[DTV]

Isn’t this suggestion that general elections are usually fixed dates that can be planned months in advance being overplayed?

Weren’t both the last two general elections called out of step with the the fixed term act, in those cases there wasn’t even an expectation there would be one at all

2017 was a bit of a surprise, but there was a general assumption where things were going in 2019 from about June onwards. Broadcasters will have general election plans on stand-by at all times, revised from pretty much the day after the previous vote, so there's no real chance of them being caught out. Even if they were, they would just largely repeat what they did the previous time. Graphics are designed and sets built ahead of time, second-order elections are used as opportunities to try out new things and, after a few years, there will be periodic full rehearsals for GEs.

The only things that really aren't in place are scheduling related, but the GE will take priority for studio bookings (not such an issue anymore), resource allocation and staff schedules, with the campaign providing more than enough time for everything to be clear by election night. External venues for things like debates are probably the thing least in the broadcasters' control, but even then there will be multiple options planned in advance.

Ultimately, as news events go, there are few with the level of planning and prioritisation of general elections, so risks of brodcasters being unprepared or unhelpfully surprised are not the case.