The Newsroom

BBC News: Presenters, correspondent & rotas

Split from BBC News: Presenters & Rotas (July 2019)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
RN
Rolling News
At the time (circa 2001) Peter Sissons and Michael Buerk were considered the top BBC1 newscasters. But on News 24 and World, Gavin Esler and Nik Gowing held a similar status. They would always be called in if a major story broke. Like deejay says, it doesn't seem to exist anymore for the continuous news channels. Remember, back in those days it was very, very rare for any simulcasting to go on outside of overnights. So News 24 and World had their own pool of presenters who were largely unknown to each other's viewers.

Of course, it led to the occasion in the wake of 9/11 when Michael Buerk presented alongside Gavin Esler on the News 24 set! That was an incredible rarity!

EDIT: In fact, I uploaded a video of it several years ago. It's an old-style Real Player video file but it's playable in VLC media player if you have it.

https://up.metropol247.co.uk/itsrobert/BBC%20News%20Special%20(Michael%20Buerk%20%20Gavin%20Esler).rm


Very rare indeed. I think there's only been a handful of occasions when the national presenter has joined the News 24/Channel presenter.

Only ocassions I can think of have been the above with Gavin Estler and Michael Buerk, an Azores summit news special with Huw Edwards joining Jane Hill on the News 24 set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-MAGx_n9WI

The 2000 TVC power cut with Darren Jordan presenting alongside Carrie Gracie from the old Westminster newsroom set.

*

When Colonal Gaddafi was captured with Mishal Husain joining Jane Hill in N6 (although Mishal was on a World News shift at the time, I think it still counts).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puKNlk9AAMA

I haven't counted Peter Sissons and Chris Lowe in the mix as they became dedicated News 24/Channel presenters post their time fronting BBC One main bulletins. Although, come to think of it, did Sissons also present the weekend BBC One update simulcasts from N8? I can't really remember?

I think there might have been a few occasions around 2007 when the likes of George Alagiah and Sophie Raworth did stints on the news channel in a bid to increase the high profile names on the channel. I also believe, but correct me if I'm wrong, but that was also around the time Huw Edwards started presenting his BBC 5 O'clock News hour (as it was then).

Nowadays you'd just get the World News presenter joining the News channel presenter or vice versa.

George Alagiah and Maxine Mawhinney also presented News 24 together at the start of the Iraq War:



There was also the occasion when Saddam Hussein was executed and Peter Sissons joined Ben Brown on the News 24 set (although I'm not sure if Peter actually still was a network presenter at this point?):

RD
RDJ
Of course, it led to the occasion in the wake of 9/11 when Michael Buerk presented alongside Gavin Esler on the News 24 set! That was an incredible rarity!

EDIT: In fact, I uploaded a video of it several years ago. It's an old-style Real Player video file but it's playable in VLC media player if you have it.

https://up.metropol247.co.uk/itsrobert/BBC%20News%20Special%20(Michael%20Buerk%20%20Gavin%20Esler).rm


I've uploaded it on to YouTube for ease. I've quoted you in the description as the original uploader. I hope you don't mind.

watchingtv and itsrobert gave kudos
IT
itsrobert Founding member
No problem, that's much better. Does YouTube accept Real media files then? If so, I may have to set about uploading what I have. I've got quite a collection of BBC News & BBC World bits and pieces that I recorded back in about 2001-2003.
JW
JamesWorldNews
No problem, that's much better. Does YouTube accept Real media files then? If so, I may have to set about uploading what I have. I've got quite a collection of BBC News & BBC World bits and pieces that I recorded back in about 2001-2003.


Salivating at the thought, Rob!

Hope you’re well!
RD
RDJ
No problem, that's much better. Does YouTube accept Real media files then? If so, I may have to set about uploading what I have. I've got quite a collection of BBC News & BBC World bits and pieces that I recorded back in about 2001-2003.


It does!
GM
Gary McEwan
RDJ posted:
Of course, it led to the occasion in the wake of 9/11 when Michael Buerk presented alongside Gavin Esler on the News 24 set! That was an incredible rarity!

EDIT: In fact, I uploaded a video of it several years ago. It's an old-style Real Player video file but it's playable in VLC media player if you have it.

https://up.metropol247.co.uk/itsrobert/BBC%20News%20Special%20(Michael%20Buerk%20%20Gavin%20Esler).rm


I've uploaded it on to YouTube for ease. I've quoted you in the description as the original uploader. I hope you don't mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sNmvTv8MVM


Interesting that it's a News 24 special, but had the 'World' opening. I'm assuming World produced it?
RK
Rkolsen
I don't think there's a chief newscaster in the same way you get say on the US networks - when there's a big breaking news story on CNN for example the duty presenter will often be thrown off air so that somebody like Wolf Blitzer or Chris Cuomo will anchor. Which always feels unnecessary to me - surely you should trust whoever is on duty to be able to deliver breaking news especially if it's their usual slot.

Whereas with the UK news channels most of the time whoever is on duty is trusted with the breaking news (with sometimes a more senior presenter joining if they were meant to be on shortly after anyway or the World News presenter joining if BBC News & BBC World News are simulcasting)


I don't think there's a chief newscaster in the same way you get say on the US networks - when there's a big breaking news story on CNN for example the duty presenter will often be thrown off air so that somebody like Wolf Blitzer or Chris Cuomo will anchor. Which always feels unnecessary to me - surely you should trust whoever is on duty to be able to deliver breaking news especially if it's their usual slot.

Whereas with the UK news channels most of the time whoever is on duty is trusted with the breaking news (with sometimes a more senior presenter joining if they were meant to be on shortly after anyway or the World News presenter joining if BBC News & BBC World News are simulcasting)

A lot of times the titles are just so they don’t have to pay people more in the US. Kind of like how at some large corporations after two years you’re automatically the VP of something.

I don’t watch CNN or Fox News so I can’t speak for them. But MSNBC when there's breaking news they’ll run with whomever is available at the time. For preplanned events like the Mueller hearings they’ll use Brian Williams, for political events it’s usually him and Rachel Maddow as they are the faces of the network.

During breaking news on the networks ABC, CBS and NBC ideally they would like their main anchors to anchor breaking news or special reports but sometimes they aren’t available and you have to go on air with whomever there. Usually if it’s before 12pm they use morning show anchor and after 12 pm it’s the evening news anchor. ABC News is a special case because although George Stephanopoulos is the morning anchor his contract is the chief anchor and is supposed to be the “face”. Apparently it’s causing rifts between him and David Muir (the evening anchor) that according to FTVLive contracts are being rewritten.
IT
itsrobert Founding member
RDJ posted:
Of course, it led to the occasion in the wake of 9/11 when Michael Buerk presented alongside Gavin Esler on the News 24 set! That was an incredible rarity!

EDIT: In fact, I uploaded a video of it several years ago. It's an old-style Real Player video file but it's playable in VLC media player if you have it.

https://up.metropol247.co.uk/itsrobert/BBC%20News%20Special%20(Michael%20Buerk%20%20Gavin%20Esler).rm


I've uploaded it on to YouTube for ease. I've quoted you in the description as the original uploader. I hope you don't mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sNmvTv8MVM


Interesting that it's a News 24 special, but had the 'World' opening. I'm assuming World produced it?

No, that would have been News 24 produced as it came from N8. At the time, generic bulletins used a slightly different version of the standard BBC World opening titles. If I remember correctly, the World version had "WORLD" spinning around in the background whereas the generic ones had more city names. The ones seen in that clip would have been the generic version but with the world "SPECIAL" added. They never used the News 24 titles on simulcasts, for obvious reasons. Before these generic/World titles were launched in April 2000, the overnight bulletins actually used to use the generic BBC1 news titles! That would have been after the News 24 rebrand in October 1999.
NY
NYTV
I don't think there's a chief newscaster in the same way you get say on the US networks - when there's a big breaking news story on CNN for example the duty presenter will often be thrown off air so that somebody like Wolf Blitzer or Chris Cuomo will anchor. Which always feels unnecessary to me - surely you should trust whoever is on duty to be able to deliver breaking news especially if it's their usual slot.

Whereas with the UK news channels most of the time whoever is on duty is trusted with the breaking news (with sometimes a more senior presenter joining if they were meant to be on shortly after anyway or the World News presenter joining if BBC News & BBC World News are simulcasting)


I don't think there's a chief newscaster in the same way you get say on the US networks - when there's a big breaking news story on CNN for example the duty presenter will often be thrown off air so that somebody like Wolf Blitzer or Chris Cuomo will anchor. Which always feels unnecessary to me - surely you should trust whoever is on duty to be able to deliver breaking news especially if it's their usual slot.

Whereas with the UK news channels most of the time whoever is on duty is trusted with the breaking news (with sometimes a more senior presenter joining if they were meant to be on shortly after anyway or the World News presenter joining if BBC News & BBC World News are simulcasting)

A lot of times the titles are just so they don’t have to pay people more in the US. Kind of like how at some large corporations after two years you’re automatically the VP of something.

I don’t watch CNN or Fox News so I can’t speak for them. But MSNBC when there's breaking news they’ll run with whomever is available at the time. For preplanned events like the Mueller hearings they’ll use Brian Williams, for political events it’s usually him and Rachel Maddow as they are the faces of the network.

During breaking news on the networks ABC, CBS and NBC ideally they would like their main anchors to anchor breaking news or special reports but sometimes they aren’t available and you have to go on air with whomever there. Usually if it’s before 12pm they use morning show anchor and after 12 pm it’s the evening news anchor. ABC News is a special case because although George Stephanopoulos is the morning anchor his contract is the chief anchor and is supposed to be the “face”. Apparently it’s causing rifts between him and David Muir (the evening anchor) that according to FTVLive contracts are being rewritten.

For example, should news break outside of Evening News and CBS This Morning, CBS would use talent from CBSN as well as talent from the CBS-owned WCBS-TV New York and KCBS Los Angeles should they already be on air.
JW
JamesWorldNews
Singapore’s Rico Hizon is based in London for the next two weeks, filling-in on the general roster whilst various people are on leave. Predominantly, he’ll present Newsday.
London Lite and SuperSajuuk gave kudos
SS
SuperSajuuk
Great to see Rico back in London, always thought of him as being a great presenter, news and business. Perhaps he and Simon can build a good friendship on Afternoon Live at one point Wink
Last edited by SuperSajuuk on 19 August 2019 12:52pm
NE
Newsroom
Nobody knew Tina Dehaley until she did the 6 and 10,

I'm inclined to always expect the unexpected from BBC NAT. Simon last week for example?
Last edited by Newsroom on 19 August 2019 8:13pm

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