The Newsroom

The Weather Forecast Thread

> 'Nice' weather girls... >More wet weather set for UK (February 2005)

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MA
Matrix
Turning from one relaunch to another, I've recently heard that Sky News are now preparing a whole new package for the August relaunch at the new News Centre.

Are there any more available details on this?

Joel.
NE
News24
An interesting point about the current BBC forecasts - has anyone noticed, pre-recorded summaries or the Breakfast roof top summaries both mean the presenter doesn't have a clicker for some reason. They have one the rest of the time. Anyone know why?
DA
DAS Founding member
How the heck you gonna connect a clicker on location?
SP
Steve in Pudsey
I can think of ways of doing it, but they've never had them on the Breakfast forecasts. I notice some of the SIX forecasts haven't had them though
JW
JamesWorldNews
Here on World, the weather presenter doesn't have a clicker either, unless it's a pedal or floor mounted version with the new system.

I noticed several of them using two, free, empty hands to give us the forecast.
NE
News24
It's feasible to connect a clicker on the rooftop - the earpiece and microphone are both wired and they have them up there.

I think it's more possible they're experimenting with possibly using a foot pedal on some forecasts, as has been suggested
TW
Turnbull and Williams
As I understand it, rather than a series of static frames advanced by the use of the clicker as seen in the old system, with the new system the forecaster creates a series of "scenes", in effect short stories told by animations.

They are able to link these scenes together to form a continuous "show", which can then run of its own accord from beginning to end.

So, if the forecaster chooses to create the graphics for the forecast in this way, they do not need a clicker, and this is why you do not see the clicker in some forecasts. Alternatively, the forecaster can create a series of shorter scenes which they move between using the clicker - as far as I'm aware, it is completely up to them.
MB
Mark Boulton
Contentious suggestion here ... have you considered that the 'clicking' - or control of the sequences may be being done by ... shock horror ... another person off-camera?!?!

God forbid the BBC might actually be using more than one person to control the weather forecast... Shocked
NE
News24
Thanks for that, Turnbull & Williams! Makes sense
TW
Turnbull and Williams
Mark Boulton posted:
Contentious suggestion here ... have you considered that the 'clicking' - or control of the sequences may be being done by ... shock horror ... another person off-camera?!?!

God forbid the BBC might actually be using more than one person to control the weather forecast... Shocked


For Breakfast you're absolutely right, it always was the case that someone inside the studio controlled the graphics, they've never had a clicker up on the roof. But for all the other forecasts I know that the presenter works completely independently and controls the graphics themselves, there isn't anyone "out the back" advancing the charts. Hence why studio-based weather presenters ALWAYS had a clicker with the old graphics.

However, the way that the new forecasts are created potentially negates the need for a clicker at any point - some presenters presumably prefer to use them, others will use them in a limited way (perhaps just to trigger the start of the sequence) while some won't use them at all - and I've seen many domestic forecasts, especially on BBCi, where the presenter hasn't had a clicker at all.

EDIT: As News24 noted in his original post above, you're more likely to see a presenter without a clicker on a pre-recorded forecast, simply because with these forecasts the presenter knows exactly how long the forecast is going to be and can create a graphics sequence to match. With the live forecasts where the duration could be changed just before (or even during) the broadcast, having a clicker gives the presenter more control and flexibility.
SP
Spencer
Do the new forecasts not include information for specific events such as sporting activities? In the past, you could have been sure of having Royal Ascot pinpointed on the map along with an appropriate weather symbol (and wind symbol for those with big hats). All it got this morning on Breakfast at least was a fleeting mention.

Has this type of information also been done away with, or are they doing it in a different way?

11 days later

MA
Matrix
Spencer For Hire posted:
Do the new forecasts not include information for specific events such as sporting activities? In the past, you could have been sure of having Royal Ascot pinpointed on the map along with an appropriate weather symbol?


Yes the new forecasts do include specific info about events, such as Glastonbury and such....

One question which has been bugging me though, since the introduction of the new graphics, My regional news programme Midlands Today have had "extreme" problems, maps moving way to fast and places well, vanishing. Has any other regions had these problems?

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