UK Storm coverage

So forecasters seem adamant that much of England is to experience a severe storm in the next 48 hours.

Thought I'd start a thread so people can discuss any news presentation on this topic if they wish. I notice one or two regions featured a little bit tonight as people prepare for the storms, some comparing it to the Great Storm (AKA Hurricane Fish!) of 1987.

What would happen if the weather forecasters are correct and we are hit by storms on the scale of 1987? Where would the BBC decamp to in the event of loss of power at BH particularly as we now no longer have the Broom Cupboard!

If memory serves, it would need to knock out several circuits for that to happen. BH is on something like 5 different power circuits, so it's unlikely that the power will be totally lost.

I remember that in the South West, BBC Plymouth and Donald Heighway picked up the slack for a little bit in the early morning, before London picked up control. I could imagine a similar situation here. Of course, in 1987, BBC Radio Devon was primarily based in Exeter, rather than in Plymouth as it is now, so it's fair to say that the chances are pretty good that should London drop out, BBC South West would have enough staff on hand at that time, to provide regional cover, for as long as would be necessary, especially if someone like Andy Breare or Alison Johns is on the morning shift that morning.

I imagine other BBC regions could probably do the same as well.

Well if events panned out like they did in 1987 with parts of London losing power it wouldn't be a problem as Breakfast comes from Salford now.

It's probably one way that the decentralisation and privatisation of the BBC has improved things - they don't have everything in one place any more

Update: It's quite windy here.

Well, yes and no. One thing to consider is since DSO, all BBC DTT transmitters are now fed from the CC&M centres, the main one in the London area, the standby one, elsewhere (but still in the predicted storm zone)
D-Sat is similarly coded there too, and uplinked (for the moment) from W12 I think ?

Of course all that will be academic should transmitters lose power, but the main sites do have gennies (though we all know what can happen with those, c.f. BBC TVC June 2000, LBC Radio Oct 1987 , and of course the Tx sites are unmanned. And all of that will be academic, if the punters lose power (which is highly likely)

In the end local radio, and battery powered radios will save the day, (as always)

The dtt transmitters have a satellite back up though. Presumably there are redundant uplink options for this too?

Could it be uplinked from an ob type vehicle in an emergency?

UK storms?



Typical London media, bla bla bla bla An amber warning

Scotland had worse than this, The Met Office mist out on the New years storms which was even worse... We had Top red warnings.

Oh the memories of that morning !

Ian McCaskill put his foot right in it!

Did we ever come to a conclusion on where that Breakfast Time came from? I know one theory was Pres A but the way Sally talks about "our West London studio" implies that they're somewhere other than West London?

Actually 'Breakfast Time' was still coming from Lime Grove at that point. Didn't they decamp to Television Centre instead?

Yes, I'm pretty sure that Breakfast Time is from Pres A.