News Studios in Broadcasting House

With the number of news studios in TV Centre being reduced from four to three, I'm wondering how many are planned in the new Broadcasting House.

I think it would be a good idea to have one flagship studio and two smaller ones, with each channel using all of the sets as and when it needs them. The current set-up of having a N24 studio, a World studio, a Nationals studio and an extra one has always seemed to me very inflexible and while the new set-up will alter this slightly it still doesn't go very far.

I know there are potential technical difficulties involved in this, but surely by 2012 a technique could be developed that make it possible for the BBC's various outputs to play musical chairs in a seamless way.

This would mean that there could be three tiers of studio; a large flagship (for Breakfast, the nationals, Newsnight, World News Today, America etc.), a large flexible studio (ala N6) and a small one like N8. The latter two could be swapped between World and N24 depending on the time of day and audience levels for particular programmes.

Please bear in mind that I've written this post without a shred of knowledge of the size of BH, the technicalities of switching studios or what times, indeed, BBC World broadcasts its special programmes, so be gentle when you're tearing my post apart!

I had an idea a while back of 3 sets in the newsroom... 1 in the middle, one at one end and another and the other end.. BBC World/Nationals/News 24 .. and in the distance you could see the other sets operating.

Then you could have a small studio for the other programmes.

Thats just an idea though!

Well I will be the first to tear you to shreds. World News today America is not broadcast in the UK, instead it comes from the BBC DC studio.

I think you mean its not shot in the UK! Because it is broadcast in the UK on News 24 at 0030 every night.

As far as your studio ideas go I think that would be good. At the moment the N24, Nationals and World studio are pretty much the same set-up, in the sence they are all news studios with big red desks. It would be nice to have say a Flagship studio at the top of the newsroom with a big desk ect. Then a smaller studio closer to the 'action' of the newroom with a smaller desk and a sofa.

Another think to note is that there will infact be far more than 3 news studios at BH when it opens in 2012. Because as well as Nationals, N24, World, Breakfast, Newsnight (which could take between 2-3 studios) you also have the new BBC 24-hour Arabic news station, which I believe will have 2 sets/studios at launch. I know network BBC would never use them but it is just interresting to think about.

Although, it is the London gallery controlling the whole thing - it's only the presenter in Washington DC.

Before any cost trimming the Beeb are advertising,

' Within the centre will be 36 radio studios, 23 radio continuity studios, six TV studios, two central control rooms, and 60 edit/graphic suites. '

Full Details here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/broadcastinghouse/thefuture/bh_project.shtml

Don't forget that the plans have changed and changed and changed as the BBC management can't agree on the final design, operation and management of the building.

[quote="itsrobert"][quote="cldsleyon"]

That's no longer true. There is a gallery/graphics team etc in DC - they were added for World News America.

[quote="NickyS"][quote="itsrobert"]

Yep - there is a small team based in DC, directing the DC studio, designing graphics for the screens, and also pre-recording interviews independently of the London gallery.

The live show does rely on the London gallery for server inserts, on-screen (rather than in-screen) graphics, outside source co-ordination etc.

I suspect that was written when there were 6 News studios operating at TV Centre (plus a small TV DTL studio used for pre-records), as that was what was originally required at Broadcasting House :

c.2004 these were the studios operating at TV Centre :

BBC News 24 studio
BBC World studio
BBC One bulletins studio (also did Hardtalk, and Breakfast has since moved in)
Breakfast/Working Lunch/Newsround/Newsround studio
BBC Three News / Liquid News / Celebdaq studio
BBC News Interactive studio

Clip Studio (CSO position used for DTLs, UK Today and Pre-recorded links for Press Red News loops)

Two of these have already closed or been returned to BBC Resources (BBC Three News and BBC News Interactive)

After the proposed changes the set-up at TVC will be :

BBC News 24 + BBC One/Ten studio
BBC World studio
Breakfast/Working Lunch/Hardtalk/Newsround/Six O'Clock News/Newsnight studio

Cip Studio - home to BBCi Press Red News links, 60 Seconds etc.

Plus mothballed studio (currently BBC World) - but this will only be for emergency use AIUI (and not staffed)

Listening in to discussions in the BBC London thread about the possibility of the BBC London studio being moved in with the national news.

If that happened it would effectively give them a fourth studio and a bit more flexibility - especially prior to the 1pm and 10pm news where News 24 could quite easily use it in the hour before hand while the 1pm/10pm news and Working Lunch/Newsnight is being prepared.

If anything, I'd guess there would be more studios needed than envisaged in 2004. The Arabic and Farsi channels will presumably need their own space.

Yep they are getting their own sets.