BBC News Channel: Presentation

Just before 1pm Odd News finished when an un-numbered countdown appeared, and faded into the titles. Here is the video, now that I have a capture card:

[media:3606b02876]http://up.metropol247.co.uk/1262092257_1045585153.m4v[/media:3606b02876]

As well as that, the ticker and BBC News logo have appeared but the clock is not ons screen. A second clock, ticker and news logo just appeared above them.

Yeah that's the filler countdown. It never had numbers and is only 60 seconds long as opposed to the normal countdown which is 90 seconds long but only has numbers from 60 onwards.

No, the normal countdown is 60 seconds long (but as the numbers only count down to the sting now the first number is 55 - I think). The 90 second countdown is only used before the Ten O'Clock News on weekdays.

Thought I'd said this in this thread but I cannot find my post anywhere so here it goes: N9 does look good but it still looks way too cramped, especially on the second set. It's a shame there isn't a way of using both N9 and N6 but through the same gallery to keep the reduced staffing costs (as far as I know).

I really don't like the filler being used (although I know it has to be used for various reasons), but it does make the news channel look very amateur, if you were a normal viewer you'd think the channel was falling off the air all the time.

They also need to update the TOTH countdown with some new clips, they've been using those clips since 2007!

Nice to see the channel in a real news room though.

I'm hoping that when the Barcos are up and running, they use them to their full potential. Presenters standing up, utilising the new technology. Maybe the software will be better to allow them to do various different things.

One thing I'd like to see come back, is how (when the news channel relaunched), when they would put a guest on the left or right walls (from an O/B) - they'd be in a box, rather than taking up the full size of the Barcos, if anyone remembers that? Filling up the screens just makes the interviewee or reporter look like they have a huge head.

I must just add that this evening, with all the simulcasts, the news channel has been incredibly messy tonight, Mishal one minute with the static light boxes, then over to Nick for 8 minutes and then back again!

Could they not do something like on World with the break filler - stories from news online, UK city temperatures, money markets...

Why haven't they mentioned on air why they are in a different studio as well? I've had several people I work with (none of them annoraky like myself) but general viewers ask why they are in a different studio. Why can't they just mention it in passing every so often why they're broadcasting from a different set?

'This is BBC News. We're in here because we're having new Barcos and the floor's being redone.'

A bit of an issue when they have a guest in. Annoyingly the plasma in N9 to camera left of the main desk either has an odd refresh rate, or the cameras need their shutter speed adjusting. There's a high frequency flicker evident, more notably on the wide 2-shot of presenter and guest. They've thought about it well and are using a static newsroom image on the plasma, a-la N6, to give a nice current background for guests close-up shots, but the flicker problem is slightly annoying...

Another botched job of joining the Network at 13.45. They cut to the filler bang smack in the middle of an Obama statement, albeit recorded..but still.

Lost the ticker and clock ... Breaking strap and headlines still present though.

I'll just say that, nearly two years after launch and they still haven't fixed the problem with the alignment of the 'LIVE' and location bug in the top-left. I thought somebody would have noticed by now!