I know a skeleton crew for morning opts but I don't really know what that consists of, is it not just a newsreader and their producer operating the mixer?
The process of routing another region to output is done remotely and can be arranged over the phone in such circumstances. However if there's the chance things could be fixed I imagine the Points West team would have decided to have stuck with not-opting and taking London, thinking they might be able to opt for one of the later slots. It's also a new(ish) thing and staff on shift might not be fully aware it's an option, historically any region who cannot opt takes London.
As for crewing it varies region to region but it can be as few as two people: a presenter and a director.
As I said, it's coding & mux (not the region) who would do such a switch. The fact that it would still be their night shift makes no difference.
The capability is there in case a region's fallen off air entirely.
Actually, I have a question about opting. If I watch GMB on ITV.com, I get a opt fallback loop, if I go back at 6 I get London. Why does Breakfast not have a fallback loop too?
Because that's not the way the BBC works as far as the opting is concerned.
At ITV, regional centres' outputs is fed to the main network playout centres and sent back to the transmitters - so the switching is done centrally at the playout centres..
At the BBC, the central playout sends a network feed to each region, who 'opts out' when they want to. So the switching is done locally and independently at each site. In the BBC Nations there are also national playout centres who add continuity, trails and other opts into the channels. During regional opts on BBC One, network playout switch the "this is BBC One" slide to HD and News Channel to SD feeds.
I should add that for Breakfast, playout in London aren;t really involved in the opting - London is fed up the line to Salford who cut to it during opts - which is why Points West viewers got London this morning.
Because that's not the way the BBC works as far as the opting is concerned.
At ITV, regional centres' outputs is fed to the main network playout centres and sent back to the transmitters - so the switching is done centrally at the playout centres..
At the BBC, the central playout sends a network feed to each region, who 'opts out' when they want to. So the switching is done locally and independently at each site. In the BBC Nations there are also national playout centres who add continuity, trails and other opts into the channels. During regional opts on BBC One, network playout switch the "this is BBC One" slide to HD and News Channel to SD feeds.
Then wouldn't it make more sense to have the presenters in Salford reading out more national headlines like UK Today as the default feed, even if that will only be seen on the NC and once in a blue moon in the regions?
The regional news slots are the only chance that the Breakfast presenters in Salford get to have a break, be it a visit to the toilet or whatever - I'm not sure they'd be too keen on losing it!!
Then wouldn't it make more sense to have the presenters in Salford reading out more national headlines like UK Today as the default feed, even if that will only be seen on the NC and once in a blue moon in the regions?
Quite a few reasons not to do that. It's the only break the presenters get (to nip to the loo etc.). It would require someone to write it, produce it, edit the content etc. (not likely in the current cost-cutting BBC). The regional opt is the only point at which Breakfast can rehearse and sound check etc. Believe it or not music items in the 0830-0915 section have been rehearsed/sound checked during regional opts (particularly if the band can't be present before 0600)
The default opt used to be London (or its predecessor Newsroom Southeast from Elstree). It was changed some years ago to be the news channel for most opts. It's still London for Breakfast (not least because the News Channel's not on air for most of Breakfast!). There's no real 'right' default region - when there was a fire at Pacific Quay and London went out in Scotland it attracted a fair amount of criticism.