Is lunchtime being shortened more than the late bulletin is being extended (and thus the total regional 'minutage' reducing) or is it quid-pro-quo and the minutage remaining the same?
2225 is being extended by 7'30" to 15'00", but is the lunchtime being cut by more than 7'30"? (I remember when the regional news after the Nine O'Clock News was only about 3'30"?)
If this happens longer term, cutting the lunchtime to not much more than a glorified Breakfast opt (wonder if they can use Breakfast crewing levels?) looks like a way of concentrating budget where the ratings (though not share) are higher...
Lunchtime is quoted in the article as being 15', it actually runs for 12'30" so the reduction to 5' is made up exactly with the doubling of the late evening to 15'.
The only loss seems to be on Friday, where the lunchtime cut will continue, but the evening slot will stay at 7'30"
:-(
A former member
I wonder if Scotland wales and NI will get the extended news? since it would overlap the regional programmes which do a better job.
Interesting challenge for BBC Channel Islands then. Wonder how they'll fill 15 minutes of airtime with no election to talk about? That's longer than their 6:30 sub-opt. A very *very* detailed weather forecast?
Isn't the late news bulletin just a 'best of' the 6.30, where as the current lunchtime bulletin has fresh copy? Seems like a spin on costcutting to me.
Interesting challenge for BBC Channel Islands then. Wonder how they'll fill 15 minutes of airtime with no election to talk about? That's longer than their 6:30 sub-opt. A very *very* detailed weather forecast?
Maybe it will become a sub-opt and not a full-opt?
