Weston-super-Mare pier fire

I noticed that the breaking of the news about the Weston Super Mare fire was on BBC Breakfast just after 07:30 this morning.

Why could it not have been reported by BBC Points West in their 07:25 bulletin? Surely the news would have come from them to the BBC national news?

I know BBC regional news aren't meant to break important national/international stories on the regional programmes, but is it the same for regional stories, even from the programme's own patch?

Points West covered it in their 1:30pm bulletin.

I doubt the press release had been prepared by 07:25.

BBC Editors Blog on frustration at being beaten by Sky:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2008/07/right_place_wrong_time.html

Special titles featuring pictures from the fire on BBC Points West, in place of the cows and the suspension bridge.

Anyone thought that the facts might not have been established at 7.25, but by 7.30 they'd had a call or two back???

Pier on fire - what more is there too establish?

Even if unsure, they can just run with "we're getting reports of the pier being on fire", and then correct themselves if the reports turn out to be a false alarm.

Yes, that's responsible, isn't it? Broadcast unconfirmed rumours (essentially) before establishing exactly what is going on.

User generated content? Citizen journalists? That'll be photographs and videos taken by Joe Bloggs, then. I really can't stand those kind of clichés.

The BBC regional news in the mornings is on an absolute skeleton staff - it could be just as few as 3 or 4 people to do the whole thing.

The staff at Points West would have been too busy in the studio/gallery to be monitoring the wires and making last minute changes to the runnign order. In a main programme there is a big team in the newsroom doing just that and there is more leeway to fiddle with the timings - a 3 minute breakfast bulletin it very tightly timed

HI,

Points West have 2 people at Breakfast - Editor and Presenter.

I am not at home so does anyone have any caps of the special titles?

Thanks,

bbc140

You can currently see them on the video stream of last night's programme on the BBC Points West Homepage.