OK, firstly it's fair to say we're probably not a reflection of wider viewing habits but thought it would be interesting none the less to find out how much news people here do watch now compared to say 5-10 years ago, especially in light of the forthcoming changes at ITV News. Do many here watch both an evening and 10pm bulletin?
For me the main change in recent years is that I find out the news before deciding if I will watch the news. If I feel I will watch it it's then usually the ITV Evening News, and if it's a story I want to see in more depth it's Channel 4 News.
I probably only watch a couple of bulletins a week compared to watching mainly the ITV Evening News daily a few years back. Beyond that I might catch a few minutes of Breakfast in the morning and usually catch (but not set out to watch) at least one of the bulletins on a Saturday or Sunday - tends to be the BBC Saturday Lunchtime bulletin and the ITV Sunday evening bulletin.
If I'm home in the week I'd probably catch one of the lunchtime bulletins too - pretty much 50/50 between the BBC and ITV. I rarely watch the news channels at all now, but if I do it tends to be Sky News over BBC News, and for a breaking story, not just as something to watch, and not for long at all. The days of spending hours watching a news story unfold are somewhat in the past for me - found that kind of often made me immune to the events which were unfolding.
I'm probably contradicting a lot of the things I've said in opposition to proposed BBC changes but I guess the way I've watched the news has changed because the way I watch television has changed. It is no longer a case of watching the news waiting for primetime programming (or after primetime programming). I usually have something I've recorded or want to watch On Demand which will take priority once I sit down in front of the TV in the evening.
For me when I get home after work, its the STV News at 6, then the ITV News at 6:30. At 10, without question it's always NaT for me. At the weekends, 9 times out of 10 it's ITV that it gets turned over to.
I rarely watch Sky News, when I do its only really because of the Press Preview on a Monday night, other times if I've got a news channel on its the BBC.
I'm only 27, but instead of reading news on the respective websites and social media feeds, I'd actually rather watch it on TV.
My parents always had a system when I was growing up, and its something I've carried on now.
ITV at teatime, BBC at ten (or at nine as was)
I think it goes back to the days when the choice was Neighbours or the ITN Early Evening News, so my dad would pick the news, and when Calendar lead the way with Richard Whiteley and Christa Ackroyd at the helm and Look North was really stuffy with Judith Stamper in comparison.
Plus you get the news from both perspectives doing it this way.
Come home from work, don't watch any news until a 10pm bulletin, usually Sky News at Ten seven days a week, unless there's two things I want to watch either side of a bulletin on either BBC or ITV.
Haven't watched breakfast TV for years, as found out it was far more convenient (and cheaper) to listen to the radio in the morning instead.
Years ago when I lived at home it was pretty much guaranteed the ITV News at 5:40 and Central News at Six.
Now when I'm at home during the day I don't watch news at all in any form; usually get it from the website and unless something major's happened, I don't watch any news until the 10pm bulletin.
If there's a story I'm interested in and think "hmm, TV would be a good medium for this" I'll stick on the BBC NC and find they're not covering it and switch off. This maybe happens once a month or so. I don't watch bulletins, but then again, I don't watch TV.
My routine has changed over the years too. 10-15 years ago I would watch quite a lot of BBC News 24 especially when I was of school age and would usually watch between 4pm and 5pm. These days, I catch no more than 20-30 minutes of BBC Breakfast before work. I'll usually listen to the Today programme on Radio 4 while driving to work but if I feel this is repeating content I've already heard on Breakfast, I'll switch it off.
I don't see any news at all during the working day. I hardly ever look at news online during work - possibly if someone mentions something having happened, I'll take a quick look.
When I get home from work, my evening news habits will vary. If I eat my meal close to 6pm, I will usually watch the BBC News at Six - unless there's a significant local story I want to know about and then I'll choose Granada Reports. If I eat my meal closer to 6.30pm, I will go for the ITV News at 6.30 without question. I rarely - if ever - watch BBC North West Tonight. On a big national news day, I have been known to watch both the BBC Six and ITV 6.30. Sometimes if I work a late shift and I'm eating my meal around 7.30pm, I'll either watch Channel 4 News or BBC News Channel.
As for late evening, it's fairly rare for me to watch any news at all as I'm usually doing other thing like surfing the web or watching non-news programming. If I do want news I would always choose the ITV News at Ten - never the BBC News at Ten as I find ITV's offering a bit more stimulating / interesting at that time of night. That may be because it's presented by two people - it will be interesting to see what effect Tom Bradby has on my viewing habits. I never watch Newsnight as I'll usually be asleep before it's over.
At weekends, I tend to watch whatever I catch. Usually BBC Breakfast in the morning or the ITV News summary if I'm awake early enough. At lunchtime and/or evening it can be anything from the BBC, ITV or Channel 4 News depending what's on when I want news.
I still think I'm fairly traditional when it comes to news though. I would always prefer to get my news from the TV. I know people who rely solely on social media but I couldn't cope with that as my only / main source. I like the finished product rather than raw reports that you get with social media.
I get most of my news online these days using the Sky News or BBC News apps or through social media, I'll put on Breakfast or Sunrise on Sky News while I'm cooking breakfast, otherwise I tend to only watch the rolling news channels during a big breaking news story. However I still PVR the regional news programmes to watch at my time and watch neighbouring regions on iPlayer. Radio still plays a heavy part of my news listening though Radio 4, 5 Live, LBC and LBC London News
During the Charlie Hebdo story earlier this year, I first checked social media, then the BBC news website and then watched French television, including France 2 and the rolling news channels iTele and BFMTV before the UK news channels as they'd be closer to the story than the UK based channels, although during the final siege with the two Hebdo terrorists, I watched Sky News as well who while are tabloid in nature, are still great at portraying those big breaking stories.
The next time I'll watch a national network bulletin will be Tom Bradby's debut on News at 10 next Monday.
Last edited by London Lite on 5 October 2015 10:55pm
"I like Gordon Sideburns, you dont remember him from the Krypton Factor do you? I used to love the Krypton Factor." - SomeRandomStuff's Mum's reasons for watching North West Tonight.
In my Parents' house it was Neighbours, News at 6, NWT. When Neighbours went we ended up watching either ITV or Eggheads and then NWT. In recent years it seems The Chase and Pointless take precedence over the News thanks to delay-tv and the +1 channels.
From midway through my teens i religiously watched BBC News at 10, Newsnight, Question Time, and This Week. Whilst we had cable in the house from 2004 onward and i'd seen both News 24 and Sky, it wasnt until i got my own TV with Freeview in 2006 that i started to have News 24 or Sky chunnering away in the background instead of the radio.
Since 2010 my viewing habits steadily declined to the point where i actually now only watch TV very rarely (mostly using iPlayer). Now I no longer have a separate TV in my bedroom I dont typically watch the News at all (unless pres related) instead getting all my news by reading various websites and cherrypicking the stories i'm interested in. The only time i seem to see proper news bulletins are typically when i'm in a room with someone else who has chosen to watch. Plus by reading online you also get to have a laugh at what the numpties have vomited into the comment sections.