Fox News IS coming to Sky

After speaking with Fox anchor Shephard Smith this week he told me that Fox News was coming to Sky later in the year.

He described BBC World as dull & went on to express similar sentiments about Sky News which suprised me. He called them too serious. I'll post some behind the scenes shots of the Fox studios when I can upload them.

Interesting to hear that. Out of interest, how did you manage to get behind the scenes at all these places? Friends in high places... Or did you just ask?

I heard a rumour that Fox News may be one of the streams on Sky News Active when / if it expands to two video streams (i.e. 8 quarter screens rather than the current 4)

Having seen Fox News in the US, and Fox Sports News on Sky Sports News, I can see why people working for it would think BBC World and Sky News dull.

However Fox does seem a little 'News-lite'. The reports are shorter, snappier, and thus less analytical and less in-depth, and slightly more sensational...

Also - people should remember that BBC World, like the BBC World Service Radio, is broadcasting to the whole globe. (And I believe does not assume that english is a viewer/listeners first language...)

The view that it is boring to a Fox News anchor may well be because it doesn't just contain US News, which some of us would find a little boring after a while.

I am consistently amazed at how little world news features in the US network news casts we get in the UK (CBS on Sky, ABC on News 24). They are not 'bad' programmes, just surprisingly US-centric. It does not seem unusual for the only non-US coverage to be a few voice-over VTs, rather than a couple of packages, and certainly lives from non-US locations seem only to happen in very big news situations.

How can you have 8 quarter screens?! : I've not seen much of the FNC, so don't really know what it's like - how does it compare with CNN and MSNBC?

If you are being serious - it's quite easy! I believe that Sky News Active is actually one full-frame video stream, consisting of four half-resolution (i.e. quarter screen area) video streams.

These are then currently displayed at HALF their broadcast resolution on the Sky News Active menu page - so appear as 16th sized (quarter resolution) on the menu, but then appear as quarter size (half resolution) when selected.

If Sky introduce 8 screens - as has been rumoured - this could be broadcast as two streams each containing 4 quarter screens. Thus 8 quarter screens in total!!! (i.e. Two screens worth in total...) Be interesting to see if Sky find a way of showing all 8 streams at once on the menu screen (think this would require a 3rd broadcast stream - as I believe the menu page on Wimbledon did)

Or am I going mad!?

FOX CENTRAL studio
I've tried to quickly put up a digital image. Try to get it better @ later stage.
It has had to cross the atlantic!
http://members.aol.com/breakingnewsuk/fox.jpg

(Edited by SkyNews at 2:16 pm on July 14, 2001)

Do you know whether Fox News will come to Digital Cable?

Also, do you know the website URL for Fox News?

Fox News

Fox News is currently available in Spain through Canal Satélite Digital (a DTH company).

Oh, you talked to Shepherd Smith - the biggest asshole on TV! Your so lucky!

He got arrested during the election saga. He was in Washington and hit another local TV news presenter with his car. He then shouted obsenities at her etc. I don't know if he was sanctioned ar not.

And he is soooo unprofessional. He's the one that always puts down all the other networks - really childish. He is the singer of praise of Fox News. He's just obnoxious.

Cheers. You've just answered my question in another thread.

If anyone wants to see 8-screens in action, go to Sky Movies Active on Channel 700