National Court Reporters Association Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC)

The FCC standard of completeness requires that captions run from the beginning to the end of the program to the fullest extent possible, capturing the full content rather than just paraphrasing the gist. While accuracy involves correct spelling and punctuation, intentionally dropping details directly violates completeness. Synchronicity refers to timing, and placement refers to screen positioning.

Professional broadcast captioners must always have a backup audio plan, such as a secondary dial-in number or an internet audio stream, and should communicate with master control immediately. Disconnecting from the encoder or attempting to lip-read are unprofessional and ineffective solutions. Captioners should not broadcast personal apologies to viewers unless specifically directed by the network.

Creating a job dictionary and ranking it above the main dictionary ensures that specific, temporary terminology translates correctly without permanently altering the captioner’s primary dictionary. Adding niche names to the main dictionary can cause future mistranslates in unrelated jobs. Relying on phonetic translation or ranking the job dictionary lower defeats the purpose of real-time preparation.

The FCC placement standard requires that captions do not block important visual content, such as lower-third graphics, speaker names, or emergency tickers. Captioners must actively toggle caption placement (e.g., to the top of the screen) to accommodate these graphics. Pausing the captions violates the completeness standard.

Using descriptive parentheticals provides equal access to deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, letting them know the audio issue is on the broadcast end, not an error by the captioner. Guessing words compromises accuracy and can be dangerous during an emergency broadcast. Stopping entirely or disconnecting violates FCC guidelines for emergency information.

The NCRA Code of Professional Ethics mandates strict confidentiality regarding all assignment details, especially sensitive corporate information. Broadcast captioners are bound by the same ethical duty of confidentiality as judicial reporters. Sharing any details, even without the company name, is a breach of ethics and potentially violates insider trading laws.

Standard broadcast captioning conventions require the use of double chevrons (>>) or explicit speaker IDs (e.g., NAME:) to denote a change in speaker. Combining statements creates confusion and misrepresents the dialogue. Relying on visual cues is insufficient, as viewers reading captions cannot always track rapid visual speaker changes simultaneously.

The FCC acknowledges that live captioning involves a slight inherent delay due to human processing and transmission times. However, the synchronicity standard requires that this delay be kept to an absolute minimum so captions coincide with the audio as closely as possible. Artificial delays or pre-displaying text are not standard practices for live human captioning.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers rely on captions for non-verbal audio cues that set the mood or tone of the broadcast. Using descriptive parentheticals or music notes accurately conveys the presence of instrumental music. Leaving the screen blank denies the viewer equal access to the audio experience.

An encoder is a hardware device or software node at the broadcast facility that takes the serial or IP text data sent by the captioner and marries it to the video signal. Translation of steno to English is done by the captioner’s CAT software, not the encoder. Encoders do not mix audio or generate compliance transcripts.

A rundown is a critical prep tool that provides the structure of the newscast, allowing the captioner to research names, places, and topics in advance. ‘VO/SOT’ (Voice Over/Sound on Tape) and ‘PKG’ (Package) indicate video segments where specific names are likely to appear. Ignoring the rundown or attempting to automate the live feed based purely on a script is unprofessional.

Roll-up captioning is the standard format for live real-time broadcasts, where 2 to 4 lines of text scroll continuously upward as the captioner writes. Pop-on captioning, where text appears in blocks, is generally used for offline, pre-recorded programming. Roll-up does not refer to summarizing text or archiving logs.

The captioner’s job is to provide equal access to the audio track. If an expletive makes it to air audibly, it must be captioned to ensure deaf viewers receive the exact same content as hearing viewers. Captioners are not censors; the responsibility for FCC decency compliance lies with the broadcaster’s audio delay operators.

IP-based delivery systems (like EEG’s iCap) are now the standard for sending real-time caption data to encoders securely over the internet. Dial-up modems and analog phone lines are obsolete for data transmission. ISDN was traditionally used for high-quality audio, not primary text data delivery, and SMPTE is used for timecode sync, not remote data transmission.

When a severe error occurs, the best practice is to immediately write the correct word (sometimes preceded by ‘correction:’) so the viewer understands the intended meaning. Backspacing in live roll-up captions is visually disruptive and often unsupported by encoders. Ignoring a highly inappropriate error compromises accuracy and professionalism.

The CVAA modernized accessibility laws, specifically requiring that video programming that aired on television with captions must also be captioned when distributed over the Internet. It does not universally mandate captions for all amateur user-generated social media content, live theatrical performances, or audio-only radio.

When an English voiceover or translator is provided on the audio track, the captioner should transcribe the English translation, as that is the audio information being presented to the hearing audience. Adding a parenthetical provides helpful context. Attempting to write Spanish phonetically is inaccurate, and stopping captioning violates completeness.

Increasing the number of roll-up lines (e.g., from 2 to 3 or 4) allows more text to remain on the screen at once, reducing the scroll rate and improving readability for fast speakers. Summarizing violates completeness. Switching to pop-on is not standard for live broadcasts, and disconnecting is an extreme, unprofessional response.

Professional captioners use specific steno theories (like the number bar or designated number strokes) to output correctly formatted digits, as this is much easier and faster for viewers to read than long strings of spelled-out words. Omitting numbers violates accuracy and completeness. Encoders do not auto-format phonetic text into digits.

The NCRA Code of Professional Ethics requires members to avoid conflicts of interest or the appearance of a conflict. Acting as a campaign manager for a participant in a debate creates a massive conflict of interest regarding impartiality. The assignment must be declined well in advance, not minutes before the broadcast.