Here's a video montage of tonight's BBC Newsline at 6.30. The file is quite large so it may take some time to load. I'll upload a lower quality version to YouTube tomorrow.
Just looking at the online version of the late Reporting Scotland bulletin, and why does the studio look like a hope made version decorated in brown packing paper?
It's not the 'wrong' tune. The new Regions theme tune is a rerecording of the 1999 Regions theme, which is in my opinion far better than the original
BBC London News
theme tune.
No, the original BBC London tune (and title sequence) was a classic, the updated version now being used by BBC London radio is even better though.
It is odd to hear the old Newsroom SouthEast music (albeit a souped up version) back again, but then anything is better than the titles that were in use until Sunday!
It's not the 'wrong' tune. The new Regions theme tune is a rerecording of the 1999 Regions theme, which is in my opinion far better than the original
BBC London News
theme tune.
No, the original BBC London tune (and title sequence) was a classic, the updated version now being used by BBC London radio is even better though.
It is odd to hear the old Newsroom SouthEast music (albeit a souped up version) back again, but then anything is better than the titles that were in use until Sunday!
I have to agree with you
MO
morgaineofevil
looks like LONDON AND LN CUMBRIA are using very old school 1999 theme very strange, seeing how London was always different to others.Why has the BBC not allowed the regions to stay unique but maybe with the new pics but keep their themes? South today what a mess man sally was very confused NO HEADLInES
Its a massive studio, there used to be two sets within that studio - one for Newsline and the other for all sorts of local programming. By the looks of it they've turned the Newsline set around, I wonder if theres still room for another set below were the camera is - I assume so.
Would be no surprise if it was - most of the older regional and national centres had good sized studios - Newcastle being the biggest IIRC
Points West is tiny!
Really? I though they'd swapped the studios there and regional programmes have the old network studio, where the likes of Animal Magic used to be made.
Points West use something like 1/3 of the old Studio-A (the Network Studio where as you rightly say, programmes like Animal Magic and Take Hart were all produced). The floor space of the old Studio was divided into a studio roughly the same size as Bristol's Studio-B (the former home to Points West), the rest of the floor became the production gallery, graphics area and (originally) a Presentation studio, pres gallery and VT area. It's been rejigged a bit since originally opening, but the studio floor while not tiny by any stretch of the imagination, is certainly not as big as some centres enjoy. It does have extremely good height and motorised lighting barrels and scenery hoists, all legacies of the studio's former self.
Newcastle is indeed the biggest English regional studio, with Southampton second AIUI. Both these centres were built when the BBC maintained certain standards for studios, both were designed to host occasional network programmes like Question Time. AIUI, both have certification for audiences (and associated fire exits and so-on). While Southampton never hosted any networked programmes to my knowledge (grand ideas like Question Time being passed from region to region had been abandoned under Producer Choice by the time Havelock Road opened!) the studio has been used for some audience debate programmes, though they've only been transmitted regionally. Newcastle's main studio was used for early series' of Byker Grove AIUI and I think, the later series of Why Don't You...?
If you think Points West's studio is small, you should see some of the more recently opened studios: Oxford and Channel Islands for example! Now
they're
tiny...
Look East has a new opening shot for the two presenters, rather than face on its a side shot. There appears to be no close up sting. I wonder if a 'West' version of the titles have been done for the late bulletin. Norwich used upper case for the presenters name, while Cambridge used sentence case - oops!
No change to the Cambridge studio, still looking out on King's College, or at least I think it's King's.
And did anyone else's region do a mid programme headline round up, Look East did a national and regional headline.
Look East (West Sub Opt) had a shaky intro into the program at 6:30pm. Titles appeared to cut back to the Norwich feed, and yes Cambridge still has it's set from the original 1999 look so i guess now the rest of BBC News has gone backwards theres no point updating it.
But I feel there is nothing wrong with that set - still looks pretty good on screen plus 15 mins of broadcasting per weekday, does it need a new set?
Looks good on screen have you seen it? The broadcast quality from Cambridge is less than satisfactory most days.
The problem with Cambridge is that I believe originally it was designed as a short to medium term solution. That appears to be more permanent now. I think there is also talk about BBC Radio Cambridgeshire moving to another location which would force the TV service to move as well.
Cambridge has had a number of incarnations technically since it launched in Jan 97.
The first Cambridge sub-opt came from a very temporary, and absolutely tiny, studio in the local radio centre cubicle, with a small gallery built on the top floor - though this didnt stop the region doing a full service for the 1997 Election - entirely split from Norwich - less than 6 months after it launched.
Once the radio newsroom on the first floor had been emptied - and all staff moved to the bi-media newsroom in the solicitors office next door, the newsroom was converted into a studio space, and the set moved up there. Around the same time the gallery was expanded, and the main vision mixer (a very small original model) was replaced with an ex-Anglia News model purchased when Anglia upgraded their East and West studio to digital and sold their analogue studio kit.
That kit stayed in service for many years - but a year or so ago the entire infrastructure - cameras, vision mixer (and I think sound desk, though the lighting desk remains the same AIUI) were upgraded, to allow for digital 16:9 operation. It now has pretty decent kit capable of delivering perfectly fine pictures.
However - like most sub-regional operations it runs on very low staffing levels - and the team have to be very multi-skilled...
have you seen it? The broadcast quality from Cambridge is less than satisfactory most days.