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Closed Captioning is the process by which the audio portion of a production is transcribed and then displayed on a viewer's television screen. Captions typically appear as white text on a black background. They are placed near the bottom or top of the screen in an attempt to cover only a minimal amount of the viewing area. Captions are called "closed" because viewers have the option of turning them on and off. It is important to be selective when choosing a captioning company. In many cases the audio must be edited in order for the captions to be clearly read. Editing audio while preserving the meaning of a statement and integrity of a production demands a high level of skill. 
Want to know how captions appear on your television during a live broadcast? It all begins with a captionist , who is watching and listening to a live broadcast at the same time as you, the viewer. The captionist writes the audio portion of the show on a steno keyboard. A steno keyboard is the kind of keyboard a court reporter uses. This keyboard allows the captionist to write in shorthand, up to 280 words per minute. The steno keyboard is connected to the captionist's computer. In the computer are multiple dictionaries that will translate the steno shorthand into full English words displayed as captions. Using a modem and phone lines, the computer is connected to the broadcaster airing the program. The captions are sent to the broadcaster's encoder. The encoder places the captions onto line 21 of the broadcast signal. If your television is capable of turning on captions, then you, the viewer, can watch the captions appear on your screen, mere seconds after they appear on the program. 
To increase the number of people who will view your production, of course! Approximately 10 % of the population are deaf or hard of hearing. Demographically as the population ages so will the need for closed captioned programming. 
Using a modem and phone line, a captionist dials into the broadcaster's encoder for writing the captions. If required, the captionist will also dial into the broadcaster's audio coupler to hear the program. This is done in cases where the program cannot be seen by the captionist. This type of captioning is typically used for live broadcasts, such as news or a sporting event. 
Using a SVHS copy of the program, a captionist prepares a caption file, which includes time and placement codes for each caption. The caption file will then be encoded onto the master tape. The time and placement codes determine when and where each caption appears on the screen. This type of captioning is typically used for movies or documentaries. The offline process is quite labour-intensive. A turnaround time of at least 5 days will be required. 
Using a VHS copy of the program, a captionist prepares a caption file. Broadcast Captioning will then create a sub-master by sending the caption file while playing the master copy of the program and recording the show and captions onto the closed captioned sub-master. This type of captioning is typically used for programs that require a fast turnaround time. This type of captioning may also be chosen as a more cost affective alternative to Offline captioning.  Used for pre-taped programming, these captions can be timed to be synchronized with the audio portion of a programme. 
A BCCS representative will assist you in deciding which type of captioning would be best suited for your production The following factors are considered:
If the program will be captioned Real-time (live) the dates(s) and time(s) are booked with BCCS.
BCCS arranges for a captionist to be available. At the scheduled time, the captionist will connect
to the appropriate broadcaster using a modem and phone lines and caption the program.
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