BBC News Channel: Presentation

But they're not advertising Twitter - they're advertising the BBC's use of twitter. And the Beeb aren't using twitter to advertise it, they're using it as a service to their viewers.

See also "Calls cost 25p from a BT landline", "available on Sky channel 503" and all The National Lottery promotion.

Fair point. How exactly does Twitter make money, if it does?

I'm not sure it really does at the moment, yet it's just had huge investment thrown into it. Presumably it will do a Google - eventually work out how to make money but be fairly profit-free for the start.

I know this has happened before but rarely, but when the BBC News simulcast on BBC 1, for example, runs 1010 to 1030pm last night, why do they take 2 different weather presenters at 1030pm on both channels (Rob on BBC 1, while Louise is on NC)?

Can't they take the same presenter at the same time, or is there a technical reason, as it seems daft, especially as they can't afford to provide separate news bulletins?

Its a wonder they don't simulcast the BBC News Channel with BBC World News at the weekend.

Surely the one on BBC One is an extended forecast, but the one on the News Channel is one with more concisety, to allow the rest of the hour to continue as normal?

There are lots or reasons why they could, and lots of reasons why they cannot. I'm guessing scheduling has a lot to do with it. BBC News (channel) has to run to time to hit the tops of the hours, at weekends where a lot of the back half hours are filled with pre-recorded content they cannot afford to start a programme too late otherwise they risk missing the top of the hour, if the weather forecast on BBC One is longer in length than the news channel can afford they are pretty screwed. having a seperate broadcast on the news channel means they can chop & change the duration as required by telling the presenter how long they need to fill for. All in all i guess keeping it seperate keeps things a little easier for the play out suites to keep to time etc. I may be wrong i dont know.

I imagine that it is simpler for the Weather Forecasting team not to chop and change from week to week as to whether the forecast is simulacast or not depending on the time of the bulletin. Also the forecasts are likely to have differing focuses (albeit this maybe subtle) and then as pointed out both channels may need to shorten or extend the forecast to hit other timeslots.

I also don't think that having the same forecast on both the news channel and BBC One would provide any savings. It wouldn't reduce the number of forecasters on duty as they work across more than one outlet. For example the forecasting team are covering the following:

* John Hammond - R4, BBC1, News Channel (late morning)
* Nick Miller - BBC Four, BBC1, News Channel (afternoon/early evening)
* Laura Tobin - Red button, R4, News Channel (early afternoon)
* Peter Gibbs - World, R4, R2, 5Live (early morning)
* Rob McElwee - Red button, BBC1, News Channel (late evening)
* Louise Lear - Red button, World, 5Live (early), News Channel (overnight)
* Dan Corbett - 5Live

I always wondered about the weather split because there was this now infamous moment when Thomasz was to do the weather on the news channel and I think it was Rob on BBC1 but while both presenters were correctly cued on screen for the right channels, it appeared to Thomasz that Rob's bulletin was on air not his, so Thomasz decided to let the gallery sort it out while he de miked and left the studio.
If they are sharing the news they should share the weather IMO.

Scheduling on BOTH channels I suspect, it enables any slack, or shortage of time of either to be tailored with a specific length forecast for each channel. It might be easier to switch back BBC ONE from the NC via the start of a weather forecast, rather than the end. It's also an established pattern during the week enabling the pleasantries at the end of the ten to be exchanged.

Ouch a rather frosty exchange between Alastair Darling and Louise Minchin on the one o'clock news. First he couldn't hear her first question so then she seemed to get rather narked demanding a date that we would see an end to banker's bonuses.

It made me smile though.