I've often thought the same question. Well, as I understand it, the 250 referred to are all correspondents, and this does not take into account all the cameramen and producers. AFAIK, there are about 15-20 correspondents based in Washington (the largest bureau) serving a wide range of outlets such as BBC One News, BBC News 24, BBC World, BBC radio, BBC World Service and the BBC News website. Many of those 250 reporters referred to are freelance meaning that they are kept busy by their other bosses, and not just the BBC. These journalists will be primarily radio journalists reporting using their own equipment and operate on their own. The BBC's main bureaus which serve the regions of the globe are in Washington, Brussels, Jerusalem, Singapore and Johannesburg. However, there are about 15-20 smaller offices such as in Paris, Rome, Berlin, New York, etc.
It's like a film... How many scenes go unseen in a film? Many. A lot of the correspondants feed in stories to the BBC's online service, not just the television side of things.
It's like a film... How many scenes go unseen in a film? Many. A lot of the correspondants feed in stories to the BBC's online service, not just the television side of things.
I appreciate that, me_for_nina.
However, I am just curious. Are 2 hours of TV reports filed a day, for example?
If so, it's a pity we can't get to view them online or via BBCi.
Most will be stringers who work for a number of outputs, including newspapers, but who are paid a retainer for the BBC.
Most would work for World Service Radio. The 42 foreign language services all have their own correspondents spread throughout the region they are broadcasting to. Their reports would only be heard on the language services they report for. The content however would be available to all parts of the BBC's output.
If you want to read some of those reports pick your language here
Most TV reports that have been finished would make it to air. They would not have been commisioned if they were not wanted. The exception would be when a big breaking news story knocks everything else out of the running order
Yep - it is important to remember the role of stringers and sponsored reporters in the BBC Newsgathering organisation. These reporters aren't all effectively full-time BBC employees - but file for the BBC when something interesting happens in the region.
Most will be stringers who work for a number of outputs, including newspapers, but who are paid a retainer for the BBC.
Most would work for World Service Radio. The 42 foreign language services all have their own correspondents spread throughout the region they are broadcasting to. Their reports would only be heard on the language services they report for. The content however would be available to all parts of the BBC's output.
If you want to read some of those reports pick your language here
Most TV reports that have been finished would make it to air. They would not have been commisioned if they were not wanted. The exception would be when a big breaking news story knocks everything else out of the running order
I took a look at the link, and concerning Europe, they' re all East/ SouthEast European languages?! Does the BBC presume West Europeans all understand English? (In my case they're right.)
Most will be stringers who work for a number of outputs, including newspapers, but who are paid a retainer for the BBC.
Most would work for World Service Radio. The 42 foreign language services all have their own correspondents spread throughout the region they are broadcasting to. Their reports would only be heard on the language services they report for. The content however would be available to all parts of the BBC's output.
If you want to read some of those reports pick your language here
Most TV reports that have been finished would make it to air. They would not have been commissioned if they were not wanted. The exception would be when a big breaking news story knocks everything else out of the running order
I took a look at the link, and concerning Europe, they' re all East/ SouthEast European languages?! Does the BBC presume West Europeans all understand English? (In my case they're right.)
The BBC does not decide which languages to broadcast in. That is decided by the Foreign Office, who pay for the service. Priorities change with time. Before the Berlin wall came down, German was one of the priorities. Now it is not needed
I was also wondering the same thing about smaller bureaux that have many correspondents. While on my travels watching BBC World, I saw Daniel Griffifths (sp?) regularly on from Beijing, but Rupert Wingfield-Hayes (who, I presume, is the network correspondent) is rarely seen on BBC News (in the UK), while I presume he is the senior correspondent there?
Also, despite Clare Marshall popping up yesterday, BBC News in the UK (don't know about BBC World) rarely, if ever show South American news, even though they ahve people in Santiago and somewhere in Brazil aswell. I assume these people are kept busy on World Service Radio or the like? (James Reynolds, now Middle East Correspondent was originally based in Santiago. For such a big promotion, surely he must have impressed? And his profile says:
Quote:
From 1998 to 2001, he was the BBC's South America correspondent, based in Santiago. Among the stories he covered during this time were the arrest of General Pinochet in Chile, the fall of Alberto Fujimori in Peru, and the guerrilla war in Colombia.
I was also wondering the same thing about smaller bureaux that have many correspondents. While on my travels watching BBC World, I saw Daniel Griffifths (sp?) regularly on from Beijing, but Rupert Wingfield-Hayes (who, I presume, is the network correspondent) is rarely seen on BBC News (in the UK), while I presume he is the senior correspondent there?
Rupert is on BBC News in the UK quite a lot - he certainly packages and reports live for TV News when there is something major happening in his region. Quite often the correspondents who do lives (especially on the phone) for BBC World or BBC News 24 aren't the "big hitters" in their bureau, the main correspondents may well be out and about newsgathering (i.e. actually being journalists rather than sitting in an office) - or there may be time-zone issues, and they may work during the day (with the people we see having to do live interviews in the middle of their night)
Quote:
Also, despite Clare Marshall popping up yesterday, BBC News in the UK (don't know about BBC World) rarely, if ever show South American news, even though they ahve people in Santiago and somewhere in Brazil aswell. I assume these people are kept busy on World Service Radio or the like? (James Reynolds, now Middle East Correspondent was originally based in Santiago. For such a big promotion, surely he must have impressed? And his profile says:
Quote:
From 1998 to 2001, he was the BBC's South America correspondent, based in Santiago. Among the stories he covered during this time were the arrest of General Pinochet in Chile, the fall of Alberto Fujimori in Peru, and the guerrilla war in Colombia.
As with all overseas news - stories are broadcast in the UK on merit - and the news values used to select stories to broadcast changes with world events. News 24 covered Pinochet and the Colombia guerilla war, as well as stuff in Peru, quite extensively - though in some cases there were UK angles on these stories. (Colombian guerillas being trained by alleged IRA members for example)
The Middle East is currently a major continuing story - Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Iran etc. - and the ongoing political events in South American countries are probably deemed to be not as interesting to a domestic audience. However BBC World (and thus BBC News 24 overnight) do cover South America - elections, coups etc., as well as natural disasters and major accidents.
(Warning: may sound stupid) So, when there's not 'something happening' in their region, I take it that they go into the office every day for work as usual to see if there's anything going on, and if there's not...what do they do? If there's nothing of merit in the region for any of the outlets, do they sit and twiddle their thumbs? Or do they go and find something worth covering?
(Warning: may sound stupid) So, when there's not 'something happening' in their region, I take it that they go into the office every day for work as usual to see if there's anything going on, and if there's not...what do they do? If there's nothing of merit in the region for any of the outlets, do they sit and twiddle their thumbs? Or do they go and find something worth covering?
Well it depends whether they work only for the BBC or not. Many stringers won't actually have an office - their office will be their home (often complete with an ISDN line for sound-only lives and filing radio reports) - and they may well have more than one client they work for.
On the other hand journalism isn't all about sitting in an office and waiting for someone to ring you with a story - going out and finding them is part of the job as well. Given that stringers are, as I understand it, partially paid on a "per report" basis - it is in their interest to go out and find stories, pitch them to London, and then get paid...
Sure there will be staff journalists and producers in large bureaux like Washington, Moscow etc. who are "in the office" and can be deployed on the day to cover the latest developing stories in their region.
