The NEW Central West and BBC Midlands thread

Being in political office can hardly be compared to being chairman of a football club.

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2011/08/25/bbc-wm-presenter-phil-upton-announced-split-with-wife-live-on-air-97319-29298311/

Poor *******!

(It is a 'topic' of conversation on his Facebook page, which I haven't contributed to yet, I hasten to add!)

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2011/08/31/former-tv-star-ashley-blake-releases-prison-diaries/

Hmmm, what's the betting the injured party will have something to say on the matter?

Anyone listening to the BBC Midlands Radio Nighttime Network or BBC WM tonight?

That travel bloke (Richard ?) has a strong Brummie accent doesn't he?

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2011/09/02/bbc-radio-wm-managing-editor-leaves-post-97319-29348871/

Self explanatory.

Plus today was Doolan's final show on air in his current format. A reminder from next week, it's 'Lunch with Adrian Goldberg' Monday to Thursday, with Ed doing Friday Lunch & Sunday mornings.

Bit more on Ashley Blake from 'The Midlands Own' Sunday Mercury website.

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2011/09/04/ashley-blake-i-have-nothing-to-apologise-for-despite-being-jailed-66331-29359961/

Note who his new girlfriend is. (You may know of her from the BBC Local Radio travel bulletins)

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2011/09/04/ashley-blake-i-began-prison-life-in-the-winson-green-cell-fred-west-hanged-himself-in-66331-29359981/

Note his opinion of one of his 'replacements'.

Also a partial solution to the whereabouts of Lindsey Doyle(though I did hear her voiceover a report this week, on the carehomes, that would have been Michele Padauno's gig normally!)

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2011/09/04/bbc-tv-presenter-banned-from-driving-after-being-caught-three-times-over-drink-limit-66331-29360135/

Becky Johnson is leaving Central today for Sky News. This may explain why Kate Fisher has been depping for Sameena on the 6.

Been having a read of Digital Spys forum (again! ).

Appears Doolan's now joined them!

Wonder what he'll make of various posters opinions re the current WM thread refering to Keith Beech.

Talking of KB, according to both Mollie & Goldie, it was his leaving party last night.

(A texter(not me, I couldn't care less!) did ask Mollie who Keith's replacement was. Personally I thought Mollie's reply was a bit rude, 'Can't discuss station policy', she could've said 'They haven't chosen them yet' instead. She also said she might have offended another listener(The 'Real John in Redditch' no less!), who had popped up to the Mailbox a few weeks back, to see her, for some reason. She said she indicated to John '2 minutes', while she popped into the newsroom. When she came back, he'd disappeared, leaving her to think her 'Churchill' indication of 2 minutes may have been mistaken for ' lobbing the forks' instead!)

I don't know if she is normally at the Mailbox anyway(I didn't think she was), but Kaye Forster was actually live in the studio doing the weather this week. (It's not very often I listen to Mollie now as I like my kip, plus she's mad, but she was also covering Malin (again!) this week, while Tammy Gooding covered Danny Kelly)

I can't confirm if Kaye was at the Mailbox this week, but it's possible for the cover presenter from the weather centre at TVC to present the local radio weather links from there too as Sara Thornton did that when she covered the breakfast shift at NE&C for BBC Newcastle, Radio Cumbria and BBC Tees.

I thought that is what they did normally, as BBC Birmingham only has Shefali & Ben for themselves now.

If you saw / heard anyone else, they were normally 'off site'!

(Kaye was definetely in the Birmingham radio studio this morning, as Mollie was having her 'usual trouble' finding the correct guest microphone. Normally the 'guest' weather presenter is down the line from elsewhere.)

Who was doing BBC East Midlands TV & Radio this weekend, for the record?

It looks like WM haven't done what many other stations have and put a different coloured windshield on each guest mic and put a corresponding coloured top on its fader, to make it easier to get the right one.

Well they do mention frequently the 'green mic', so whether they haven't put the colour on the fader as well, or whether it's certain presenters/tech ops with 'finger trouble', I can't tell.

(Did notice this again, this morning again when Doolan went to Kaye Forster for the weather at 1030, so we can't just 'blame' Mollie for this one!)

Not a regular of this thread, can I ask what do you ITV Central watchers make of Kate Fisher?

She was very good correspondent at Border & then TT. Apart from the occasional depp. and odd weekend between 2009-11 she's hardly done any presenting since the pre-merger Border days! Sounds like she's in a lot now!