BBC Radio Stoke Snub BBC News 24!

I've been doing a project for BBC Radio Stoke this week that has involved me going into their radio studios to do a bit of recording.

As with most BBC Studios they have TVs on in the main reception, one of which displayed BBC News 24 - as you'd expect.

However, when I went "backstage" as it were, the producer and director of the Breakfast Show had Sky News on.

I thought this was a bit shocking really! I suppose they could use the argument of it being an alternative news source, but if that was the case then surely they should have had more than one news channel on!

Sorry, I'm not quite sure what the hell you're talking about here. N24 was on in reception.

And you shot down your own point with the correct assertion that it's an alternative source of information. Producers and directors need to see what the opposition are doing, and how they're covering stories. The way you phrase this whole non-story suggests that this is not only completely unprecedented behaviour, but that there is no equivalence. In fact, you could go backstage at N24 and find them checking out ITV News Channel, or sneak into Sky News and *gasp* see them taking a peek at N24.

It's common sense, dear. TV channels and radio stations don't operate in a vacuum; they need to be aware of how other media are approaching things. I realise this may be hard to swallow, but you might even find that the Radio Stoke producer may also read a newspaper or two!

If this was while Breakfast was on air and they were doing morning opts, what would have been the point of having N24 on, seeing that it's showing the same programme as the one they're inserting into.

Goto any newsroom in thw world, and they'll all have their competitors on.

Well, on a related note, I had reason to find myself at Queensberry House, the MSP and parliamentary staff building at the Scottish Parliament this week. They've got two tellys in reception there and both of them were on Sky News. Not sure if that's official endorsement, but there you go...

I wonder if they chop and change though? For example, I assume they switch to BBC Scotland or their own in-house Holyrood.tv when stuff's happening in the Chamber or there's a bit of news analysis going on. After all, both N24 and Sky don't really devote much time (quite rightly I guess) to political issues which solely affect Scotland.

Just my two pence worth...

I dunno, they spend enough time talking about issues that affect just England & Wales, so surely they should do the same for the Scots who do pay the fee as well ...

Since when did BBC Radio Stoke do inserts on BBC One's Breakfast?

I think what he means is he went to a BBC broadcasting house and saw BBC news 24 on a plasma screen in the reception world but as he went into the studio he saw a tv with Sky News on.

I think thats what he meant anyway!

Yes, thank you the forum's serial poster - we'd established that much.

what? - people were confused! - I explaned it to them!

Nobody was confused. Nobody. Everyone understood what the boy wrote in plain English. The fact that he's a fool and was making a stupid point didn't stop us understanding what was showing on each television.

Why the hell are you still here anyway?

Do you ever think anything you don't say?

When I went to see the recording of Dead Ringers one of the TVs in the audience bar was showing ITV1