The Newsroom

Nick Pollard: ‘Sky News is more inventive and energetic'

Guardian article (July 2014)

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VM
VMPhil
Interesting article from The Guardian's website today:

Quote:
But ask him what he thinks of BBC television news, and what he chooses to watch when the big TV bulletins clash, and he is frank. “At 10pm at night I would watch the ITV News. If you look at the BBC News Channel, BBC Breakfast, the BBC 10pm news, they’re all perfectly good productions, they wipe the floor with the opposition as far as ratings are concerned. But they are consistently less inventive.” He pauses to praise ITV’s newish Good Morning Britain with Susanna Reid – “it is bright, inventive, tries harder than the BBC equivalent”.

“Sky News is always more inventive and energetic than the BBC News Channel. ITV News at Ten is more exciting and interesting than the BBC at 10pm. But no one can argue with the ratings.” Why are the BBC’s viewing figures consistently superior? “Maybe it is hard for non-BBC journalists to accept that the news-viewing public are more conservative than we hoped, or have imagined. Who knows?”

There is some “fantastic and valiant foreign coverage on the BBC”, he concedes, and “good journalism”, but “it doesn’t surprise you very often”. The opposition, especially ITV, has the edge because of its “energy, innovation, flair”.


Well worth the read:

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jul/06/nick-pollard-sky-news-bbc-news

(I had to shorten the article's title as there is a limit on how long topic names can be).
WO
Worzel
Sky News hasn't really innovated since around 2009.
skyviewer and London Lite gave kudos
BR
Brekkie
I agree Worzel - maybe even longer.

P.S. Forces TV has a real nice professional intro sequence and decent enough, though obviously fake, studio.
LL
London Lite Founding member
I like Sunrise and the Press Preview, but that's about it.

Hopefully Adam Boulton's new evening show may turn it around a bit, but it has become stale unless they're doing what they're still good at; breaking news.
BB
bbcfan2014
Sky News is stale, but BBC NC is even more stale
IT
itsrobert Founding member
He's certainly right about ITV News. I've always thought they do an excellent job on a fraction of BBC News's budget. ITV aren't afraid to go back to the drawing board and re-imagine their news bulletins, whereas the BBC have stuck rigidly to the same presentation devices for 15 years. Some may say that's a strength but after a while it just gets boring. ITV News definitely punches above its weight.
CA
Cando
VMPhil posted:
Interesting article from The Guardian's website today:
Why are the BBC’s viewing figures consistently superior? “Maybe it is hard for non-BBC journalists to accept that the news-viewing public are more conservative than we hoped, or have imagined. ).


Well done there Nick it only took you 8 years to realise what everybody else knew. No wonder Sky got rid of him (cough 'mutual agreement') after the 'appointment to view' flop. The debts he ran up on his egotistical experiment are still not fully paid.

Worzel posted:
Sky News hasn't really innovated since around 2009.

Indeed and their ratings have improved steadily since then!
DT
DTV
News should be about content not innovation and how inventive you are. I mean it would be energetic to have Kirsty Wark presenting Newsnight while jogging or innovative to have Huw Edwards presenting the News at Ten after he had been decapitated with an iPad but it doesn't mean that should happen.
AS
ASO
DTV posted:
News should be about content not innovation and how inventive you are. I mean it would be energetic to have Kirsty Wark presenting Newsnight while jogging or innovative to have Huw Edwards presenting the News at Ten after he had been decapitated with an iPad but it doesn't mean that should happen.

Sorry, that bold bit just a weird thing to say. Very scary. That would not be innovative, it would be plain stupid.

BBC News, ITV News and Sky News have the same content. And ITV come way on top without a shadow of a doubt - when it comes to being energetic and innovative.

Content wise - Channel 4 News are at the top because they do something different. I would say Channel 4 News and 5 News are also really energetic/innovative.

Pollard is right - but he is also stating what we already knew.

I agree with itsrobert about ITV News. And I agree with bbcfan2014 - BBC News is 'stale' for want of a better word.
MO
Mouseboy33
I dont think anyone doubts the content is there and BBC News is top notch quality, but what would you say is the formula to enliven the viewing experience, if you feel its stale? This could be an interesting topic to discuss.
DO
dosxuk
Why does the viewing experience need to be enlivened? It's the news, not the x-factor final.
AS
ASO
Mouseboy33 posted:
I dont think anyone doubts the content is there and BBC News is top notch quality, but what would you say is the formula to enliven the viewing experience, if you feel its stale? This could be an interesting topic to discuss.

I wouldn't say there is a formula personally - because they should be different.

Sky News' desk animations were always stupid and gimmicky. Things like that are not what I want.

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