The Newsroom

BBC Network news - no longer relevant for the nations?

BBC Network news now seems to be the English news in all but name (June 2020)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
RK
Rkolsen
Mr Kite posted:
How do US networks manage with 50 different state governments?

Have a feeling this is ideological before anything else.

The national networks report on the federal government news and things that are of interest to the nation. There is a NYC and east coast bias but you generally won’t hear about a law that for example is proposed in Nebraska unless it’s controversial or ground breaking.
The cable networks have for months carried NY’s states coronavirus pressers because they are the largest outbreak but also now they are coordinating many things with adjacent states on reopening. With the NY tri state area probably being the most populous area it’s worth carrying (and in times of reduced staffing is easy filler).
Local stations are the go to source for local news at the local, and state governmental news along with national news. The local TV has repeatedly been considered by viewers as the most trusted source for news and information.

https://civicscience.com/local-news-is-still-the-most-trusted-source-for-u-s-adults/
NE
Newsroom
When BBC News relaunched in 1999 the remits of both the 6 and 9 (soon to become 10) were made perfectly clear. The 6 would focus on domestic news and the 10 would cover more international stories.

I think the 6 does a wonderful job and remains the country's most watched news programme. Certainly during this CV19 era, the 6 has covered and continues to cover stories from right across the nation and has proved its diversity by utilising local talent as much as it can.
MD
mdtauk
Newsroom posted:
When BBC News relaunched in 1999 the remits of both the 6 and 9 (soon to become 10) were made perfectly clear. The 6 would focus on domestic news and the 10 would cover more international stories.

I think the 6 does a wonderful job and remains the country's most watched news programme. Certainly during this CV19 era, the 6 has covered and continues to cover stories from right across the nation and has proved its diversity by utilising local talent as much as it can.

Look at the Title Sequences, the 1 and 6 bulletins use UK placenames, whilst the generic, and 9/10 titles, use worldwide placenames.
NE
Newsroom
mdtauk posted:
Newsroom posted:
When BBC News relaunched in 1999 the remits of both the 6 and 9 (soon to become 10) were made perfectly clear. The 6 would focus on domestic news and the 10 would cover more international stories.

I think the 6 does a wonderful job and remains the country's most watched news programme. Certainly during this CV19 era, the 6 has covered and continues to cover stories from right across the nation and has proved its diversity by utilising local talent as much as it can.

Look at the Title Sequences, the 1 and 6 bulletins use UK placenames, whilst the generic, and 9/10 titles, use worldwide placenames.



Yes, exactly.
BR
Brekkie
Night Thoughts posted:
Huge chunks of BBC network news haven't been relevant in the nations for at least two decades now; particularly Scotland where the "Scottish Six" debate has been going on for years and where powers have been different for centuries. The Scotland situation is particularly glaring when most national papers run some form of bespoke Scottish edition, yet the One, Six and Ten still expect Scottish viewers to sit through items on the English NHS, English council tax, etc. Coronavirus has just made the cracks even more glaring.

The BBC tried to dodge the issue by creating the BBC Scotland channel - but all that's done is shown how things could be with The Nine. I suppose that the BBC is politically lucky that there's a government which seems to be no fan of devolution, because another government could well force the BBC's hand in this at charter renewal.

I do wonder what an NI-focused bulletin would look like, though - could be politically interesting.

I suspect a Scottish Six (or Ten) may be a concession should BBC Scotland ever close down. It would certainly reach many more people.


NI could be politically very difficult amongst the Unionists in pulling the Six. Probably damned if they do damned if they don't there.
TVMan and Night Thoughts gave kudos
NL
Ne1L C
Theoretical discussion ahead
If we had a purely "English Six" then where would the line be drawn between England-wide stories and local stories?
Last edited by Ne1L C on 16 June 2020 12:49pm
WE
welshkid
Cardiffian posted:
Mr Kite posted:
How do US networks manage with 50 different state governments?

Have a feeling this is ideological before anything else.

What's ideology got to do with it? It's just pointless to broadcast England only news to the nations, especially at a time when people need to be well informed about the rules and regulations they must follow in their nation. Having English only news presented first as the most important news is wrong for the nations where different rules apply and different governments are in charge.


A prime example of this was the Prime Minister's 10 May broadcast to the UK. Wales Today had to do a 30 minute program straight after it, telling viewers that NONE of what the PM had just announced applied to Wales and viewers in Wales needed to ignore everything they'd just heard. It was absolutely pointless the broadcast going out in Wales and Scotland.


Really do think your are trying mixing relevant to applicable.

It is just as important to know what the rules and regulations on Covid-19 on the other side of the border. It could be very relevant to a Welsh company who would need to know how they operate with being able to now move the stuff that they produce across the border.

Commuters would definitely need to know that public transport rules in England are now very different and can come with a hefty fine as the country opens up.

Applicable to the Welsh population? - No
Relevant? - Absolutely
NL
Ne1L C
Slightly off topic the rules regarding who can do what in which country are very confusing and the ITV stations that straddle the nations (Tyne Tees/Border, Granada, HTV West/Wales, Meridian and Channel and UTV/RTE) that have to be clued up.
MK
Mr Kite
Cardiffian posted:
On the BBC News at 6 today, all of the headline stories were only relevant to England. As the easing of Coronavirus restrictions continues apace in England but Scotland, Wales and NI take different approaches, with Scotland and Wales easing restrictions much more slowly, the BBC national news now is increasingly irrelevant to the nations.

By broadcasting English only news to the nations, people who don't bother to watch their regional news, can be easily confused as to what's happening in their nation. Is it time that Wales Today, Reporting Scotland and Newsline were shown at 6pm, with a national and international news programme from London for the nations, that doesn't have a heavily English news focus, shown in Wales, Scotland & NI at 6:30pm?

(Unlikely to happen I know due to costs, but it should happen none the less)


I think it's a fantastic idea!
NL
Ne1L C
Mr Kite posted:
Cardiffian posted:
On the BBC News at 6 today, all of the headline stories were only relevant to England. As the easing of Coronavirus restrictions continues apace in England but Scotland, Wales and NI take different approaches, with Scotland and Wales easing restrictions much more slowly, the BBC national news now is increasingly irrelevant to the nations.

By broadcasting English only news to the nations, people who don't bother to watch their regional news, can be easily confused as to what's happening in their nation. Is it time that Wales Today, Reporting Scotland and Newsline were shown at 6pm, with a national and international news programme from London for the nations, that doesn't have a heavily English news focus, shown in Wales, Scotland & NI at 6:30pm?

(Unlikely to happen I know due to costs, but it should happen none the less)


I think it's a fantastic idea!


I understand what you're saying but the 6.30 bulletin would be a mishmash. Following that pattern a more coherent solution could be a BBC Newshour with say

6.00-6.10 National News
6.10-6.30 Local news
6.30-6.50 World News
6.50-6.58 Sportsday
6.58-7.00 Weather and Close

or another slightly less coherent (to my mind):
6.00 BBC Local News incorporating a 5-10 minute national bulletin
6.30-6.50 World News
6.50-6.58 Sportsday
6.58-7.00 Weather and Close
Last edited by Ne1L C on 16 June 2020 6:54pm
AS
AlexS
Cardiffian posted:
By broadcasting English only news to the nations, people who don't bother to watch their regional news, can be easily confused as to what's happening in their nation.

I very much doubt that there is more than a small fraction of viewers of the news at six who don't also watch the regional news after it, and for that fraction reordering the regional and national news is unlikely to have any effect as there is no reason to believe that they'd suddenly start to watch the regional news just because it is on at 6 rather than half past (any one desperate for regional news at 6 will already be watching ITV).
BR
Brekkie
If the complication of the news channel could be sorted maybe the network could provide something for the nations in the 6.30 half hour.

Anyhow, if something like this were to happen one thing that would be an unfortunate consequence is the programme in England would be even more guilty of being focused on English law and ignoring that things may be different across the borders. Just as people from the nations occassionally venture into England, sometimes we let the English into the nations too. Also the bulletin would still be broadcast UK wide on the news channel and chances are the reports on the Six would still appear on the news channel and other bulletins anyway, so they'd either need to be adapted or the news channel would end up having the English based version.

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