Broadcast Stopwatch
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Keyboard: Space start/stop · R reset
Press start to use this stopwatch.
Broadcast stopwatch times on-air segments, commercial breaks, and rundown blocks. Visible elapsed for control rooms, streamers, and live event directors.
How to Use
- Mark rundown items with agreed lap points in the script.
- Start at show open or top-of-hour roll.
- Lap as each segment clears - talent out, not cart fire.
- Watch cumulative elapsed against hard network outs.
- Postmortem lap trails with notes for next rundown padding.
Features
- Rundown segment laps with cumulative show elapsed
- Transparent overlay for multiview program monitors
- Fullscreen confidence feed for small studios
- Notes tagging segments for postmortem review
- Keyboard lap for producer hands on panel
- Long-show stability for multi-hour streams
Real-World Use Cases
- College radio talk set timing to network join
- Live stream segment laps before mid-roll
- Corporate webcast producer rundown tracking
- Community TV booth segment elapsed
- Podcast video live show block timing
Practical Examples
Morning stream
Guest segment lap four minutes over; producer cuts next banter block on air.
Dress rehearsal
Rundown laps match targets; live day gets tighter padding on weak segment only.
Benefits
- Delay visible before hard outs are blown
- Postmortems use lap evidence, not memory
- Streamers segment ad breaks without custom software
- Producers pad rundowns from real rehearsal data
Tips & Best Practices
- Lap on talent clear, agreed in pre-show meeting.
- Transparent overlay only after contrast test on program feed.
- Save dress rehearsal trails as padding reference.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Lapping on cart start instead of talent out.
- No cumulative show clock during hard network outs.
- Skipping dress rehearsal laps then guessing live padding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Legal logging device?
No. Operational timing for producers, not compliance chains.
OBS overlay?
Use transparent stopwatch with window capture.
Hard network outs?
Watch cumulative elapsed; director still calls cuts.
Stream mid-rolls?
Lap content segments; splits show where to insert breaks.
Multi-hour shows?
Yes. Keep hardware plugged in.
Notes in postmortem?
Tag laps with segment names on note-capable layouts.
Fullscreen for talent?
Confidence monitor feed via fullscreen variant.
Presentation overlap?
Presentation targets slide talks; broadcast targets rundown segments.