The Newsroom

BBC News nostalgia, including BBC World

Split from BBC News: Presenters, correspondent & rotas (April 2020)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
:-(
A former member
chris posted:
Jon posted:
As someone who couldn’t remember a time before the virtual set era, any BBC News set that followed always seemed a bit underwhelming and missing something growing up. Whilst I know the virtual set was very of its time it had an epicness about it, which I don’t think we’ll see again. I guess I would suggest some of the German sets are the modern day equivalent, and ARD manage to have that kind of feel without it feeling dated.

But yeah, I don’t really get the love for anything after the 1999 rebrand it’s always seemed a bit bland.


They were certainly going for “epic” with the move to New Broadcasting House. The flyover the newsroom and the whizzy set were a far cry from the by-then stale N6.

They might have been going for epic but I’m not convinced they reached it.
ST
Stuart
A former member posted:
They might have been going for epic but I’m not convinced they reached it.

I think what they created was something versatile for B, C, D & E (and also some of the other smaller studios and Multi-Purpose Areas) which conform to a similar basic style.

However, I think they've possibly created a problem for themselves in the future, as there will come a time to change or upgrade that standard design - and they'll need to do it for all of them.
JW
JamesWorldNews
A change of lighting and desk (whilst sounding far more simplistic on paper than it is in reality) is all that is needed in hardware terms to give a decent makeover. The rest could be accomplished by significant revamps in music and visuals/graphics.

He said. Knowing nothing.
CI
cityprod
JamesWorldNews posted:
A change of lighting and desk (whilst sounding far more simplistic on paper than it is in reality) is all that is needed in hardware terms to give a decent makeover. The rest could be accomplished by significant revamps in music and visuals/graphics. a

He said. Knowing nothing.


They'll have to change more than those. The current set design will have to change, as will the positions of the remote controlled cameras and their tracks, if they keep the tracks at all.

The current set design is so limiting in terms of physical design, that they can't really change anything without it altering everything else, so the whole thing needs to change.
ST
Stuart
cityprod posted:
The current set design is so limiting in terms of physical design, that they can't really change anything without it altering everything else, so the whole thing needs to change.

I don't think anything is likely to change within the next few years, but it has now been in place at NBH for 7 years. There will come a time when tinkering with studio furniture or graphics and lighting won't really change anything, and it will become stale.

However, I accept that during the current cuts, it's hardly a priority.
BA
bilky asko
Stuart posted:
cityprod posted:
The current set design is so limiting in terms of physical design, that they can't really change anything without it altering everything else, so the whole thing needs to change.

I don't think anything is likely to change within the next few years, but it has now been in place at NBH for 7 years. There will come a time when tinkering with studio furniture or graphics and lighting won't really change anything, and it will become stale.

However, I accept that during the current cuts, it's hardly a priority.


And yet, over 7 years down the line from when they were launched, both BBC and ITV News have sets that don't seem like they're going anywhere any time soon.
PE
Pete Founding member
cityprod posted:
The current set design is so limiting in terms of physical design


You say they're limiting yet they've outlived the second longest set by two years. In fact if my maths is right they've now outlasted *both* the barco based sets put together. Up to the point News 24 moved into N6 there was a new set every two years (if you don't count them adding that single red panel to the 99 set as a new set)
CM
cmthwtv
bilky asko posted:
Stuart posted:
cityprod posted:
The current set design is so limiting in terms of physical design, that they can't really change anything without it altering everything else, so the whole thing needs to change.

I don't think anything is likely to change within the next few years, but it has now been in place at NBH for 7 years. There will come a time when tinkering with studio furniture or graphics and lighting won't really change anything, and it will become stale.

However, I accept that during the current cuts, it's hardly a priority.


And yet, over 7 years down the line from when they were launched, both BBC and ITV News have sets that don't seem like they're going anywhere any time soon.


Reith has made it look newer. I don’t know why, but the day it launched it felt like an episode of DIY SOS.

Over the years we will probably see titles, possibly music package changes but I doubt we will see a studio change in the foreseeable future.
JF
JF World News
Pete posted:
cityprod posted:
The current set design is so limiting in terms of physical design


You say they're limiting yet they've outlived the second longest set by two years. In fact if my maths is right they've now outlasted *both* the barco based sets put together. Up to the point News 24 moved into N6 there was a new set every two years (if you don't count them adding that single red panel to the 99 set as a new set)


There currently doing Studio 54D so might be beginning the cycle again that one opened in 2009/10 I think
CI
cityprod
bilky asko posted:
Stuart posted:
cityprod posted:
The current set design is so limiting in terms of physical design, that they can't really change anything without it altering everything else, so the whole thing needs to change.

I don't think anything is likely to change within the next few years, but it has now been in place at NBH for 7 years. There will come a time when tinkering with studio furniture or graphics and lighting won't really change anything, and it will become stale.

However, I accept that during the current cuts, it's hardly a priority.


And yet, over 7 years down the line from when they were launched, both BBC and ITV News have sets that don't seem like they're going anywhere any time soon.


As far as BBC is concerned, I think Stuart is correct. It's more to do with the cuts to the BBC's budget, than anything else. ITV News could change theirs quite easily, just a new virtual studio backdrop, and a change of desk could do that. BBC News, not so much.

I don't think the studio set design is going to change for a few years, but it will feel stale by the time it does.
CI
cityprod
Pete posted:
cityprod posted:
The current set design is so limiting in terms of physical design


You say they're limiting yet they've outlived the second longest set by two years. In fact if my maths is right they've now outlasted *both* the barco based sets put together. Up to the point News 24 moved into N6 there was a new set every two years (if you don't count them adding that single red panel to the 99 set as a new set)


More to do with the cuts, than for any other reason.
SP
Steve in Pudsey
I'd say the Breakfast set was in greater need of a refresh.

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