Sky back to 7:05 this morning - GB News on the list for a change for Grant Shapps.
Newshound47 post_id=54063 time= user_id=1854 Wrote:RR post_id=54056 time=1637241046 user_id=827 Wrote:According to a Politico newsletter, today's round was:
Deputy PM Dominic Raab broadcast round: Times Radio (7.05 a.m.) … Sky News (7.15 a.m.) … BBC Breakfast (7.30 a.m.) … LBC (7.50 a.m.) … ITV GMB (8.10 a.m.) … Today program (8.30 a.m.) … talkRADIO (8.50 a.m.).
Certainly this is a few minutes later than previous - Sky usually get the 7:05 slot
https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/londo...of-sleaze/
Today doesn’t like to have a Government Minster at 8.10 every day. It rotates between Government/opposition/someone else of an important status.
I'm sure they want Opposition MPs at times -- Today had Starmer at 8.10 this morning -- but on Tuesday, for example, Damian Hinds was on GBN at 8.10 according to Playbook, and didn't do Today at all.
If Today didn't bid that's fine; but to me it feels that elements of the childish Today boycott from early 2020 is creeping back in. That said, I much prefer not hear from a Minister at 8.10 (Today usually bring in an expert instead), but my view might not be common!
Matrix post_id=54061 time= user_id=797 Wrote:To just go back and answer a few questions that have come up...
It's useful to think of this slightly differently. Typically, a programme producer will 'bid' for a Minister or Spokesperson to come on and discuss a topic or theme the govt want to push that day. So Press Officers within govt typically devise a 'round' to send the Minister on - but that can vary. GB News, for example, has had people put up but, to be frank, it's so tiny many don't see it as a useful platform for Ministers.
Once a Minister is 'booked', there is then a bit of a follow up in terms of trying to lock in an opposite number or someone who can counter the arguments the Minister is likely to put across. Around election times, this becomes a very pressing issue.
In terms of locations, typically for Westminster, there is a bit of a circuit. Most Ministers don't seem to mind moving between different locations although I do note that one of the original aims of the Downing Street Briefing Room was to give a space for Ministerial 'Down the Lines'. Remember for most BBC interviews, for example, the Minister might do several in one go. A Breakfast (TV) interview might be followed by a local radio interview or something for the World Service so it kind of makes sense to have all the tech to hand.
Others do take place though. So if the Health Secretary can't get away in time - and has something news worthy to say (not always the case) it might be worth sending a reporter and tech to them (as happened the other day).
All in all, a lot of balls moving but basically a mixed economy approach to the morning rounds.
This sounds pretty accurate, but I wonder if some of it applies more to regional news programmes (especially where you refer to programme producers bidding for ministers and then trying to lockdown an opposition spokesperson).
I think the national newsrooms operate slightly differently to this.
We don’t tend to have to ‘bid’ for a Morning Round as such. The government and opposition put up a minister and shadow most days and simply confirm to the BBC, Sky and ITN who that will be. So, there is rarely a need to try and lockdown a minister or opposition spokesperson as they are routinely offered to all three broadcasters on a daily basis.
The only time specific bids tend to be made (by the planning desk rather than programme producers) is when we need to cover a particular issue. For example, bidding for the Home Secretary to discuss the migrant crisis when the government may have put up a junior education minister that day. And in the absence of them agreeing to an interview, a doorstep may be organised instead, amongst members of the pool.
There are also times when broadcasters actually ‘pass’ on the Morning Round. This can be for a variety of reasons such as the time and location being difficult to commit to or because a more high-ranking minister (eg cabinet secretary) has agreed to be interviewed later in the day etc.
Did this morning ministerial round start with Covid or has it always existed and it’s just that the mainstream breakfast shows now take part every day?
Andrew post_id=54538 time= user_id=791 Wrote:Did this morning ministerial round start with Covid or has it always existed and it’s just that the mainstream breakfast shows now take part every day?
Always existed, I don't think much has changed due to COVID apart from more interviews being DTL in the earlier days.
Yes, they do pre-date Covid but I think a lot of broadcasters feel that they have become a bit more politicised in recent months.
It's not just the long-running GMB boycott.
There have been times when ITV News has been refused a Morning Round interview on the basis that the minister is appearing on This Morning later that same day so has covered ITV. And while that's true to some extent, it does mean they are likely to get a much softer and easier interview on the sofa with Phil and Holly than they would otherwise, being quizzed by a political correspondent.
Yes - the government haven't put anyone up for the round this morning.
I assume either:
1 - they haven't decided what to say on the news of the day; or
2 - they have, but want to wait for PMQs so it is a surprize
This must be the first time for some time that the government has clamed up from all outlets.
RR post_id=57493 time= user_id=827 Wrote:Yes - the government haven't put anyone up for the round this morning.
I assume either:
1 - they haven't decided what to say on the news of the day; or
2 - they have, but want to wait for PMQs so it is a surprize
This must be the first time for some time that the government has clamed up from all outlets.
Apparently it was supposed to be the health secretary Sajid Javid. Given the news overnight of the confirmed education department party and the latest in the reported Downing Street party I think we can guess why he withdrew from doing the ministerial rounds.
Whilst I would speculate further I'm conscious of not going off-topic into politics, and trying to keep to the presentation aspect. As I was departing for work I think BBC Breakfast were instead doing a remote interview with two other people in that time slot, though I didn't catch who they were.
Keith post_id=57506 time= user_id=1115 Wrote:RR post_id=57493 time= user_id=827 Wrote:Yes - the government haven't put anyone up for the round this morning.
I assume either:
1 - they haven't decided what to say on the news of the day; or
2 - they have, but want to wait for PMQs so it is a surprize
This must be the first time for some time that the government has clamed up from all outlets.
Apparently it was supposed to be the health secretary Sajid Javid. Given the news overnight of the confirmed education department party and the latest in the reported Downing Street party I think we can guess why he withdrew from doing the ministerial rounds.
Whilst I would speculate further I'm conscious of not going off-topic into politics, and trying to keep to the presentation aspect. As I was departing for work I think BBC Breakfast were instead doing a remote interview with two other people in that time slot, though I didn't catch who they were.
I dare say it, but I think outlets would have been reasonably 'soft' on him because allegedly he asked No. 10 for the slot yesterday on the basis of promoting the vaccine booster program.
I don't think they'd have gone soft and played into his agenda at all - that's exactly why he cancelled. Both Breakfast and GMB openly and quite rightly empty chaired them too rather than glossing over it.
Sometimes not saying anything says everything. (Yes, I get the irony of me saying that!
)
Brekkie post_id=57524 time= user_id=976 Wrote:Sometimes not saying anything says everything. (Yes, I get the irony of me saying that! )
"The silence is deafening" is a similar phrase I see a lot.
I agree though, considering the Downing Street leak was top story on both BBC and ITV News at Ten (ITV dedicating at least 15 minutes to it), which has now been picked up by the American media, there's no way they'd be soft on him.
CameronYoung post_id=57527 time= user_id=1509 Wrote:Brekkie post_id=57524 time= user_id=976 Wrote:Sometimes not saying anything says everything. (Yes, I get the irony of me saying that! )
"The silence is deafening" is a similar phrase I see a lot.
I agree though, considering the Downing Street leak was top story on both BBC and ITV News at Ten (ITV dedicating at least 15 minutes to it), which has now been picked up by the American media, there's no way they'd be soft on him.
I don't know, I just feel they would have allowed him to get out the information about the vaccine booster program before going in with the tough questions.
The interviews have never been a mouthpiece for the government though - that's why ministers avoided the likes of GMB and Today for so long.