence from France. In 1970, the monarchy was abolished, thereby replacing...
.