The Newsroom

New Meridian, BBC South & South East Thread

(July 2006)

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DE
deejay
benben99 posted:
is this a new studio? when did they change? Something looks different


It's the same studio they've had since 1991.

If you mean "Is this a new set?" then sort of, it was refreshed a few months ago with a new desk, and a redesigned projector. The blue panels replaced some images from across the south that ran on some little tvs built into the set.
BE
benben99
nice... Did they chenge the graphics as well
TL
tv luvvy
nok32uk posted:
noggin posted:
nok32uk posted:
Yes, good old Ron, Mike and Liz. Theres a clip somewhere of the very last Coast to Coast from Dover and the Royal Marines Band playing the end-theme. Huge studio that was! Those were the days - the REGIONAL days.


Yep - though AIUI the final Maidstone Coast To Coasts were from the much larger studio at Vintners Park (also used for Motormouth or Whats Up Doc or similar at the same time?), rather than the normal news studio, as Meridian had already moved in and were piloting Meridian Tonight from the smaller studio that Coast to Coast would normally have come from. Any studio wide shots you saw on the final show would have been even bigger than usual!

(Meridian hadn't built their own studio centre in the South East region by this point, so rented TVS facilities until they could move into their own. Ironically the Meridian Studios were recently closed, and Meridian moved the news operation BACK to the TVS - now Maidstone Studios - site, in fact the same newsroom space I believe?)

HOWEVER - the Coast to Coast studio, and the Meridian studios at Northam, Newbury and New Hythe were all far larger, and far better suited to actually making quality TV - than the current apologies for studios that Meridian now use for local news. They are far too small, have poor cameras and camera mountings, and seem to be running on VERY multi-skilled staffing set-ups, which have effectively reduced the craft standards of the shows. (Particularly lighting and sound)


Yeah, the current studio as with the most of the regional ITV newsrooms are pathetic. Even replacing the old chairs for that excuse of a soft bench didn't help much. We have a problem in SE where Mr Hornby, being short nearly tucks his knees under the desk but can never reach and for Charlotte the desk is just in the way.

Have to agree. Phil is a little short and stubby. But they say all good things come in small packages. Really nice to see Glen back on the main programme recently, just wish they'd use him more often as the resident stand-in, much like it used to be before the so-called new, corporate ITV news look - which is a pale imitation of its former self!

Bring back this!...
http://www.eyecatchingdesign.co.uk/images/set_design/meridian_news2.jpg
TL
tv luvvy
Have to agree. Phil is a little short and stubby. But they say all good things come in small packages. Really nice to see Glen back on the main programme recently, just wish they'd use him more often as the resident stand-in, much like it used to be before the so-called new, corporate ITV news look - which is a pale imitation of its former self


tv luvvy posted:
nok32uk posted:
noggin posted:
nok32uk posted:
Yes, good old Ron, Mike and Liz. Theres a clip somewhere of the very last Coast to Coast from Dover and the Royal Marines Band playing the end-theme. Huge studio that was! Those were the days - the REGIONAL days.


Yep - though AIUI the final Maidstone Coast To Coasts were from the much larger studio at Vintners Park (also used for Motormouth or Whats Up Doc or similar at the same time?), rather than the normal news studio, as Meridian had already moved in and were piloting Meridian Tonight from the smaller studio that Coast to Coast would normally have come from. Any studio wide shots you saw on the final show would have been even bigger than usual!

(Meridian hadn't built their own studio centre in the South East region by this point, so rented TVS facilities until they could move into their own. Ironically the Meridian Studios were recently closed, and Meridian moved the news operation BACK to the TVS - now Maidstone Studios - site, in fact the same newsroom space I believe?)

HOWEVER - the Coast to Coast studio, and the Meridian studios at Northam, Newbury and New Hythe were all far larger, and far better suited to actually making quality TV - than the current apologies for studios that Meridian now use for local news. They are far too small, have poor cameras and camera mountings, and seem to be running on VERY multi-skilled staffing set-ups, which have effectively reduced the craft standards of the shows. (Particularly lighting and sound)


Yeah, the current studio as with the most of the regional ITV newsrooms are pathetic. Even replacing the old chairs for that excuse of a soft bench didn't help much. We have a problem in SE where Mr Hornby, being short nearly tucks his knees under the desk but can never reach and for Charlotte the desk is just in the way.

Have to agree. Phil is a little short and stubby. But they say all good things come in small packages. Really nice to see Glen back on the main programme recently, just wish they'd use him more often as the resident stand-in, much like it used to be before the so-called new, corporate ITV news look - which is a pale imitation of its former self!

Bring back this!...
http://www.eyecatchingdesign.co.uk/images/set_design/meridian_news2.jpg
BA
Bail Moderator
Not seen anyone else notice, but I like the new "this is what we do" regional news promos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x89V-5bDXJQ
UK
norwichUK
Quote:
I also remember Geoff Clark doing the SE Sports Report when Meridian Tonight started in 1993. More importantly, I bet people remember Meridian's tacky Christmas graphics and theme! "Look in the jingle library under 'Christmas'"


Where is the jingle library?

Thanks Laughing
PT
Put The Telly On
I don't know but it was definately a library theme as I've heard it used in TV elsewhere.

Think the ident was on TV Ark at one time - must be on a pres site somewhere.
TV
tvmercia Founding member
Bail posted:
Not seen anyone else notice, but I like the new "this is what we do" regional news promos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x89V-5bDXJQ


yay @ the way they've airbrushed the (old) midlands today logo off the sat truck

http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/thisiswhatwedo-south_resized.jpg

http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/bbconemidstrail05_resized.jpg
BS
brotherton sands
tvmercia posted:
yay @ the way they've airbrushed the (old) midlands today logo off the sat truck


Well... it's been mentioned in another thread that the "gallery staff" bits are the same on all regional variants of the promo, and some post-er(s) have verified that those shots are of the Mailbox (i.e. Birmingham) gallery. And we've got what is obviously the MT truck (albeit airbrushed).

So, it looks like they've just inserted shots of the correct regional presenters etc into each version of the promo, and everything else in the promo is generic. Not surprising really... - seeing as one Gallery looks much like another, or one truck-in-a-field looks much like another to Joe Public (and they're on screen SO briefly), there wouldn't be much point in bothering to film all the different ones.

No surprise that the generic shots are of Mailbox/MT either - seeing as that's where BBC English Regions' HQ is...
TV
tvmercia Founding member
Work of Artifice posted:
tvmercia posted:
yay @ the way they've airbrushed the (old) midlands today logo off the sat truck


Well... it's been mentioned in another thread that the "gallery staff" bits are the same on all regional variants of the promo, and some post-er(s) have verified that those shots are of the Mailbox (i.e. Birmingham) gallery. And we've got what is obviously the MT truck (albeit airbrushed).


i know .. i was one of the people who confirmed the shots were from the 'box. a couple of the shots used in the "every minute of every day, this is what we do" trailer were shot in brum too.
BS
brotherton sands
tvmercia posted:
Work of Artifice posted:
tvmercia posted:
yay @ the way they've airbrushed the (old) midlands today logo off the sat truck


Well... it's been mentioned in another thread that the "gallery staff" bits are the same on all regional variants of the promo, and some post-er(s) have verified that those shots are of the Mailbox (i.e. Birmingham) gallery. And we've got what is obviously the MT truck (albeit airbrushed).


i know .. i was one of the people who confirmed the shots were from the 'box. a couple of the shots used in the "every minute of every day, this is what we do" trailer were shot in brum too.


By the way, my paragraph that you've quoted was meant purely in the spirit of summarising what we've all established from various threads. It was in no way meant to be having-a-go-at-you, or anything like that.

Having just re-read it, I realised that it might come across badly. Sorry Embarassed
CW
CentralWest
How can Meridian have a moving camera shot at the start of the programme? I thought it wasn't possible with these new automatic cameras?

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