Good evening, folks. I'm the controller in the audio... my co-worker pointed this thread out to me.
While it's always nice to get a "job well done," these are the kinds of things that controllers do every hour of every day. It only seems more dramatic when a Hawker is practically flaring over a Skyhawk (and believe me, my heart rate went from 60 to "this must be what cocaine is like" in about a half second).
All of that being said,
the Skyhawk in question did -NOT- save my ass, as someone dared to speculate. ARRZZ couldn't have said it better. It's extremely easy to play armchair quarterback. My eyes were on a squeeze play in the works (C208 on the runway with a Hawker on final), I received readback of hold-short instructions, and my eyes moved to the radar, and then my downwind to create a sequence. This is called a scan, and it's a technique that all controllers use. We don't eyeball one single aircraft to make sure they don't roll across the threshold. There'd be one big damned mess in the air if that were the case. When my scan turned from downwind to final, I saw the Skyhawk starting her takeoff roll. Hence, I switched gears mid-sentence and took care of the priority - an aluminum sandwich with student flavored mayo in the works.
As for the phraseology, call it what you want. I've known folks that can quote the .65 verse for verse, but can't separate their own ass-cheeks with two hands and a map. I heard a readback, and went on about my business. You'll even notice the humble "did I put you in position?" We all make mistakes. I tried not to lay into her too rough, but again, the adrenaline was pumping at that point.
Thanks all, and happy flying