Well that ad break is certainly falling foul of the most basic of OFCOM rules, especially within a "news" programme - even with trailers etc. they can only run I think for around 5 minutes on digital channels (used to be 4m30s but I think they extended it).
It certainly seems like a good way to chase off any audience you've built up. And then running a 1 minute break in the next junction...
The way they pad the breaks is strange, too. As well as the usual trailers for the bought-in stuff, they run fillers comprised of 2-3 minute chunks of locally made programming.
Among them is a series called Book-it List - A Little Taster, which has the presenter profiling restaurants at Trinity Leeds shopping centre. It's not quite an advert (though it's clearly uncritical), but not exactly programming either. Nor does it really work as a trail for the parent show, as there's no 'Watch us every night at 6.30' type graphic at the end.
There's another filler called All-Star Unplugged - a spin-off from the programme of the same name, with local artists doing acoustic tracks in a community radio studio. Again, no attempt to tie it in with a plug for the programme it's clipped from - a first time viewer would be left baffled.
Finally, there's a clip in high rotation from a segment of Rugby AM , a rugby league magazine show. It involves impressions of rugby league personalities. We see the Rugby AM graphic at the start and end, but, once more, anyone seeing it appearing in the middle of a junction must be scratching their head.
