Autocue and QTV are now well-known and respected names for providing
Prompting Solutions, but how did this come to pass?

prompting begins on paper

The origins of prompting can be traced back to Jess Oppenheimer (Writer, Producer & Director) and the “I Love Lucy” TV show in the early 1950s. To solve the problem of the actors forgetting their lines, he developed a rudimentary prompting system. He took out a patent on the system that was licensed by a group of entrepreneurs who founded the teleprompting company Autocue in 1955. Meanwhile, a separate entity - QTV - was established in the US. Both companies started out by renting equipment to studios.


Oppenheimer’s paper roll system survived until 1969 when Autocue pioneered a major breakthrough, introducing the first closed-circuit prompter. This innovation used a closed-circuit camera system to film a scrolling paper script and display the image on a CRT monitor, which in turn was reflected off the prompter glass into the presenter’s eye-line. QTV followed shortly afterwards with similar technology. In the 1970s both companies started selling hardware in addition to maintaining their rental operations.

In 1984 QTV acquired Autocue and retained the two brands in their respective regions - Americas and International. The following year, the newly formed Autocue Group invented the first computer-driven prompting system, ScriptNet. At this time the first newsroom computer systems were beginning to appear in television stations. The Group recognised the need to integrate these two systems and gradually overcame any issues to ensure cotibility with all newsroom systems.

Prompting enters the digital era

However, from the start Autocue and QTV were interested in digital prompting in areas outside television news, leading to the development of its own scriptwriting and running order package, designed to meet the requirements of its many different kinds of customer, from newsrooms to party conferences, and from sitcoms to major drama productions. This system worked on an early version of Windows, and was accordingly named WinCue.

In 1994 the Autocue Group pioneered the first flat screen prompters, and since then the technology has remained fairly stable. During the past decade, only incremental improvements have been made to the prompter flat screen monitors such as increased brightness, specific customised controls, and robust studio grade cable connections.

Meanwhile, WinCue continued to accrue functions and features as customers (particularly TV newsrooms) demanded ever greater integration between the different elements of their workflow. Journalists need sources, and the ability to ingest, index and process stories from news agency wires was an early addition. Another requirement was the ability to control multiple playout devices, such as videotape machines and character generators, from a central running order. The Autocue Group accordingly developed its own automation system, as applicable to general programme playout as to news. This was followed by the ability to handle media as well as words within the production environment. Following a project with CNN, a wireless tablet-PC based system to effect and share script changes using ‘digital ink’ was added.

These developments were not completely organic in origin. In 1998, a newsroom application company, DCM, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was acquired to complement the existing newsroom product range. The Group retains an office in Charlotte to this day under the subsidiary name of Autocue Systems.

Networked innovation and integration

For Autocue Group, what began as Wincue, a comparatively simple PC-based prompting system, has evolved into QSeries, an integrated suite of tools which cover every aspect of broadcast production: planning, newsgathering and ingest, production, scripting, running-order management, playout automation, media asset management, and of course, prompting.

Autocue and QTV have continued to innovate, and following extensive customer research, a radical new approach to prompting was introduced in 2006, called QMaster. This is the first IP-based networked prompting system, and is the latest addition to the QSeries suite of solutions. More information on QMaster and the rest of Autocue Group’s solutions can be found on this web site or you can contact Autocue Group directly to discuss your specific requirements.