With the news that the eastern part of Look North is to be split into its own region, I wonder if anyone has any ideas for what other BBC regions should be split up.
I would give the western half of Look East its own separate programme - also called Look East - to replace the sub-opt.
I would also create a new Thames Valley region from the Oxford and Hannington transmitters to cover Oxfordshire, Berkshire and north Hampshire; then people in Oxford wouldn't have their news dominated by Southampton. This of course would necessitate building completely new studios in Oxford or Reading or somewhere.
Cambridge could quite easily sustain a full half hour programme, and in its current location, with a probably-just-about-big-enough studio, it could probably gain a few extra facilities (incoming feeds to allow lives etc) to make a reasonable programme.
I also agree that a merged Hannington/Oxford programme 'Thames Valley Today' would be a very good idea. The new Southampton/Oxford patch is a little too big really.
(Technically this would be pretty expensive - the Hannington transmitter is a very big off-air relay as far as the BBC are concerned, it just re transmits another transmitter, rather than having a proper feed of local network by fibre or microwave, like most main transmitters)
As for other regions which deserve a split...
Scotland is pretty big (and the BBC broadcast a single programme when there are Grampian, Scottish and Border local news shows) - I believe there were plans for Aberdeen to be upgraded to a sub-opt but Cambridge got the funds instead. (Now Aberdeen has moved to newer premises, and I don't think their old studio was replaced)
Other regions are less likely to split - indeed some can't on analogue as they only feed one transmitter as it is ! (North West is only on Winter Hill? )
MD
M D R
The Midlands region should be split more fairly, and the Look North (Newcastle) region should be made smaller. Cumbria should join as part of BBC North West, leaving BBC North East a region similar to Tyne Tees'.
In the Midlands there should not be as many overlaps (Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire)
BBC Midlands should be renamed BBC West Midlands. Based in Birmingham still, they should cover Birmingham, Shropshire, Staffordshire, north Gloucestershire, Coventry and Warwickshire, west Derbyshire and west Leicestershire.
BBC East Midlands should be renamed BBC Nottingham (mainly because it doesn't cover all of the East Midlands due to there being only one major transmitter carrying the service- only Leics, west Lincs, south Derbys and south Notts and Peterborough in East Anglia, of course).
BBC Nottingham's news region would cover Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Peterborough, north and west Northamptonshire, Coventry and north Warwickshire, and east Staffordshire. This would help in the overlap areas of the central Midlands.
I agree that Look East should have it's own region from Cambridge as well as from Norwich. Though, knowing the BBC it would be called Look East West...
Maybe BBC Scotland could become two sub-regions? North Scotland from Aberdeen and South Scotland from Glasgow maybe?
Oxfordshire definatly does not belong on South Today. Oxford is not Southern England. ITV think it's the (south) Midlands. It is officially in the South East political region, but that is where it came from.
BBC Regions all need to change.
RW
RW
M D R posted:
The Midlands region should be split more fairly, and the Look North (Newcastle) region should be made smaller. Cumbria should join as part of BBC North West, leaving BBC North East a region similar to Tyne Tees'.
I'm pretty sure Cumbria did have a spell in the North West region in the late 80s, but viewers in that area were so unhappy about this, with their news being dominated by Manchester, that it eventually reverted to the North East.
ED
EDTV
I thought the region was called 'Midlands' because BBC Northwest includes the West Midlands.
And Scotland SHOULD be split into two regions. It is WAY too big for one BBC regional newsroom.
Quote: I'm pretty sure Cumbria did have a spell in the North West region in the late 80s, but viewers in that area were so unhappy about this, with their news being dominated by Manchester, that it eventually reverted to the North East.
That's exactly right. Newcastle is a lot closer to Carlisle than Manchester. It's about half the distance. No wonder the people wanted Newcastle back.
However, during that phase, the BBC did do a separate Cumbria opt outs for bulletins, giving Border a bit more of a run for its money. Does that still happen now it's in NE and C? I don't know.
The time they switched did solve problems in the Isle of Man, where viewers in the north and north east of the island watch programmes from Caldbeck, and therefore are in the north east and Cumbria region rather than north west, which is relayed on the island's own transmitters.
SU
StandUpAndBeSeated
Possible titles if Cambridge breaks away from Norwich:
Look East West
West Anglia Today
Possible titles if Oxford breaks away from Southampton:
South Today North
South Midlands Today
Thames Valley Today
Thames Valley Today sounds nice and homely! They could have a nice title sequence with the sun coming up over the hills, with rabbits hopping around while a jovial postman delivers the morning mail...
Seriously though, I've said it many times before that Oxford really doesn't fit into the Southampton region. Anyone who's seen the title sequence for South Today will realise how ridiculously large the region is (and also that it looks a bit like Wales!).
I reckon they should set up a proper TV studio in Oxford - then I could go and blag work experience there!
And Scotland SHOULD be split into two regions. It is WAY too big for one BBC regional newsroom.
BBC Scotland is a
national
centre, not a regional
DJ
djt0311
Hopefully the BBC will give us here in the Channel Islands our own service instead of Spotlight, who gives a stuff wants happening in deepest darkest Cornwall when you live in Jersey !.
BBC Channel Islands - coming soon
Dave - Jersey
IN
indigoBen
I would have thought that
BBC Channel Islands
BBC Isle of Man
and even BBC Cornwall would be a good idea (in addition to those already mentioned.)
Personally I think one of the next moves should be BBC Eire, since the channels will soon be available officially all over Ireland.
AN
andyeighteen
i think thers no reason for anymore regions - though oxford need to be resolved. i think they should invest that money into improving the existing shows and providing more regional shows. it costs huge amounts of money to open new studios, equip them, employ camera men, maintain them, rent etc. for relatively small populations, and the bbc already provide local radio for most indevidual counties anyway.
