BBC News Channel: Presentation

The sad thing is though the BBC don't have to be innovative and on their toes because a good chunk of the country will watch it regardless just because it is the BBC.

The important part I think you're overlooking is that people trust BBC news to be accurate, and largely unbiased - so will watch it for those reasons.

Bells and whistles are of less importance when you're measuring by those standards.

That's not sad - that's something to be very proud of.

BBC News is accurate and unbias and that is something to be proud of. But the News Channel should be leading the way - not following the leader in presentation, they're not even doing that at the moment mind you.

I'm not saying that the news channel should go all Sky News with flying graphics on screen etc, but a bit of variety doesn't hurt. Just remove some of the stuffyness and experiment a bit.



Still not a reason to be laid back in the approach.

At least bring back the Breaking News audio sting - remember that?

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/02/bbc-world-news-hits-refresh.html

This was the press release about the revamped BBC World News...

One interesting thing except the new set, revamped graphics etc is...



The news channel doesn't do that, that's moving World News in to the 21st Century.

Right, I don't care who'd presenting the news, or whether they're standing up, sitting down or running round the newsroom presenting each story to a different camera. I don't turn the News Channel on because a certain presenter is going to tell me the same headline as countless other presenters have done, but in their own special way which makes the programme more watchable, or because I know that I can see the headlines read standing up (!!!) just because they can. I watch the News Channel because I want to catch up on the happenings of the day, at my convienience, or if there is something happening, because I want to know about it in more detail. Some of the best coverage I've seen on the News Channel hasn't shown a studio shot in hours, with one presenter linking between various bits of coverage while the other does research.

I'll agree that at times the News Channel does seem a bit boring, but, this is not solved by prescribing that the presenters are stood for the headline sequence, sat for the next two items, doing a handstand for the intro to the sport, and bouncing round the studio on a space hopper before passing to the weather. After a week of seeing that every 15 minutes, it would be just as boring as it is currently. Likewise, specifying that a certain different presenter appears each hour, with the programme branded around that person does nothing for the majority of viewers who are just wanting to catch up on the news (but it should work for BBC World being broadcast to a global audience - having specialised audiences only works when you have a large audience to start with).

I believe firmly that the presenters and studio should be used flexibly, using the strengths of both to tell the story of the news in the most effective way possible. Gimmicks like standing for the headlines shouldn't be done just because everyone else is doing them, but because it actually adds something to the story. I would rather see presenters stood by the screens to do down-the-line interviews than for the headline sequence simply because they're actually using the screens during an interview, for the headlines the screens are just a background.



I posted this last time you went on about changing the entire background for each story, and I still think it's a stupid idea...

http://home.vis-is.co.uk/data/grabs/news_buildingwall.jpg
(Image mocked up with the background from during the Gaza attacks)

If they did this, I'd expect numerous satire pieces on "The BBC News Spaceship now visits a field of corn in order to investigate the effects of global warming on field mice" in response to the entire look of the channel changing every few seconds.



They've bought some LED par cans to change the colour of the frosting and 4 plasma TVs for the pod... The pod still looks like it did on News 24, only with a miniture desk, and the barco's end has been tidied up. Don't get me wrong, it looks better than it did, but it's not really being used any differently to when News 24 was using it.

BBC World are trying to turn the channel into an "appointment to view" style news service, where people tune in at a certain time because the news at that time is most relevant to them. Having targeted audiences for a global channel helps a lot with deciding on the agenda for a bulletin, and means advertisers will pay more for the regions that are targetted. The News Channel isn't, and there are no driving forces to turn it into this style of channel.

The main attraction of the BBC News Channel is, and has been for many years now, the quality of it's reporting, breadth of coverage and it's trustworthyness to the average viewer. It's not been a game of news-gimmick-bingo with a cash prize of £1000 to the first viewer who spots all 20 selected gimmicks, and if that means that "they will be left in the slow lane", then who cares, apart from the presenter obsessed and the barco obsessed?

Phew! That turned into a bit of an essay!

All this talk about the News Channel...I dunno, the original idea of 5 Live on TV seemed pretty sound to me, and now that the channel is well and truly established, perhaps a return to that sort of style?

One problem I have (and I know this is presenter based...but since we seem to be on a moan about the channel in general...) is that there are simply too many presenters! Apart from the morning slot, every time I tune in, it seems to be the C-list presenters elsewhere...a shake up with that would, IMO, at least freshen things up a bit!

Worth every word - I couldn't agree more.

I joined up here 9 years ago because I've got a certain interest in presentation, music, graphics and sets - of course.

But never would I consider it a fitting use of my time to endlessly watch the rolling news day in, day out, commenting only on misaligned screens and who double-heads with who. Unless you're being paid as a logger, I don't think anyone is expected to watch a rolling service that way.

Despite my geeky tendencies, first and foremost you should be judging a news organisation on the quality and accuracy of their work - not if the overhead camera needs oiled every six months and makes a grinding noise.

In response to dosx's post.

I'm not saying the presenters should be dancing around a studio, doing a handstand or even doing the moonwalk to the desk.

I'm saying that they should stand for the odd story/interview - maybe twice or three times in the day. At the moment - they obviously deem that no story covered in the past 12 months or so has warranted standing for?

The report in 2003 said they needed to present the news in different ways, which they are clearly not doing... apart from Film 24, E24, the business and sport... it's ALL desk based.

It's not like it's going to cost money to get the presenters to stand now and again.

I have many positives about the channel, the presenters are very skilled and good (better than a number of Sky News presenters), the reporting and journalism is second to none, even the graphics - as basic as they are, are good and fitting. I'm saying that they need to look at how the news is delivered from time to time.

No, you suggested it was going to cost them viewers - which others say is poppycock.

But if they're standing two or three times a day to meet a target of "news stories presented while standing", who's going to notice, apart from those who religiously watch the channel, and I'm sorry, but those people aren't the target audience as they probably number in the tens.

I did say that I felt the channel can be a bit boring at times, in that aspect we agree, but I don't think having a quota of presenting standing up will solve that. They need to have a reason to stand, and not just to meet a target, or because the other news channels do it.

Here is a thought and I know what everyone will say where will you put Working Lunch, Newsround and Newsnight. But is it theoretically possible for BBC News (channel) to use the bigger set [two baking trays] as used in Breakfast and BBC News at Six around the clock instead of the smaller set [one baking tray]?

I can sympathise with both sides of the debate here. On the one hand, I completely agree that one is not expected to watch rolling news channels all day long. Worzel, maybe the reason it's boring to you is that you're watching it too much? After all, rolling news is by its very nature repetitive. There's not a lot that can be done in terms of the studio. The BBC made a conscious decision to relocate BBC News 24 to N6 and in doing so they have to do what they can with the circumstances they find themselves in. I don't see how standing up every now and then is going to miraculously cure the channel.

However, I also understand Worzel's point of view that BBC News has become very stale. I think there are several problems which are broader than just standing up or sitting down. Firstly, the look and sound is very dated. In retrospect, I think it was a huge mistake to hurtle back to 1999 in 2008. The Lambie Nairn titles - been there, done that. The David Lowe music - been there, done that. It's all very samey and has been for almost 11 years. The globe, the place names, the colour red, the BBC News logo, the DL pips and drums music. How many times are they going to rehash the same old elements? In 1999, the new music and clean, clinical look was like a breath of fresh air after the 1990s pomposity. I think in many respects the BBC is back in the same situation. It's been a decade since the last major - and by major I mean MAJOR - overhaul of BBC News. It's time for something completely new. Compare to ITV News and Sky News over the past 10 years. They've both gone through several major redesigns which have helped to keep things fresh while the BBC has been fiddling about with the same old design elements.

Secondly, the channel has become very formulaic and let's face it: the schedule has barely changed in 10 years. As I acknowledged earlier, rolling news is not designed to be watched all day long. However, I do think it's time they shook things up a bit. They could start with the presenters. The same faces have been presenting the same shifts for years. Why not try moving people around a bit? Why not bring in some new faces? I also agree with an earlier poster who suggested the number of presenters needs to be slimmed down. They could also do with using Tim Willcox and Sophie Long less frequently. Whenever I tune in, they're always on and I don't think they are the most watchable presenters on the channel. They need to use some bigger, more colourful characters like Jon Sopel more often.

Finally, I think the current on-screen graphics are the most boring they've ever used. The astons are way too simple and they could do without all the grey. The ticker is bad enough, but the newsroom backdrop on the Barcos is rather dull and lifeless too. What's wrong with bringing a bit of colour back? The BBC News 24 studio and graphics between 1999 and 2007 were great - colourful but clean and simple at the same time. At the moment, it's all white and grey which is very dull. N6 in 1999 was unfussy but it felt warm and welcoming. Now, it's so cold and clinical with all the white and grey. It desperately needs an injection of colour to bring some warmth.