The Newsroom

Regional news boundaries

Split from Best and Worst Regional Titles and Themes (August 2020)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
MA
Meridian AM
Ballyboy posted:
I remember when the 2008 BBC London titles launched they had town names like Watford, Slough and Luton


Do all of those places receive London TV? I would have thought so. I have definitely seen Luton on the BBC London weather map before.
MA
Markymark
Meridian AM posted:
Ballyboy posted:
I remember when the 2008 BBC London titles launched they had town names like Watford, Slough and Luton


Do all of those places receive London TV? I would have thought so. I have definitely seen Luton on the BBC London weather map before.


Luton has a relay that carries BBC East and Anglia, Slough has a few Hannington users, Watford is pretty much 100% London
MA
Meridian AM
Markymark posted:
Meridian AM posted:
Ballyboy posted:
I remember when the 2008 BBC London titles launched they had town names like Watford, Slough and Luton


Do all of those places receive London TV? I would have thought so. I have definitely seen Luton on the BBC London weather map before.


Luton has a relay that carries BBC East and Anglia, Slough has a few Hannington users, Watford is pretty much 100% London


Surprised about an Anglia relay in Luton. I would have thought the town would have more in common with London than it does with Cambridge and the east. I haven't been to Luton (only to London Luton Airport years ago) to check out the aerial situation, or Sky postcode mapping there.
IS
Inspector Sands
Ballyboy posted:
I remember when the 2008 BBC London titles launched they had town names like Watford, Slough and Luton

When the 2001 titles launched they had 'Southark' on them Confused
MA
Markymark
Meridian AM posted:
Markymark posted:
Meridian AM posted:

Do all of those places receive London TV? I would have thought so. I have definitely seen Luton on the BBC London weather map before.


Luton has a relay that carries BBC East and Anglia, Slough has a few Hannington users, Watford is pretty much 100% London


Surprised about an Anglia relay in Luton. I would have thought the town would have more in common with London than it does with Cambridge and the east. I haven't been to Luton (only to London Luton Airport years ago) to check out the aerial situation, or Sky postcode mapping there.


When it opened in 1973 it was BBC 1 London, then in 74 the IBA came along and added Anglia. By 1978 the BBC had moved it to their East region too. Unlike some other relays there are no technical impediments restricing it to one region or the other

Maybe the IBA allocated it to Anglia, to compensate partly for giving Belmont to YTV the same year!
DE
deejay
Inspector Sands posted:
Ballyboy posted:
I remember when the 2008 BBC London titles launched they had town names like Watford, Slough and Luton

When the 2001 titles launched they had 'Southark' on them Confused


I’m not sure it’s not an urban myth, but I’d heard that Look North had SCUNTHORPE on their titles and, because the letters in each place name animated by scrolling through and it momentarily therefore started with the C (work the rest out for yourselves). Eventually someone changed it...
Last edited by deejay on 14 August 2020 10:03pm
RE
Revitt
deejay posted:
Inspector Sands posted:
Ballyboy posted:
I remember when the 2008 BBC London titles launched they had town names like Watford, Slough and Luton

When the 2001 titles launched they had 'Southark' on them Confused


I’m not sure it’s not an urban myth, but I’d heard that Look North had SCUNTHORPE on their titles and, because the letters in each place name animated by scrolling through and it momentarily therefore started with the C (work the rest out for yourselves). Eventually someone changed it...


Not a myth, it did indeed say c*nthorpes for a split second. I must admit though it was that quick I didn't spot it until it was pointed out.
MK
Mr Kite
Markymark posted:
Luton has a relay that carries BBC East and Anglia, Slough has a few Hannington users, Watford is pretty much 100% London


Some people have this weird notion that because it's called BBC "London", the coverage of the station should match the somewhat arbitrary Greater London boundary and not an inch more. The idea that Watford should be getting anything other than London TV channels is eccentric.
SP
Steve in Pudsey
Every other region has the same issue. BBC Yorkshire covers the North Midlands for example.
MA
Markymark
Mr Kite posted:
Markymark posted:
Luton has a relay that carries BBC East and Anglia, Slough has a few Hannington users, Watford is pretty much 100% London


Some people have this weird notion that because it's called BBC "London", the coverage of the station should match the somewhat arbitrary Greater London boundary and not an inch more. The idea that Watford should be getting anything other than London TV channels is eccentric.


The problem is, it feels like some of those people are the editors of the London regional news programmes!
LL
London Lite Founding member
Robert Williams posted:
London Lite posted:
It's also frustrating in parts of Kent and Surrey. Reigate is a relay of Crystal Palace, the M23 corridor area that it serves is covered by BBC South East Today, which postcodes on Sky/Freesat are allocated to TW, while Freeview viewers have to contend to with Inner London centric news.


This is why I think the combined London and the South East lunchtime bulletin is actually an improvement. I haven't been watching on a regular basis, but a few weeks ago I saw it when they reported from a school in Merstham, near Redhill, which I think was from a South East Today reporter and hence under normal circumstances would not have been seen by Freeview viewers in that area who have BBC London News inflicted on them.

It's odd if Redhill postcodes are allocated South East Today on satellite, yet Reigate, which forms part of the same built-up area, is allocated BBC London.


I'd be in favour of keeping the merged lunchtime bulletin for this very reason, so at least Freeview viewers served by Reigate get some local news once a day. Recently they also covered Southend for which some viewers have aerials directed to Bluebell Hill rather than Crystal Palace or the nearby BBC East/ITV Anglia relay at Rouncefall.

Guildford has a similar issue. Some postcodes are allocated to BBC South on Sky/Freesat while Freeview viewers are lumbered with London where they might come down at least once a year. That's TV who have a relay in the town doesn't really count.
BR
Brekkie
Steve in Pudsey posted:
Every other region has the same issue. BBC Yorkshire covers the North Midlands for example.

"North Midlands" - didn't even know such a place existed. Wink Very Happy

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