Bye Bye “Hello Ladies?” In-Vision Announcers As Continuity Technique in a European Postlinear Television Landscape

Abstract

This article traces the history of in-vision announcers in public service television in Flanders and Norway from the public service monopoly days over the multichannel to the postlinear television landscape. The title “Hello Ladies” refers to the everyday nickname for in-vision announcers, used by particularly Norwegian viewers. It analyzes the shifting role of in-vision announcers focusing on four key functions: creating flow, personalization, live-ness, and branding, evaluating their respective relevance—and that of linear, general interest, public service television—in the move to a postlinear television context dominated by digitization, convergence, and trends to time shifting and on-demand services. Although the functions of guide and flow, personalization, and live-ness seem to have taken a backseat, in-vision announcers remain central as part of the unique selling proposition of television branding, indicating the continued importance not just of in-vision announcers but of (public service broadcasting) linear, general interest television channels.