lol looks like someone hasn't pressed the right buttons, it just shows up how fake the backdrops are and the first shot is not very good as it shows the end of the barco screens.
Why? It was fine before BBC NC moving in there and it's fine now. It's rather petty when people go on about 'Barco' screen glitches and other errors just because they don't like the amalgamation of national news with what was 'News 24'.
For most of the time the production is fine. Both N6 and N8 (together with TC7) run between them what is effectively a 24/7 operation for two channels and a simulcast for BBC1 at night; they also produce other programmes during their off-air time.
I actually think it's a good example of how logistical planning can save resources. They produce the same programmes as before with one less studio.
I agree Stuart, but it's pretty obvious that the frequency of technical errors has increased at the same time. I've tuned in twice this week on big news days when I've come home from work at 5pm to find out all the details. On both occasions, I had to switch to Sky News. First, for Boris Johnson's statement on the resignation of Sir Ian Blair had no sound and secondly on Friday because they completely cocked up the 5pm news bulletin with Nicholas Owen stumbling over his words and no report on the Cabinet reshuffles. That's two big cock-ups I've seen this week and I've hardly watched the channel.
I agree Stuart, but it's pretty obvious that the frequency of technical errors has increased at the same time. I've tuned in twice this week on big news days when I've come home from work at 5pm to find out all the details. On both occasions, I had to switch to Sky News. First, for Boris Johnson's statement on the resignation of Sir Ian Blair had no sound and secondly on Friday because they completely cocked up the 5pm news bulletin with Nicholas Owen stumbling over his words and no report on the Cabinet reshuffles. That's two big cock-ups I've seen this week and I've hardly watched the channel.
I watched the Nick Owen fumbling, and I thought he did well, it lasted all of 90 seconds, and he just kept trying to ad-lib into a report that he was clearly being told was available....but then wasn't. That's why I thought he did well.
As for the other occasion, with no sound from an OB, surely that's a technical issue that could happen anytime.
It's still my preferred channel for news for breaking stories. Only for a different perspective do I turn to Sky News or AJ-E.
I'll concede that the OB problem could have happened to anyone. However, the failed report couldn't have happened at a worse time. It was a report on the shock decision to bring Peter Mandelson back into the Cabinet and was going out at a time when many people would be coming home from work. They ended up skipping the package and chatting to a commentator but any viewers that had just tuned in (like me) had no background knowledge of what had happened. I would NEVER choose to watch Sky News over the BBC, but I was forced to on Friday because the BBC's offering was not good enough.
I'm definitely not blaming any BBC staff here - I know they all do a fantastic job in very difficult circumstances. Heck, I'm amazed any TV production ever goes smoothly given what a gallery can be like at times. What I'm saying is that the News Channel seems to have a lot more cock-ups than it did before the move to N6 and I think it's because of the strain of using one studio for everything.
They do have a huge number of cockups. And many that you simply wouldn't see on Sky, Fox, CNN, AJE etc.
The argument about the difficulty of running a gallery etc. etc. simply doesn't wash when there are many commercial competitors managing to put out a technically better operation more of the time.
As I've said before- do it properly or strip it bare. Literally.
If it means going back to a static camera, no fancy TOTH opening and no animation- just do it. And get it right 100% of the time. Once you've managed that for a week then start adding in layers of technical difficulty to enhance the look of the bulletin.
It would avoid the ridiculously embarrassing technical errors that we're seeing currently.
I'll concede that the OB problem could have happened to anyone. However, the failed report couldn't have happened at a worse time. It was a report on the shock decision to bring Peter Mandelson back into the Cabinet and was going out at a time when many people would be coming home from work. They ended up skipping the package and chatting to a commentator but any viewers that had just tuned in (like me) had no background knowledge of what had happened. I would NEVER choose to watch Sky News over the BBC, but I was forced to on Friday because the BBC's offering was not good enough.
I'm definitely not blaming any BBC staff here - I know they all do a fantastic job in very difficult circumstances. Heck, I'm amazed any TV production ever goes smoothly given what a gallery can be like at times. What I'm saying is that the News Channel seems to have a lot more cock-ups than it did before the move to N6 and I think it's because of the strain of using one studio for everything.
From your first line though you seem to be suggesting a failed report couldn't happen to anyone, which is not true because I've seen it happen on all channels. Anyway, it was fine to go to commentators because initially all you needed to know was Mandleson was back and that it was a suprise due to his history with Brown, which Owen did tell us. I don't think the frequency of technical errors is any worse than it was before, or worse than any other channel - I suspect sometimes when people see a technical error they blame the new studio, simply because they preffered the old set up. Why strip down to basics, as Dunedin suggested when the majority of the time everything goes right? Why spoil the whole output of the channel just to get rid of a handful of mistakes, most of which are minor.
The more I look it. the awful it looks, look at it Nicholas Owen on a square pod in the middle of nowwhere, the desk design does not match with the studio either with those fake screens, which on the right totally gives the game away, its just a poor studio design really, I am all for saving costs, but surely this looks awful, this can't compare to the 1999 N6 studio which looked more realistic and the studio layout was much better.
Plus the ticker looks all wrong with that square BBC NEWS logo, it makes the BBC NEWS logo look out of position.
This would have worked much better in the improved N8, its such a shame but no one it seems can see this.
I'm really liking the new Washington studio. It looks like there's a lot more room, and altogether, I think it looks excellent. Perhaps if they made N6 into a bigger version of that, it would all look a lot better. Excellent new studio!
Or a mini BBC World studio. The 103" Plasma is similar to the BBC World Barco wall (albeit at the other end of the studio) and is being shot in a similar manner in some cases. The stylised skyline backing is probably more suited for a set based in a specific geographic location than a generic newsroom?
The small Singapore studio is due for a change, its been the same since forever. They need to fix New Yorks too... but they need to get a new projection screen or something because the current is awful and always has been!
It looked as though the set is put up together hastily and have the possibility of actually falling apart anytime soon! Look at the base of the plasma screen. Is it just me?
