Anyway, I wonder if Crazy Frog would be a good weather forcaster taking Carol Kirkwood's role in Breakfast and sing crappy songs while jumping about in the 3D graphics
Apart from Bert Foord, Are there any other weathermen dead
With all this talk of degrees of murder, Where do you reckon I'd come....
Umm should I broaden the title of the thread to include other weather forecasts; BBC 3's was again brilliant this evening "well it's brown there, thats, umm blue and oh yeah rain"
Do you think I'm mad my freind, Why would you really think I would say 'murder' about people being dead. This is just a socail talk about what past weathermen who have worked in the past would be now dead
Anyway, I wonder if Crazy Frog would be a good weather forcaster taking Carol Kirkwood's role in Breakfast and sing crappy songs while jumping about in the 3D graphics
Apart from Bert Foord, Are there any other weathermen dead
With all this talk of degrees of murder, Where do you reckon I'd come....
Umm should I broaden the title of the thread to include other weather forecasts; BBC 3's was again brilliant this evening "well it's brown there, thats, umm blue and oh yeah rain"
Do you think I'm mad my freind, Why would you really think I would say 'murder' about people being dead. This is just a socail talk about what past weathermen who have worked in the past would be now dead
Im joking mate! Although you do seem to have somwhat of an interesting relationship with the mortal coil....
Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Thursday May 26, 2005
The Guardian
Those protesting that the BBC's £1m revamp of its weather forecasts is biased against Scotland saw a chink of light through the clouds yesterday, as the corporation admitted it was re-examining elements of its hi-tech approach.
As interest in the weather warms up with forecasters predicting a heatwave on Friday and over the weekend, the BBC has bowed to pressure from viewers, MPs and former presenters to take another look at its new forecasts.
Following an early day motion in parliament and questions in the House of Lords, the BBC yesterday confirmed it was looking at "retilting" the 3D map so that Scotland got a fairer showing.
It had previously argued that the 3D effect, with the camera swooping in on specific areas, meant that the new forecasts were not biased against the north.
The BBC has been deluged with complaints since relaunching its weather forecasts, doing away with the familiar cloud and sun symbols in favour of 3D computer graphics designed to make them less "boring and old fashioned".
But hundreds of viewers have complained that the new forecasts are more difficult to follow and that the shifting brown patterns designed to denote cloud cover look "drab" and "dull".
In doing away with familiar wind speeds and isobars, some have also complained that the new broadcasts actually contain less useful information.
The most vociferous protests have come from those north of the border, who complain that the perspective of the map is biased in favour of the south.
"It is unacceptable that the perspective given to these new maps means that the whole of the north of England is given the same prominence and detail as a couple of southern counties," Liberal Democrat peer Lord Greaves has complained. "Also, the BBC weather centre appears to regard Scotland as a far away country about which we know little."
The BBC said the system, which it bought from the New Zealand Met Office, was the biggest change to its weather in 20 years and would take time to bed in. It also pointed to new audience research showing that seven in 10 viewers either preferred the new forecasts or liked them as much as the old ones.
"That said, we welcome the comments from the House of Lords and recognise that there have been viewers who have raised concerns about the system," said a spokesman.
"We are continuing to monitor feedback and if there are opportunities to improve aspects of the system - such as the perspective - we will examine these carefully."
The corporation's embarrassment was compounded when ITV News executive Michael Jeremy revealed in the Guardian that the broadcaster passed up the chance to use the 3D system when it relaunched its own forecasts earlier this year.
"ITV avoided devices that are, perhaps, more appealing to television producers than to viewers who simply want to know what to wear tomorrow," he wrote.
I don’t know if this has been mentioned before but the BBC World Panel is asking people what they think of the new graphics. There is a test on new and old graphics asking you to tell them what the weather is supposed to be in a number of examples from each.
Like everyone else I've been looking out for the weather forecasts the last few days, and I know we haven't really had any exciting weather, but the maps look so BORING!
I don't think that brown maps and blue puddles will quite cut it for the BBC, do you?
I don’t know if this has been mentioned before but the BBC World Panel is asking people what they think of the new graphics. There is a test on new and old graphics asking you to tell them what the weather is supposed to be in a number of examples from each.
You'd have hoped that this would have been part of the pre-release testing.
But I can't actually believe that it could have been (given what we've seen on air).
It seems that the BBC Weather Centre bosses were genuinely impressed by "the 3D effect". Their predecessor has called for them to be sacked, and I have to say I agree with him.
This farce has already cost £1m and as I said last week in this thread, the BBC are now in the embarassing position of having to throw good money after bad- to come up with a bodged fix.
Are they meant to be 3D-fied and standing up on their end?
You see the N24 weather forecaster just pointed to the temperature symbol over Edinburgh (that's the part of the country it covers up), but then quoted the temperature as that of Newcastle.
The only possible explanation is that the temperature symbols are meant to be standing on their edge, therefore (to make it easier for you southern people), you would have to e.g. look over Luton to see the temperature relevant to London).
That could have been the worst explanation this forum has ever seen, but there you go.
Don't normally quote myself, but I've now analysed the temperature boxes more closely and my suspicions are true.
They are meant to be "hanging", so (for example) the temperature in Newcastle is actually about 50 miles north of it and in a different 3D plane.
They also cast shadows on the map- if you look really closely- an inspired choice when your shadows are meant to represent......cloud (because the symbols are gone).
OK, even I admit it- I've gone too far with the analysis on this one- I've read that back I'm not sure I can even justify it with the "it's a presentation forum" excuse.
Still the new weather graphics are poor- that's the main thrust in case you hadn't realised!
Have they tilted the maps? I only ask because watching Breakfast this morning Scotland seemed more noticeable and not just because there was no rain covering it.
Waveguide are reporting that an ex-BBC weatherman has criticised the new maps on a BBC message board, but his comments have been "mysteriously lost" by the corporation.
Waveguide are reporting that an ex-BBC weatherman has criticised the new maps on a BBC message board, but his comments have been "mysteriously lost" by the corporation.
And he was the same person that left the BBC after being found to have bullied his staff
Waveguide are reporting that an ex-BBC weatherman has criticised the new maps on a BBC message board, but his comments have been "mysteriously lost" by the corporation.
That's true it was in the Standard Lite today and people have been talking about his missing comments on the Points Of View messageboard. Also I think some weather presenters want to put isobars on it and other things on the map but they have been told not to. I say that because of this comment on the Points of View website:-
The 'Look East' weather on BBC ONE was quite revealing.
Near the end of the report, the weather man says:-
"I'll just have a quick look around (turns head to see who is present)....and I'll show you one of these...(behold an isobar animation of Europe)"
Looks like there may be an internal rebellion afoot. The big nobs trying their best to dumb it down, while the foot soldiers try and keep us all enlightened.
