The Wales Thread

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38670000/jpg/_38670419_big_cat5_map300.jpg
BIG CAT WATCH -- DAY 10

There looks like there may have been another sighting of the big cat in west Carmarthenshire overnight. Oh, hang on there wasn't. So that was worth reporting wasn't it..
The "devoured whippet" [that clearly wasn't quite devoured] still hasn't got back from the post mortem people. But I'm sure he'll come back with a note attached saying, "Yep, he's dead".

Sara will get her new fur rug for the studio yet, dammit.

DAY 11

WT reported that D-P Police are stepping up their 24-hour vigil on the big cat of the west which hasn't been seen by them for over a week now. Some old couple claimed to have seen him, but still no evidence and no pictures.

There are loads of wildlife cameras around in the country so if it is there, it'll trigger a picture to be taken of it. Some bizarre woman from Swansea Uni [who's never seen one herself] said it's likely to be out there somewhere though.
She told us to kill him if we can, and *not* to pat him on the head..

The whippet came back from the whippet testing people, and yes it was dead after all. And they found some hairs in its mouth. So the hairs have been sent off to the hair testing people. We'll hear by Easter probably. Don't you love efficiency? The hairs will tell us what kind of cat it is. Or if, in fact, it's just a *bloody* big dog. Can't wait for them to say that..


http://members.lycos.co.uk/tindragon/FirstPastThePost2.JPG

And there looks like a new Presenters-style programme soon, again with Gabby Logan, but this time searching for new politicians in Wales. Not quite got the same appeal really, has it?

At least itv1wales are attempting to produce programmes that are slightly different to the usual regional type of programming!

All the other regions tend to make is a gardening programme, motoring programme, political programme and possibly a light entertainment guide type prog.

Wales has always been first with ideas and try and make something different to complement the network schedule.

If only there were more local hours.....

Also whilst im here another first for itv1wales today!

ITV news correspondant Geraint Vincent presented the 15:00 HTV News!

He has always been Wales correspondant for ITV news and sometimes presented a few live location reports on HTV news but i have never heard/seen a ITV News reported PRESENT a local ITV news programme!

Another first for ITV1Wales?

Ok, I need someone to explain this to me [I'm sure it's not hard, but hey anyway]. Geraint told me once how it all works and how if it's done properly you never notice, but the balloons era showed a few easy-to-see examples of when it's slightly mis-timed -- when the Wales balloon used to sometimes clip the end of the network balloon going into the programme.

What I'm on about is BBC Wales continuity from Cardiff, over Network continuity and pres from London [and the 1 second delay this involves]. I'm aware the Sign Zone and overnight N24 just comes from London, but I'm still a little confused.

It doesn't happen often, but after Breakfast on ONE Wales today, we caught a second of the English morning trail before Ms Cardiff Announcer came in with her version of events. And when the ident came for Kilroy she was seconds late, missing most of the introduction of the show [which turned out to be about prostitution, it emerged].

So is it like at 05:58:30 Cardiff cut from London for trails and the anno into Breakfast, then it's from London again. Then at 08:59:30 at the end of Breakfast, Cardiff cut in again [hence clipping the network trail] and give us some Wales branded trails and anno, and then cut out again to London when Kilroy starts [hence being late], and so on for each national programme, or what?

I'm sure it's not since that would be like an ITV-1 Wales job, and that's *far* sloppier.

So why/how does Wales see the Network stuff from time to time?

The last BBC Wales news bulletin of the morning in Breakfast today with Jayne Case was such a shambles I couldn’t believe my eyes

The camera came to her and she was half way through putting on her ear piece then she was struggling to read the scripts obviously because of being caught out like this and that’s all you could hear when we saw reports was her struggling to put her ear piece on which she never succeeded to do and shuffling scripts. Absolute disaster.

I really hate the BBC Wales regional news opt outs during Breakfast. It's just so boring to watch - mind you, Breakfast itself is hardly enjoyable to watch.

The music is still to fierce first thing in the morning, the set looks cold and the news bulletins are just so poorly put together.

BBC Breakfast is trying to copy GMTV, although it can't seem to shake off the usual stuffyness and pomp.

Breakfast Time in the 1980s was far better than any morning brekky show ever. Everything was light hearted and done in a way that any slip ups could be covered with a laugh (much like GMTV can now), but any minor slip up on BBC Breakfast looks so awkward to watch.

Despite being on WT for over 15 years, Jayne Case still is a rather stiff and lifeless presenter, and doesn't add any animation to her reading on the bulletins. Her hair gets ever higher too.

The background of Cardiff Bay at 8am, 8.30am, 9am is very bright [but never sunny ], for about 9 months of the year. Compared with the English regions which are broken up with the usual sidebar, and just not so much white sky. Easier on the eye.

BBC Wales seemed to be having many problems today anyway, Kilroy [and TWO Wales] fell off air for a bit, and then was stalling. *DON'T ASK ME WHY* I was watching Kilroy -- I didn't see it all, I was just waiting for 10am to come around..

Jayne Case should take a leaf out of Tina Bangs' book [NWT]. Sure she gets it wrong a lot, but it adds to the humour And she's so cheerful and you look forward to seeing her again. But North West Today Breakfast bulletins are no longer self ops I don't think, so there is now a director instead of Tina/Nigel on the clunky buttons and they're now in the main studio.

The morning HTV bulletins team aren't exactly animated -- Andrew Jones and Sally Johnson. But then I detest the morning, so I can't be too harsh on them. Justina Simpson was a very good morning newsreader, but she's been rightfully snapped up for the evening reporting team now.

I think the move to the main studio was only temporary due to the special news from the previous night as they were back in the self-op broom cupboard today. The self-op setup always adds fun especially when you get the presenter having to lean forward to adjust buttons before a recorded report will appear.

Gareth

Ah right, so. Thanks for that. Must admit I would miss Tina and her heavy breathing and clunky buttons and her look to the side for a few seconds before she realises [still, after a year], that *she* needs to press the button for the report

And then the times she's late and you see her switch on the autocue and opt herself out of London. Tina's great. Nigel's *far* too good at his job -- and that's no fun at all!

Does anyone know if the S4C~ Ident's are made in Wales or were they imported over the Severn Bridge.

Cheeky.

BBC Wales still must be having gremlins since they played out a breakdown caption on TWO instead of an ident as they introduced The Simpsons, which came on in genuine 4:3 for a short while..


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38670000/jpg/_38670419_big_cat5_map300.jpg
DAY 13
Apparently it can't be as big or as dangerous as people are hinting -- and it's most likely to be a lynx or summat. Not very threatening anyway. They're doing some proper tests on the hairs and they'll get back to us.. Still an armed vigil going on, days after any confirmed sightings. They had some ghastly Carmarthenshire kids talking about what they reckon the cat will be like..

LOL -- They had a really fat cat on too, who likes to go out prowling. Perhaps it's him?

Keeping you all informed, cos I can see that you all care..



Well, they're made by Lambie-Nairn, or at least the first bunch were -- and they're in London. So there's a good chance they're made there. But it would be nice to think some Welsh designers, given the L-N templates and previous idents, get to work on new idents instead of them being shipped over from London.

Those kids were great today on the Big Cat story on HTV News on ITV1Wales on the ITV Network on Commecial Channel 3 television station in wales.

Its stories like this that are 'made' (in both senses of the word) for local news programmes and i think are great.