BBC Regions

I cannot remember where i read this, apologies if it was here but i cant find it. Is it true that all the BBC regions are going to be made available on Sky in the new year?

No, some of the regional news programmes are going to be made available in late January.

Initially, 5 BBC regions will be available:

BBC Look North (Leeds version)
BBC Midlands Today (Birmingham)
BBC South Today (Southampton)
BBC North West Tonight (Manchester), and
BBC LDN (London).

Throughout the year, more regions will become available, the target being every region by 2003. This is why I am getting Sky on Wednesday!

Some being the key word my friend. Eventually, by mid-2002 we should hopefully see all BBC regions on Sky.

Yes - four BBC regions will be added via BBC Interactive - with a fifth region replacing UK Today as the network service.

I think that BBC London will be the main network service which will appear if you don't 'press red' - if you do press red a menu is likely to appear offering local programmes BBC Manchester, BBC Southampton, BBC Leeds and BBC Birmingham.

I think that the initial 4+1 regions will launch by the end of January.

So that's about 45 days to go until Nick Owen then.

Easy tigress........

Apparently it's region orientated.

Only English regions can get the service and anyone who lives outside of England will not get it at all, as they have their own regional service and presumably will be the same vice versa.

They can either replace it by blocking it the same way BBC ONE Wales is blocked from everyone else or by removing the interactive facility on the output from each Nation.

And if it's an interactive facility - then chances are it won't appear in the Add Channels facility





(Edited by peterrocket at 12:31 am on Dec. 2, 2001)

I've got a hunch that LDN will be the new nationwide feed - maybe that's why the station looks so different and more 'posh' to the others available.

It's a pity we can't get all BBC regions on seperate channels like we can with ITV at the moment, all those regional idents and news programs!

With UK Today disappearing, it will become the nationwide/backup feed, like Newsroom South East was.

Regarding the Nations issue, I'm personally not bothered at all whether Welsh/Scottish/Irish viewers could watch 'our' regional programmes but the fact that the Nations have had their own programme on digital from the start - I can't imagine there being any point for an interactive button to appear offering a choice of English programme with news completely inappropriate to them.

Cheers, Asa

I believe Nick Owen's in favour of this move, in one of his e-mails to me, he said it would be a good chance for ex-pats from the region to keep in touch of news from areas they used to live in.

This will be like for my dad, who, once a Londoner (East Ham), will once again be able to see news about his home city. He left London in the late 60s to study at Hull University and has always wanted to keep in touch more with news from London.

South Today, one of the programmes that is going on first, will be useful for the family too. I have relatives living in Petersfield, Hampshire and in Romsey too. South Today will be invaluable, especially in summer, when I can see if there's anything on that I would like to go to, and make advance arrangements.

LDN is also the regional programme that serves my uncle's house, so that will be useful for the same reasons. And Nick Owen's reason enough for me to see Midlands Today!

You know all about Look North so I won't bother repeating myself!