Daybreak - the launch onwards

It seems like Daybreak's ratings are sticking at about 700,000 or 800,000. Maybe a little higher than GMTV, but practically the same. I'd say if any drastic change will happen soon it will be when BBC Breakfast moves to Salford. Of course the ratings for that programme may not change at all, but at the same time, they could, meaning Daybreak's could go up.

If the BBC acts sensibly, then they'll change as little as possible when they move Breakfast to Salford. There's not really any reason to tinker with a format which quite obviously works, unless a new Editor arrives with some fancy ideas.

AIUI - year-on-year, Daybreak is behind where GMTV was not ahead - though things have improved a bit this week (not much - but a bit)



I guess it depends whether Breakfast manage to persuade the production team and presenters to move. If they do and the show is still simple and watchable (Breakfast isn't winning viewers because of its set) I suspect things will continue to be OK. The 0830-0915 BBC One only sequence may be more challenging - but the core 0600-0830 section shouldn't need to be hugely different.

I think the editor is likely to be moving with the programme - not definitely sure, but I thought I heard that she was.

I agree - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Whether you like/dislike the artist in question, I think it is a huge scoop for Daybreak to have the world premiere of Britney Spears' new video next week. After the effect she had on the X Factor's and Glee's ratings in recent years, Daybreak could expect a slight rise in theirs? Or not :p

I think its pretty clear it's a device for higher ratings. Trouble is, they've probably payed a lot of money for it - as with the guests lately (JLS, Justin Bieber) it would seem ITV are getting the big names hoping for big ratings. I can't really see it paying off in the longrun, as most peoples troubles lie with Adrian & Christine.

A few people seem to be warming to Christine however today's Daily Mail story won't help. It would seem opinion is still negative with regards to Adrian, and its interesting how for the first few weeks, whenever he was off, Christine was too, and Dan and Kate would host. More recently, even when Adrian's been off, Christine has hosted with Dan.

Were the ratings higher with Kate and Dan? What about with Dan and Christine?

Sorry I didn't want to make a new thread as it would be very short lived.

Has Martin got nothing in the UK to do after GMTV?

I agree, I think the main problem is the team is very weak; Tasmin isn’t authoritative enough and Adrian & Christine have no gravitas. How is Daybreak going to handle a massive news story, for example another large scale terror attack or a royal death? It’s just going to get laughed at, and when big stories break at the minute, viewers are deserting to BBC Breakfast which should be alarming to ITV bosses. Daybreak viewers don't seem to appear to be as loyal as GMTV viewers but if they can iron out the format and the presenters by the time BBC Breakfast moves to Salford, then it could be in with a fighting chance of doing well.

Almost everyone agrees that Adrian isn’t suited to Daybreak, so perhaps it could be worth letting him go and giving the main team a mix up. New male and Christine splitting the week with Kate and Dan with Cordelia and Tasmin switching roles would work much better.

The format seems OK for the most part, they could do with making a few tweaks though, for example bringing back the quarter past/quarter to round up (2 news headlines, 1 entertainment, 1 sport and a weather summary would suffice). The first half hour from 6/7am TOTH is very good but the second half hours tend to veer off a little bit too far down the entertainment/lifestyle route. After 8am is terrible, its almost like The One Show.

A further gripe I have, albeit on a pedantic level, is Friday’s ‘Lorraine’. I don’t see the point. If Kate is now hosting every Friday then it would make more sense to come from the Daybreak studio under the Daybreak brand (perhaps presented from the video wall as opposed to the main area). ‘Lorraine’ without Lorraine is just silly when theres a permanent stand in.



They're more or less the same, but if Facebook and Twitter is anything to go by Kate & Dan connect much better with viewers which is better in the long run.

I think Adrian is good on Daybreak - but he is underused. This man used to be a Financial Journalist, yet the editors don't give him a feature like 'Daybreak Finance' to show his skills. He is also a Journalist, and with Daybreak not being the most newsy thing on Earth, what is he left to do....just show up and present.

Personally, I don't think the moving Adrian will do anything, but make the show my dumbed down. Possibly, Lorraine Kelly could come in as a stand in presenter from time to time, as she has that old 'One Show' Chemistry that Christine and Adrian used to have. Also, the format still needs some changing; what happened to credible and original journalism - we have been left with stories about Animals every half hour. The format needs a massive overhaul with a focus on getting features within the current news agenda and getting good guests - like the MP for Housing on a housing story - not just a person who currently doesn't have a home. They should look more to the 'Sunrise - Australia' way of doing things, if they are to see an increase, because Daybreak viewers want news, not personalities - even though they contribute significantly.

EdExcel Watch Sunrise now see link in my signature


Martin Frizzel appeared at least twice for the latest on the awards in London in a suit, see my previous post.

I'm not sure Sunrise would really work here. Its what Daybreak attempted and was supposed to be but quickly dropped, and something that RI:SE had a shot at too but completely flopped. In the UK I think its more of a niche thing, and the closest thing we'll get to it is Sky News Sunrise. I agree about Adrian being a competent journalist but in the context of Daybreak, financial news isn't really relevant. The core audience is housewives, that's not necessarily what they'd want to watch. Realistically, the only formats that work on a mainstream/commercial scale is that currently used by BBC Breakfast, and that of GMTV, more so in the Eamonn & Fiona era. Daybreak needs to find the right balance between news and entertainment and is slowly getting there. They just need to stop with the innane features and give it more of a structure, giving news slightly more emphasis.