The Newsroom

BBC Arabic

(February 2008)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
JO
Joshua
Since the other thread has been archived, I've started this one.
So, any news on when BBC Arabic launches? Someone had said January, but obviously thats passed now. And someone said the graphis are purple!
KI
kitt22
All I heard was that the set involves a working newsroom. Which apparently looks "lovely". Smile
MD
mdtauk
I wonder if the look of the News will fit into the new BBC News branding?
NG
noggin Founding member
martinDTanderson posted:
I wonder if the look of the News will fit into the new BBC News branding?


Given that the BBC Arabic TV service is not being made by BBC News (unlike BBC World) then I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't close to the BBC News brand - though I would expect it to be within the wider BBC brand.
MD
mdtauk
noggin posted:
martinDTanderson posted:
I wonder if the look of the News will fit into the new BBC News branding?


Given that the BBC Arabic TV service is not being made by BBC News (unlike BBC World) then I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't close to the BBC News brand - though I would expect it to be within the wider BBC brand.


Hmm, so it will be like BBC Three's 60seconds, made with BBC News Resources, but avoiding the brand image!
KI
kitt22
noggin posted:
martinDTanderson posted:
I wonder if the look of the News will fit into the new BBC News branding?


Given that the BBC Arabic TV service is not being made by BBC News (unlike BBC World) then I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't close to the BBC News brand - though I would expect it to be within the wider BBC brand.


Yeah but guess who is overseeing the look of the service: Head of BBC News presentation.

So there is bound to be some correlation.
HE
Hermes
martinDTanderson posted:
noggin posted:
martinDTanderson posted:
I wonder if the look of the News will fit into the new BBC News branding?


Given that the BBC Arabic TV service is not being made by BBC News (unlike BBC World) then I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't close to the BBC News brand - though I would expect it to be within the wider BBC brand.


Hmm, so it will be like BBC Three's 60seconds, made with BBC News Resources, but avoiding the brand image!


Did you not read the post you quoted? It's not being made by BBC News, so is not made with BBC News resources, and therefore is not like 60 Seconds on BBC Three.
MD
mdtauk
I can't imagine they will not use BBC News Reporters, BBC News Bureaus, BBC News Camera Crews etc.

While it may not be run by BBC News, it will undoubtedly make use of BBC News resources, as it would be more cost effective, in these days of BBC cutbacks etc
NE
Noelfirl
martinDTanderson posted:
I can't imagine they will not use BBC News Reporters, BBC News Bureaus, BBC News Camera Crews etc.

While it may not be run by BBC News, it will undoubtedly make use of BBC News resources, as it would be more cost effective, in these days of BBC cutbacks etc


I thought all of the above came under the mega-subdivision of BBC Journalism now anyway? (With 'BBC News' being inclusive)
NG
noggin Founding member
martinDTanderson posted:
noggin posted:
martinDTanderson posted:
I wonder if the look of the News will fit into the new BBC News branding?


Given that the BBC Arabic TV service is not being made by BBC News (unlike BBC World) then I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't close to the BBC News brand - though I would expect it to be within the wider BBC brand.


Hmm, so it will be like BBC Three's 60seconds, made with BBC News Resources, but avoiding the brand image!


BBC News Resources (with the caps on R) was the name for a now defunct division - which was at one time part of BBC Resources (before they became a PLC) and then part of News. It has since been fully folded into BBC News - and restructured.

So BBC News Resources won't have anything to do with it because they no longer exist.

The resources bits of BBC News (studios, editing, engineering etc.) also won't have much to do with BBC Arabic as it is part of BBC World Service (Radio) and on a different site (Egton House) to the main BBC News resourced sites ( TVC and Millbank) In other words, the camera operators, lighting directors, vision mixers, sound supervisors, floor managers and daily designers for BBC Arabic will not be employed by, or have anything to do with, BBC News. (*)

The only direct link that the day-to-day operation of Arabic might have with the resources arm of BBC News is the provision of outside sources from satellite downlinks and BBC regional studios - which may well still be routed through the BBC News run central switching area. They may also be using some of the BBC News Newsgathering resources in TV terms.

60 Seconds does come from a BBC News studio, and is edited by a picture editor from resources, but there are no craft studio people involved in the day-to-day transmissions, only support (i.e. fixing things when they break, or checking the lighting plots every so often) The daily bulletins are a two person operation - with the presenter responsible for autocue, lighting, camera and CSO, and the producer responsible for sound and vision mixing, graphics and timings.

(*) NB I specifically referred to daily graphics - as BBC News graphics have, AIUI, won the pitch to provide the channel branding and graphic "look" for BBC Arabic, beating other external companies that pitched. HOWEVER this doesn't mean that they will make it look like BBC News, as that may not have been their brief.
NG
noggin Founding member
martinDTanderson posted:
I can't imagine they will not use BBC News Reporters, BBC News Bureaus, BBC News Camera Crews etc.


They will no doubt use BBC News pictures, and most of the overseas bureaux are operated by both BBC News and BBC World Service anyway.

Reporters are less likely to be used - as there aren't many BBC News reporters who are fluent in Arabic (though Frank Gardner may be?) This is an Arabic language channel remember - it is the BBC's answer to Al Jazeera not Al Jazeera English.

Quote:

While it may not be run by BBC News, it will undoubtedly make use of BBC News resources, as it would be more cost effective, in these days
of BBC cutbacks etc


But the BBC World Service is independent of the licence-fee cutbacks, and it is important to remember that the government has recently INCREASED the funding of the Arabic TV service to allow it to run 24/7.

Of course there will be co-operation with BBC News where it makes sense, but this doesn't mean the channel is being resourced by BBC News - it isn't.
MI
m_in_m
Sounds like 60 Seconds is rather cost effective in its resourcing.

Newer posts