BBC Network news - no longer relevant for the nations?

That is the nub of the matter. Over the last couple of years we've seen BBC News simulcasting on BBC 2. Obviously the current situation has merited more focus on the news.

But in a "normal" situation the news channel at 6PM is something of an anomaly. One possible answer could be a split service with BBC1 having a combined local and regional news bulletin at 6 PM followed by a current affairs programme at 6.30 with BBC News showing a World News bulletin at 6.00 with say Sportsline at 6.45

I don’t see anything wrong with the current format.

18:00-18:30 Headline sequence and titles
18:30 “That’s all from the BBC News at Six.. so it’s goodbye from me and on BBC One we can now join the BBCs news teams where you are.”
18:30-19:00 The national news in a local perspective.

The NC used to show a half hour bulletin that took stories from across the regions but that stopped a few years ago. Can't remember for the life of me what it was called.

UK Today

https://www.tvark.org/?page=media&mediaid=85125

This wouldn’t be a problem in Scotland if instead of sticking the well produced Nine on a channel next to nobody watches they just rebadge it as the Scottish Six instead, and put it on BBC One Scotland instead.

Was there not something else that they used to show like that? I remember it used to be shown at 7:30pm...

I'd also add that the reason New York took it upon itself to form/lead a pseudo-federal consortium with 7 states in the Northeast to coordinate virus response is because the federal response has been so dithering as to create an effective power vacuum.

Since there's no national policy and any attempt to create one has been neutered by White House disinformation, there's actually not that much for national outlets to communicate. They're mostly focused on research findings, hotspots (New York, Arizona), and culture war type coverage, rather than communicating the different regulations in each state.

The decentralized format of broadcast television in the United States is certainly useful in a scenario like this, with local stations regularly opting out of network programming to air press conferences and dumping the network feed on a .2 subchannel.

Was that "News 24 Tonight"?

I think it was.

That’s the thing. We are a geographically small country and things that matter in England, matter in the other nations. And I’ve lost count of times friends and relatives have talked about the differing lockdown policies in Scotland, Wales and NI.

I’m more convinced by more recognition and coverage of the different policies in the London-based newsroom that an entirely split service. Those in Scotland who want that “Scottish Six” now have the Nine... and fundamentally barely anyone’s watching it.

https://twitter.com/Adamprice/status/1259851124850515968?s=09

On the topic of London based BBC News reporters not taking devolution seriously / not being aware of how devolution works / deliberately undermining the devolved governments (which Daniel Sandford was doing in this clip)......this clip rightly provoked outrage among Welsh politicians and within an hour he had to 'clarify' what he had said. But his attitude and disdain for the Welsh Govt and devolved nations was already clear.


This kind of attitude from London based reporters does nothing to help the cause that the 'UK' based London news isn't heavily biased towards England. IMO, all London based reporters need to have mandatory training in how devolution works so their reports are 100% accurate when reporting on issues that are devolved. It seems this pandemic has given London based broadcast journalism a crash course in devolution it should have had 20 years ago.

Aside from the international stories, the "National News" has been mostly irrelevant outside of England for at least a couple of decades now; this is nothing new, it's just that the pandemic has highlighted problems. In our current situation it is proving confusing, and potentially dangerous; in normal circumstances it simply annoying and frustrating.

Where I grew up the "National News" was generally referred to in conversation as "the English news". That wasn't my mum etc trying to make a political point, it was just the truth of the situation; and it's still the case. The endless Westminster political stories on the "National News", which for viewers in NI are mostly irrelevant as Labour and Lid Dems don't run candidates here (the Tories ship over some candidates that you've never heard of just to run in some areas as a point of principle, but they only get a handful of votes).

"National News" programmes with Headline stories about policy changes in government in England or a crisis in education / health / policing / justice; where in the last 10 seconds of the report they briefly mention the situation in Scotland, Wales, and occasionally NI when the reporter remembers that it exists. The point being that if a similar policy change or crisis was occurring outside of England it would be highly unlikely to make the "National News" at all, or at best find itself around 18 minutes down the running order. Over the years I've seen various instances of news reports, such as tragic house fires, making the "National News" when its been in southern England... while a similar story a few days before or after in NI hasn't made the running order.

The same issues apply to the News apps and what is considered breaking news. An English county cricket team wins a match, my phone in NI starts buzzing! A new law comes into effect in NI meaning that for the first time gay couples can marry; my phone remains silent. Former NI Deputy First Minister (an office which is actually equal to First Minister) dies, phone remains silent.

Back to the current situation with the "National News" - non-essential shops re-open in NI; barely a mention. A couple of days later non-essential shops open in England; headline news! Ever thus.