NG
The BBC and ITV don't run a local broadcast operation. They run a regional one. The BBC - after a trial of local broadcasting - decided not to pursue it, and has left it to local papers and local TV operations.
Also I don't think you grasp how granular local government is here, and how big the London region is. The population of London is around 8.6million people, and BBC London's coverage extends further out than that. I'd be surprised if it didn't cover more than 10million viewers. That's more than 15% of the UK population.
London Live has a much weaker signal, and even though it broadcasts at a much lower data rate and in a much more robust mode (QPSK rather than 64QAM - delivering 8Mbs instead of 24Mbs+) it has a smaller coverage area by a bit (it doesn't really cover outside the M25, unlike BBC and ITV London)
London has around 33 borough councils in it, but then add all the surrounding areas as well, and you're probably well over 40 (possibly over 50) borough councils that you have to cover. The BBC and ITV London output is less than an hour and a half per day (longest bulletin is about 25-30'00") I simply don't understand how you think a single Local Government journalist will have multiple close contacts on more than 40 (probably more than 50) local councils?
Im sorry but the London is big and covers multiple councils and governments is such a weak argument. The DMA's covered by most US and Canadian stations are far larger and covers more people and multiple small communities with their own councils and mayors, police,fire, sanitation depts. So this supposed "coverage complexity" issue is weak. LA covers a large region of Southern California and this includes 18 million people hundreds of small suburbs and cities apart from the city of LA. As does NYC, Chicago, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Miami, Edmonton etc. Sorry but thats a weak argument.
Why is it a weak argument? It isn't an argument at all. It's a reason...
How many producers, reporters and correspondents are employed at each local TV station in LA. What is their news departments annual operating budget - and how do they effectively cover the multiple towns and cities effectively? Do LA local government reporters have contacts on each and every town board that have developed the trust of those reporting their areas, and how is the split between crime/court reporting and local government, industry etc.
The major difference between the US and the UK (and Europe in general) - is that there are no network affiliated local stations. BBC One London is BBC One Network with just a small local news provision. It's not a standalone local station - it's simply a news opt-out operation. The whole model is very different.
Where the BBC model does often work is that the local radio stations feed stories into it - but unlike most BBC English regions, BBC London only really has one major radio station covering the bulk of it's patch.
BBC East in Norwich and Cambridge have 6 local radio stations (Radio Norfolk, Radio Suffolk, BBC Essex, Radio Cambridgeshire, Radio Northamptonshire and BBC Three Counties Radio - many of which have multiple offices) feeding into their local news operations, BBC London only really has one. (With a bit of overlap with BBC South, BBC South East and BBC East's radio stations around the edges)
noggin
Founding member
London Live
The BBC and ITV don't run a local broadcast operation. They run a regional one. The BBC - after a trial of local broadcasting - decided not to pursue it, and has left it to local papers and local TV operations.
Also I don't think you grasp how granular local government is here, and how big the London region is. The population of London is around 8.6million people, and BBC London's coverage extends further out than that. I'd be surprised if it didn't cover more than 10million viewers. That's more than 15% of the UK population.
London Live has a much weaker signal, and even though it broadcasts at a much lower data rate and in a much more robust mode (QPSK rather than 64QAM - delivering 8Mbs instead of 24Mbs+) it has a smaller coverage area by a bit (it doesn't really cover outside the M25, unlike BBC and ITV London)
London has around 33 borough councils in it, but then add all the surrounding areas as well, and you're probably well over 40 (possibly over 50) borough councils that you have to cover. The BBC and ITV London output is less than an hour and a half per day (longest bulletin is about 25-30'00") I simply don't understand how you think a single Local Government journalist will have multiple close contacts on more than 40 (probably more than 50) local councils?
Im sorry but the London is big and covers multiple councils and governments is such a weak argument. The DMA's covered by most US and Canadian stations are far larger and covers more people and multiple small communities with their own councils and mayors, police,fire, sanitation depts. So this supposed "coverage complexity" issue is weak. LA covers a large region of Southern California and this includes 18 million people hundreds of small suburbs and cities apart from the city of LA. As does NYC, Chicago, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Miami, Edmonton etc. Sorry but thats a weak argument.
Why is it a weak argument? It isn't an argument at all. It's a reason...
How many producers, reporters and correspondents are employed at each local TV station in LA. What is their news departments annual operating budget - and how do they effectively cover the multiple towns and cities effectively? Do LA local government reporters have contacts on each and every town board that have developed the trust of those reporting their areas, and how is the split between crime/court reporting and local government, industry etc.
The major difference between the US and the UK (and Europe in general) - is that there are no network affiliated local stations. BBC One London is BBC One Network with just a small local news provision. It's not a standalone local station - it's simply a news opt-out operation. The whole model is very different.
Where the BBC model does often work is that the local radio stations feed stories into it - but unlike most BBC English regions, BBC London only really has one major radio station covering the bulk of it's patch.
BBC East in Norwich and Cambridge have 6 local radio stations (Radio Norfolk, Radio Suffolk, BBC Essex, Radio Cambridgeshire, Radio Northamptonshire and BBC Three Counties Radio - many of which have multiple offices) feeding into their local news operations, BBC London only really has one. (With a bit of overlap with BBC South, BBC South East and BBC East's radio stations around the edges)
