PA
HERE IS THE BBC NEWS AS CLEARLY AS POSSIBLE ...
By Anthony Barnes, Showbusiness Editor, PA News
BBC bosses are taking a desire for transparency literally as they relaunch
their rolling news channel News 24 with a clear glass and Perspex set.
The service is being revamped at 9am on Monday after months of work to
differentiate the station from rivals such as Sky News.
The overhaul follows criticism last year from a Government-ordered report
which found the channel was too similar to commercial offerings.
The new look will replace the red and beige approach adopted in 1999 which BBC
chiefs now acknowledge has begun to look dated.
Red will be retained to provide cohesion with the colour scheme of BBC1's
bulletins.
Presenters will be seated at a see-through illuminated desk and viewers will
be able to see the newsroom behind them through a huge glass panel.
Head of BBC television news Roger Mosey said: "It's a much more radical
design than we've had before."
It will be accompanied by new onscreen graphics, logo and captions which take
up less of the screen.
BBC news chiefs are also keen to ensure that viewers are more aware that the
BBC is bringing "breaking news", something which they say they have not
emphasised enough in the past.
But accuracy will not be a victim of speed, they say.
"We're not competing to be first because first isn't necessarily right,"
said deputy head of news Rachel Attwell.
"There are occasions when we will hold back."
:: Former BBC media correspondent Nick Higham is to become a specialist in
major background briefings on BBC News 24.
He will present a slot called The Fact File up to three times a day on the
relaunched service.
Higham, who left his long-standing media role earlier this year, will present
background briefings on major stories as well as airing quirky facts in the
slots.
He said today: "I will be using clear simple language to help give people a
greater understanding.
"It is not really intended to be jokey, although it may be light-hearted at
times. But it will be serious information presented in the clearest, most direct
fashion possible."
He joked: "I'm waiting for the day they introduce me as the professor."
I'm not keen either - but - I had a similarly bad reaction to BBC Three when I saw the 'preview' (it looked like bad Microsoft Word Art), but it looks much better on screen.
I'm prepared to withold judgement until I've seen this in action.
Here's an incredibly bad mock of how I think its probably going to animate. Looks like the ripples are out. No idea is this is right, I'm guessing its probally to slow but I dont care.
News 24 right or left click, don't really matter (may be slow at full res)
Yep - there is a shot of Jon Sopel perched on the new desk.
Think One/Six/Ten desk, but elliptical and with a shiny red base rather than frosted white. Looks like the desk is supported on a white frosted illuminated rostrum / floor as well.
Laptops rather than wireless keyboards it seems - and a large suspended screen (looks similar to the holoscreen used by World on the Sport Today set - but difficult to tell from a small photo)
Can't tell if the backdrop is real or projected from the photo - though it looks quite blurred.
It will be accompanied by new onscreen graphics, logo and captions which take up less of the screen.
Less? I thought it was more.
Quote:
:: Former BBC media correspondent Nick Higham is to become a specialist in major background briefings on BBC News 24. He will present a slot called The Fact File up to three times a day on the
relaunched service.
Higham, who left his long-standing media role earlier this year, will present background briefings on major stories as well as airing quirky facts in the slots.
Yep - there is a shot of Jon Sopel perched on the new desk.
Think One/Six/Ten desk, but elliptical and with a shiny red base rather than frosted white. Looks like the desk is supported on a white frosted illuminated rostrum / floor as well.
Laptops rather than wireless keyboards it seems - and a large suspended screen (looks similar to the holoscreen used by World on the Sport Today set - but difficult to tell from a small photo)
Can't tell if the backdrop is real or projected from the photo - though it looks quite blurred.
Yep - there is a shot of Jon Sopel perched on the new desk.
Think One/Six/Ten desk, but elliptical and with a shiny red base rather than frosted white. Looks like the desk is supported on a white frosted illuminated rostrum / floor as well.
Laptops rather than wireless keyboards it seems - and a large suspended screen (looks similar to the holoscreen used by World on the Sport Today set - but difficult to tell from a small photo)
Can't tell if the backdrop is real or projected from the photo - though it looks quite blurred.
Jon Sopel perched on a desk....mmmmm..
Where? Is this in Ariel? Any nice people prepared to show us non-BBC and non-Londoners the photo if it is and if they have a copy?
It will be accompanied by new onscreen graphics, logo and captions which take
up less of the screen.
Well, this is good news. Hopefully we won't have a third of the screen filled with huge astons anymore.
Not 100% convinced by the red and orange, but we'll no doubt get a better impression on Monday. Given the image we've got is a scan from a printed newspaper, the colour might not be quite as it appears (or is that just wishful thinking?).
