BBC World and Prime

BBC Prime routinely took Newsday, bits of The World Today and a few other BBC World News bulletins in much the same way that BBC America still do (as far as I know...). An edited version of Newsnight was taken on BBC WSTV in the very early days of the channels but I'm not sure when this ended. Some other bulletins from the national newsroom also made it to air on Prime. Breaking stories of a European nature were taken from the World Newsroom occasionally. Prime also opted live into BBC 1 or 2 for certain live programmes, notably Noels House Party and Good Morning with Anne and Nick which were two particular headaches for the Network Directors. Noel because it routinely overran, and Good Morning because of its 'breaks' and in vision presentation links done by Pebble Mill's pres studio in and out of domestic news sumaries plus regional opts! All rather interesting for the poor ND in Prime who had to take the news but not the opts, filling instead with Wildlife shorts and Weather forecasts, and get back cleanly to Briminghams output... All in all those jucntions required use of all the suites OS lines, lots of tapes standing by in instant start VTRs and nerves of steel!

All this shenanigans came to an end in 1998 when most live programmes on Prime were axed with the exception of national events like the State Opening of Parliament, The Cenotaph and bizarrely The Lord Mayor's Show which remain fixtures on the channel to this day. The reactive nature of Prime's schedule also ended, so regular news bulletins on the channel were also consigned to the past. Prime now simply points to BBC World by means of an caption strap should a seriously major story break. The thinking was that most viewers who received Prime also received World (same satellite, free to air) so could watch News when they wanted.

Prime stil shows entertainment events like Comic Relief and Children in Need plus The Eurovision Song Contest complete with Terry Wogan's commentary (but without the UK Voting straps!) because of an option in the EBU's rules that allow a wholly owned DTH channel by a member to show it for free. I assume this is why TVEi show the ESC too...

BBC Prime routinely took Newsday, bits of The World Today and a few other BBC World News bulletins in much the same way that BBC America still do (as far as I know...). An edited version of Newsnight was taken on BBC WSTV in the very early days of the channels but I'm not sure when this ended. Some other bulletins from the national newsroom also made it to air on Prime. Breaking stories of a European nature were taken from the World Newsroom occasionally. Prime also opted live into BBC 1 or 2 for certain live programmes, notably Noels House Party and Good Morning with Anne and Nick which were two particular headaches for the Network Directors. Noel because it routinely overran, and Good Morning because of its 'breaks' and in vision presentation links done by Pebble Mill's pres studio in and out of domestic news sumaries plus regional opts! All rather interesting for the poor ND in Prime who had to take the news but not the opts, filling instead with Wildlife shorts and Weather forecasts, and get back cleanly to Briminghams output... All in all those jucntions required use of all the suites OS lines, lots of tapes standing by in instant start VTRs and nerves of steel!

All this shenanigans came to an end in 1998 when most live programmes on Prime were axed with the exception of national events like the State Opening of Parliament, The Cenotaph and bizarrely The Lord Mayor's Show which remain fixtures on the channel to this day. The reactive nature of Prime's schedule also ended, so regular news bulletins on the channel were also consigned to the past. Prime now simply points to BBC World by means of an caption strap should a seriously major story break. The thinking was that most viewers who received Prime also received World (same satellite, free to air) so could watch News when they wanted.

Prime stil shows entertainment events like Comic Relief and Children in Need plus The Eurovision Song Contest complete with Terry Wogan's commentary (but without the UK Voting straps!) because of an option in the EBU's rules that allow a wholly owned DTH channel by a member to show it for free. I assume this is why TVEi show the ESC too...

Prime stil shows entertainment events like Comic Relief and Children in Need plus The Eurovision Song Contest complete with Terry Wogan's commentary (but without the UK Voting straps!) because of an option in the EBU's rules that allow a wholly owned DTH channel by a member to show it for free. I assume this is why TVEi show the ESC too...

well that sounds like BFBS which today still covers network junctions and regional opts in the same fashion... nerves of steel indeed

That's not all that different to what the BBC nations do is it?

Sadly we will not be showing live events, such as EUROVISION SONG CONTEST, COMIC RELEIF or THE BAFTA's on BBC Prime anymore. BBC Prime's management has introduced a number of changes to the schedule, which are intended to improve the relevance and appeal of the channel to the widest audience and a decision was taken that we will no longer show live events.

No it's more or less exactly what the nations do, but they don't have to take a live programme on (say) BBC 1 and get in cleanly to a programme on 2, which is on-air after another live programme. Neither live programmes have fixed end times... go figure...

ouch - is this done with the assistance of PRESFAX and network talkback or is it a wing it and crash into the programme when you can operation?

Presfax and talkback is used by BFBS... and there's a live announcer... plus other sources are in the mix

Do they have to crash into the dirty feed of BBC1/2 or do they have everything clean like the BBC nations?

My guess is the channel is "pre-programmed" if you will and just automatically starts the programme when the time-slot comes around. Kind of like ABC1.

[No it's more or less exactly what the nations do, but they don't have to take a live programme on (say) BBC 1 and get in cleanly to a programme on 2, which is on-air after another live programme. Neither live programmes have fixed end times... go figure...

mostly dirty feed but sometimes cleans for news - crashes are kept to a minimum... they do a really good job considering the juggling they have to do espec at weekends

It was a natural ambition for the BBC to create a television equivalent of its international radio service. In March 1991, the ambition was achieved when the first 30 minute nightly bulletin of BBC World Service Television News was transmitted to Europe by satellite as part of a subscription satellite channel, BBC TV Europe. A wholly owned self-fundiong subsidiary of the BBC called BBC World Service Television Ltd, was created in April 1991 and in October it extended its operation into Asia through an agreement with a Hong Kong commercial enterprise. This company provides the capital and marketing skills for running a multi-channel operation, one of which is World Service Television. It also inserts the advertisements which support the operation...

From 15th November 1991, World Service Television was running a 24 hour news operation...

Step-by-step this service has been extended, first to the Middle East and then to Africa where, from April 1992, many more million people (sic) were able to view BBC News. By the end of 1993, BBC World Service Television is aiming to be global.