UK Today

Look North Leeds should get on! The same goes for North West Today.

There should be time for all the regional news' top stories. I mean, if there's 15, they could at least have ONE!

I have Sky Digital, so by watching BBC One or Two via that, rather than the aerial, I can see all UK Today bulletins - which I prefer to Midlands Today.

My mate's aerial was wrecked in heavy weather months ago. She has had Sky Digital since before that time, so had never been without BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4 and Channel 5. So she can't seee MT even if she wants to, she can only get UK Today (lucky thing!). She has never missed having ITV/ITV1 - she says she never watched it cuz 'it's a sh*t channel'! Although ITV1 is coming onto Sky Digital soon, I doubt she'll notice.

(Edited by SittingOvation at 7:57 pm on Aug. 24, 2001)

Well I have SKY Digital as well, so I can recieve North West Today/Tonight on terrestrial and UK Today on SKY! I prefer North West Today though! Its a brilliant programme.

So you can't get BBC news variations on Sky Digital?

I spoke to a UK Today director, some time ago.
What you really have to appreciate is that a story that might be first in the running order of your region, may not be of interest to people watching around England.
The director was actually quite anti-London, saying that it would alienate viewers in the North if they used a view of London in the background, so they are taking into consideration other regions - not just London.
A lot of stories do come from London, but that's natural. London is the capital of England and so naturally it is going to have a greater amount of news coming out of it. Especially when you consider things such as the High Court are in London.
There is a greater chance of something 'interesting' (I use that word with caution!) happening in London than Yorkshire. If only because Greater London contains the capital - where most of the news happens.
NRSE, Midlands Today and North West Tonight will normally rank amongst the highest, simply because those regions are more densely populated than the South West, for example.


(Edited by cheshirec at 9:13 pm on Aug. 24, 2001)

Well, UK Today will be finished soon won't it? When they finally get the regions sorted out on digital.

Remember that Scottish and Irish viewers watching Breakfast on BBC News 24 still see UK Today

Oh yes, but the amount watching N24 in the nations will not be as many as are watching BBC ONE on Digital.

Anyway, thats a very interesting post you made cheshirec. BTW, how do you get to talk to all these people?!

I thought that! cheshirec talks to everyone in TV Land!!!

I'm not sure how I get to talk to them - perhaps it's just my charming manner? (pah!)
Also, if you're interested, he talked about how they would like to remove the namechecks at the end of reports - so instead of someone saying 'SoandSo - North West Tonight, in Somewhere', they would say 'soandso, BBC News, in Somewhere'.
It is basically because of the fact that the average viewer wouldn't understand where the 'Spotlight' or 'Newsline' regions are.
Although he said that they didn't have the technology available to do that, although it surely cannot be that difficult?
TV companies will be more than happy to talk to you if you phone them up.
It's pretty fair to assume that a person working in the graphics dept. at Granada TV will have at least a tiny interest in TV graphics! So they will get into long chats with you; about idents, astons, whatever!
I remember when NWT relaunched last year, everyone was milling about wondering when the relaunch date was going to be. I found out about 3 weeks before them because I bothered to pick up the phone and ask!

Well all I can say is good for you, cheshirec!! Thats great that you phone them up. You don't think that they'd want to talk to you, but if its your interest, then you will!!

By the way, Niki Marx (sp) has moved to CNN, from the Beeb.
She's going down a treat at CNN!