silence. Not generally something you want too much of, but… “Sue had to avoid dead air when John missed his spot in the newscast, so she ad libbed her way into gibberish.
The time on-air where there is no audible transmission. This silence can be down to any of the following:* DJ, Producer or Engineer error* Equipment error or failure* Act of God* Deliberate silence for remembrance.
Dead air is a phenomenon whereby a broadcast which normally carries audio or video unintentionally becomes silent or blank (also known as unmodulated carrier). The term is most often used in cases where programme material comes to an unexpected halt, either through operator error or for technical reasons, although it is also used in cases where a broadcaster has 'dried up'. It is the duty of all concerned to rectify the problem as quickly as possible; in many parts of the world dead air is considered to be one of the worst crimes a broadcaster can commit.