'Generic' Regional News - such variations

The fact that Spotlight has different colours was mentioned in one of the plethora of Midlands Today threads, but I didn't want to drag that off-topic .

When I went down to Devon last week I watched the regional news down there, Spotlight, and noticed how different this was to Midlands Today:
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[*]no thunderclaps between headlines
[*]behind presenter there is just a huge 'window' with BBC News logo imposed on top - rather than sidebar used on Midlands Today
[*]roughly halfway through (and I could see NO point in this) one presneter says the time then the short sting music is played while we watch the presenters chat between themselves (this was after the 'coming up' five minutes earlier which also had the short sting)
[*]huge studio - when the weather presenter was opposite the studio seemed massive, rather than Midlands Today's cupboard
[*]sport presented with widescreen telly with blue backdrop and 'BBC Sport' logo branding (unlike Midlands Today)
[*]weather had European city names on satellite and temperatures were given on map in Farrinight (can't spell that) as well as Celcius!
[*]weather looked different - looked just like a national forecast with no sparklies - it wasn't a blue screen.  In fact, how is national weather done? (but that's another topic)
[*]headlines at the end - MT talks about what's coming up tomorrow
[*]opening titles music played at the end of the programme (before naitional '6' sting) - I couldn't believe it when this happened as MT plays the headlines tag leading into the '6' sting which leads in almost seamlessly
[/list]

What do other regions do on each of these points?


(Edited by ian at 4:49 pm on Oct. 28, 2001)

Craig even appeares in a 'Coming Up' bit,seated in front of a computer!!

I think the spelling is Fahrenheit.

ian, were you on holiday in Devon???

I'd of being surfing (or attempting to)!!! Although, last time I was down there i missed spotlight everyday, which i was annoyed about.

Spotlight can be viewed on the net at www.bbc.co.uk/spotlight.

As well, Midlands Today, Look North 1330, BBC LDN, Wales Today, Reporting Scotland (all 3 weekday editions), and Newsline (all 3 weekday editions) are avail on the net.

Don't forget South Today and South East Today are also available, through the BBC Southern Counties website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/television/index.shtml

Just in case you didn't know.

Oh! A new BBC 'where you live' site which actually is for where I live! How long has that been there? And why couldn't they manage separate sites for Surrey and Sussex?

From reading what you have said and from watching bits on the internet I have to say it looks much better than any other regional news programme especially Reporting Scotland. They decided not to use sidebars when they changed to a two presenyer format and now they use ugly widescreen plasma screens on both side. I especially like Spotlight's sport section where the sports presenter isnt simply stuck onto the edge of the main desk like Reporting Scotland.

Because not enough happens in either county by itself?

So, hauling us back to the topic , what do other regions do, particularly at the end of the programme? Theme or headline-bed-type-thing to lead into the 6 sting?

BBC North West:

1) has thunderclaps between headlines, of which there are 3.

2) has a 'window' made up of smaller screens, and we have a sidebar.

3) has a coming up segment at 1840, where a different vamp/bed is played followed by the sting (onscreen) which is then followed by a long studio shot.

4) has a large studio, with the weather opposite the desk, and a comfy area in between.

5) sports news usually presented by Sally Newgent with a special aston, if not, its with Gordon Burns, with the 'NORTH WEST TONIGHT' logo on the plasma screen saying 'NORTH WEST SPORT'.

6) ordinary weather - except the symbols seem to always overlap the place names! The worst is when there's fog!

7) plays the vamp/bed at the end leading in to BBC News at Six Sting. No reminder of headlines/coming up tomorrow, we Gordon and the weather presenter chat about/joke about the last story on the programme, or up coming events (or even a mystery in the window...)

BTW, Ian, when you said that the opening titles were played at the end of Spotlight, didn't you mean the end titles?!

There you go! If anyone wants me to put up some images of NWT, please let me know - I have plenty!

BBC Wales Today:


1) has a rather strange opening in comparison, immediately after the news at six, the presenter comes on and says 'Hello I'm Jamie Owen/Sara Edwards. This is BBC Wales Today'. This is followed by the opening titles, and then the headlines. The headlines, AFAIK, are not separated by thunderclaps, but do finish with an offscreen sting.

2) has a massive window showing Cardiff Bay.

3) plays a sting at 1835 for no particular reason. Then at 1845 another is played followed by the coming up stories, followed again by another sting!

4) has a massive studio, and I mean massive!! There is a huge desk, a huge comfy area, with a huge screen!!

5) Sport presented by Derek, from the other side of the desk. I think the plasma screen is used.

6) again, ordinary weather, AFAIK.

7) end with a special bed, with thunderclaps before bursting into the end sting, which during the week is not shown onscreen, unlike at weekends.

Hope this helps!

I have a tape of Newsline from when it was on BBC TWO NI, so I'll dig it out sometime and let you know what happens with them.