MA
I think the situation has dictated that and the awe encompassing nature of the situation had lent itself to that. It’s not been a normal year. Plus, the regions have made a conscious effort to maintain the much needed fluff, fluff that many will have needed this year. If the regions are to go more newsier, this will go.
They've been single headed with harder news since March. Viewers have adjusted to it.
I think the situation has dictated that and the awe encompassing nature of the situation had lent itself to that. It’s not been a normal year. Plus, the regions have made a conscious effort to maintain the much needed fluff, fluff that many will have needed this year. If the regions are to go more newsier, this will go.
MA
There is still often plenty of 'fluff' on South Today - it's usually the reports just before and straight after the sports news, before the Banbury to Dorchester weather forecast.
MA
As there is on NWT but I’m commenting on the suggestion that BBC English Regions are to become more hard news next year.
There is still often plenty of 'fluff' on South Today - it's usually the reports just before and straight after the sports news, before the Banbury to Dorchester weather forecast.
As there is on NWT but I’m commenting on the suggestion that BBC English Regions are to become more hard news next year.
TR
If the BBC regional news ratings aren't affected the they will continue to fall year on year, as they have for some time now. This year, not surprisingly, there was an upward blip in viewer numbers during the first wave of Covid but once that had subsided figures were once again lower than those for the same period last year.
Yes, there may be those who stay loyal to a particular channel, and admittedly the BBC does better than ITV, but it is an ever diminishing number who bother to watch at all. The only consolation is that despite the number of actual viewers being on a downward slope the 6.30 slot still fares very well in the week's most watched programmes.
The ratings won’t be effected, the BBC News are in a very strong position and viewers are very loyal, they either watch the BBC or ITV at teatime and I bet for many it’s a tradition they’ve had for years.
If the BBC regional news ratings aren't affected the they will continue to fall year on year, as they have for some time now. This year, not surprisingly, there was an upward blip in viewer numbers during the first wave of Covid but once that had subsided figures were once again lower than those for the same period last year.
Yes, there may be those who stay loyal to a particular channel, and admittedly the BBC does better than ITV, but it is an ever diminishing number who bother to watch at all. The only consolation is that despite the number of actual viewers being on a downward slope the 6.30 slot still fares very well in the week's most watched programmes.
TR
Unfortunately presenters can be very expensive and having two on screen is difficult to justify at a time when big cuts have to be made.
You mentioned Christa Ackroyd. When she was appealing an HMRC tax bill of £419,000 for her 11 years at Look North it was revealed that her salary was £163,000, and that was back in 2013. That kind of money would fund a reporter, crew and producer and get several stories a week on screen. In terms of value for money I would prefer improved news coverage over a bit of to and froing between presenters.
I don’t comment too much, I don’t work in the industry but I occasionally feel compelled to comment.
The success of these regional magazine/news programmes is two fold.
Absolutely yes, the localness of the programme is a key factor. Local/regional issues and culture plus the ever lasting novelty of seeing places you intimately know and recognise.
But the personalities have always been part of the formula and the success of these programmes. In my childhood in Yorkshire and my young adulthood in Manchester, Richard Whitley, Harry Gration, Christa Ackroyd, Lucy Meacock and Gordon Burns were/are very much local celebrities that everyone knows in a way they don’t on national news.
It’s disappointing that the BBC have gone single headed and that they are apparently going pure hard news. The current format has the right balance. After circa 45 minutes of international, national and regional news, that 15 minutes of magazine style features makes for a nice end to the “news hour”.
Much of that also lends itself perfectly to double headed presentation. It’s warm and friendly and the viewer responds to that.
COVID 19 brought with it a National (worldwide) crisis that most generations have never experienced. The start of it brought some very uncertain and unsettling times for many. I for one really appreciated the fact that the warm, friendly and familiar personalities remained on our screen. Whilst I appreciate double headers are difficult at this time, going forward, I do feel that the programmes will suffer.
It takes a particularly strong format to pull off regional single headers. BBC London for example just feels an extension of the National. When I first moved to Manchester, NWT was single headed by Gordon Burns but that relied on a fair bit of participation by Dianne Oxberry and the sports presenter. In fact Dianne used to do the final item and close with Gordon.
The success of these regional magazine/news programmes is two fold.
Absolutely yes, the localness of the programme is a key factor. Local/regional issues and culture plus the ever lasting novelty of seeing places you intimately know and recognise.
But the personalities have always been part of the formula and the success of these programmes. In my childhood in Yorkshire and my young adulthood in Manchester, Richard Whitley, Harry Gration, Christa Ackroyd, Lucy Meacock and Gordon Burns were/are very much local celebrities that everyone knows in a way they don’t on national news.
It’s disappointing that the BBC have gone single headed and that they are apparently going pure hard news. The current format has the right balance. After circa 45 minutes of international, national and regional news, that 15 minutes of magazine style features makes for a nice end to the “news hour”.
Much of that also lends itself perfectly to double headed presentation. It’s warm and friendly and the viewer responds to that.
COVID 19 brought with it a National (worldwide) crisis that most generations have never experienced. The start of it brought some very uncertain and unsettling times for many. I for one really appreciated the fact that the warm, friendly and familiar personalities remained on our screen. Whilst I appreciate double headers are difficult at this time, going forward, I do feel that the programmes will suffer.
It takes a particularly strong format to pull off regional single headers. BBC London for example just feels an extension of the National. When I first moved to Manchester, NWT was single headed by Gordon Burns but that relied on a fair bit of participation by Dianne Oxberry and the sports presenter. In fact Dianne used to do the final item and close with Gordon.
Unfortunately presenters can be very expensive and having two on screen is difficult to justify at a time when big cuts have to be made.
You mentioned Christa Ackroyd. When she was appealing an HMRC tax bill of £419,000 for her 11 years at Look North it was revealed that her salary was £163,000, and that was back in 2013. That kind of money would fund a reporter, crew and producer and get several stories a week on screen. In terms of value for money I would prefer improved news coverage over a bit of to and froing between presenters.
IS
Quite, I've no idea why some people think it requires two presenters to present a single half hour bulletin. Many of the BBC regions - the biggest ones, oddly - have had single headed presentation for years
BR
And how we hated some young upstart coming in and taking half his job. Wonder whatever happened to Ranvir Singh!
Of course just as North West viewers are used to having 2 presenters now, Gordon Burns presented the show alone for many years and no one complained.
And how we hated some young upstart coming in and taking half his job. Wonder whatever happened to Ranvir Singh!
ST
And how we hated some young upstart coming in and taking half his job. Wonder whatever happened to Ranvir Singh!
What a great duo they turned out to be!
Of course just as North West viewers are used to having 2 presenters now, Gordon Burns presented the show alone for many years and no one complained.
And how we hated some young upstart coming in and taking half his job. Wonder whatever happened to Ranvir Singh!
What a great duo they turned out to be!
TO
And how we hated some young upstart coming in and taking half his job. Wonder whatever happened to Ranvir Singh!
What a great duo they turned out to be!
They did and they’re warmth shone out in the program Ranvir seems to radiate that sense of warmth and seriousness well in all she does, I think that’s her appeal and certainly NWT was all the better for it
Of course just as North West viewers are used to having 2 presenters now, Gordon Burns presented the show alone for many years and no one complained.
And how we hated some young upstart coming in and taking half his job. Wonder whatever happened to Ranvir Singh!
What a great duo they turned out to be!
They did and they’re warmth shone out in the program Ranvir seems to radiate that sense of warmth and seriousness well in all she does, I think that’s her appeal and certainly NWT was all the better for it
ST
What a great duo they turned out to be!
They did and they’re warmth shone out in the program Ranvir seems to radiate that sense of warmth and seriousness well in all she does, I think that’s her appeal and certainly NWT was all the better for it
She just never seem to get over GB leaving the programme, I found. Always mentioning him when Roger had taken his place at the helm. I can’t believe Roger has been there a decade in September!
And how we hated some young upstart coming in and taking half his job. Wonder whatever happened to Ranvir Singh!
What a great duo they turned out to be!
They did and they’re warmth shone out in the program Ranvir seems to radiate that sense of warmth and seriousness well in all she does, I think that’s her appeal and certainly NWT was all the better for it
She just never seem to get over GB leaving the programme, I found. Always mentioning him when Roger had taken his place at the helm. I can’t believe Roger has been there a decade in September!