TV Live Forum

As a regular Radio 4 listener, I'm very used to the minister the government has put up for the morning media round being interviewed on the Today programme at 0810. It pretty much never varies.

At what times does the minister appear on BBC Breakfast, GMB, Sky News? LBC, Times Radio, 5L? Is GBB getting them? Are the times for those broadcasters as fixed as the time is for Today?

Meteor post_id=26694 time= user_id=1780 Wrote:As a regular Radio 4 listener, I'm very used to the minister the government has put up for the morning media round being interviewed on the Today programme at 0810. It pretty much never varies.

At what times does the minister appear on BBC Breakfast, GMB, Sky News? LBC, Times Radio, 5L? Is GBB getting them? Are the times for those broadcasters as fixed as the time is for Today?

I believe they vary slightly but are kept roughly the same (although that's just from watching/listening, not from insider knowledge). If you want a rundown of the media rounds you can sign up to the Politico London Playbook (which you receive in your inbox), which usually has the schedule: https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/

For example, this was Grant Shapps' media round for today: Transport Secretary Grant Shapps broadcast round: Sky News (7.05 a.m.) … Times Radio breakfast (7.20 a.m.) … LBC (7.50 a.m.) … Today program (8.10 a.m.).

Edit: I seem to have been beaten to it!

Politico's "London Playbook" newsletter publishes the schedule each morning – it seems that Sky News, Times Radio and LBC also have fixed slots every morning, with GMB and BBC Breakfast also included a couple of times a week.

For example, the schedule for this week was:

Today (Grant Shapps)

Sky News (7.05 a.m.)
Times Radio breakfast (7.20 a.m.)
LBC (7.50 a.m.)
Today program (8.10 a.m.).

Yesterday (Rishi Sunak)

Sky News (7.05 a.m.)
Times Radio (7.20 a.m.)
LBC (7.50 a.m.)
Today program (8.15 a.m.)
ITV GMB (8.30 a.m.).

Wednesday (Kwasi Kwarteng)

Sky News (7.05 a.m.)
Times Radio (7.20 a.m.)
LBC (7.50 a.m.).

Tuesday (Sajid Javid)

Sky News (7.05 a.m.)
Times Radio Breakfast (7.20 a.m.)
BBC Breakfast (7.30 a.m.)
LBC (7.50 a.m.)
Today program (8.10 a.m.)
ITV GMB (8.30 a.m.).

Monday (Helen Whately)

Sky News (7.05 a.m.)
Times Radio (7.20 a.m.)
BBC Breakfast (7.30 a.m.)
LBC (7.50 a.m.)
Today program (8.10 a.m.).

Am I correct in saying the minister moves around for the various live shots?

Rather than staying in the same position with a change of graphics behind them?

If not, does anyone know why? Surely it would make sense for them to do interviews from the one place - more so given distancing measures, etc.

I know there are sometimes in-person interviews but of course that's a lot less frequent at the moment.

FrancisC post_id=26702 time= user_id=1108 Wrote:Am I correct in saying the minister moves around for the various live shots?

Rather than staying in the same position with a change of graphics behind them?

If not, does anyone know why? Surely it would make sense for them to do interviews from the one place - more so given distancing measures, etc.

I know there are sometimes in-person interviews but of course that's a lot less frequent at the moment.

Yes, they move around. If you think about it there are different requirements for the different channels, particularly for the radio programmes, and simply dumping them in a DTL studio would require there to be: a) a shared DTL studio with routing to all the broadcasters; b) someone to operate that DTL studio, change graphics, mic up the guests; c) a large amount of cooperation between the various broadcasters in terms of booking slots, etc.

Axolotl post_id=26699 time= user_id=774 Wrote:Edit: I seem to have been beaten to it!

Politico's "London Playbook" newsletter publishes the schedule each morning – it seems that Sky News, Times Radio and LBC also have fixed slots every morning, with GMB and BBC Breakfast also included a couple of times a week.

For example, the schedule for this week was:

Today (Grant Shapps)

Sky News (7.05 a.m.)
Times Radio breakfast (7.20 a.m.)
LBC (7.50 a.m.)
Today program (8.10 a.m.).

Yesterday (Rishi Sunak)

Sky News (7.05 a.m.)
Times Radio (7.20 a.m.)
LBC (7.50 a.m.)
Today program (8.15 a.m.)
ITV GMB (8.30 a.m.).

Wednesday (Kwasi Kwarteng)

Sky News (7.05 a.m.)
Times Radio (7.20 a.m.)
LBC (7.50 a.m.).

Tuesday (Sajid Javid)

Sky News (7.05 a.m.)
Times Radio Breakfast (7.20 a.m.)
BBC Breakfast (7.30 a.m.)
LBC (7.50 a.m.)
Today program (8.10 a.m.)
ITV GMB (8.30 a.m.).

Monday (Helen Whately)

Sky News (7.05 a.m.)
Times Radio (7.20 a.m.)
BBC Breakfast (7.30 a.m.)
LBC (7.50 a.m.)
Today program (8.10 a.m.).

Rishi Sunak and Grant Shapps were both on BBC Breakfast yesterday and today, respectively, at around 7:40am.

steely12 post_id=26705 time= user_id=1199 Wrote:Rishi Sunak and Grant Shapps were both on BBC Breakfast yesterday and today, respectively, at around 7:40am.

Yes, I can't remember if Kwasi Kwarteng was as well on Wednesday, but certainly there is a government minister on Breakfast at 7.30 nine times out of ten. I think one reason why there isn't regional news at 7.55 at the moment is because these interviews usually run quite long.

That's interesting, thanks all. So GBN and 5 live don't get a look-in (I'm fairly sure I have heard ministers on the latter, perhaps there's a B-list?!). (Also I'm slightly surprised opposition shadow ministers don't get a media round.)

Re moving around, things changed a lot with covid, but my understanding was that previously several of the interviews took place at the shared Westminster studios for TV, usually followed by a trip to Broadcasting House for Today, and then a visit to LBC. Doesn't seem to be the case now.

Was quite surprised to see Javid apparently standing outside on a street for GMB on Tuesday, complete with a lorry reversing quite noisily in the background. Helen Whately's interviews were conducted with her in her home (standing on, as far as I could tell, a landing part way up her stairs!).

Meteor post_id=26783 time= user_id=1780 Wrote:That's interesting, thanks all. So GBN and 5 live don't get a look-in (I'm fairly sure I have heard ministers on the latter, perhaps there's a B-list?!). (Also I'm slightly surprised opposition shadow ministers don't get a media round.)

Re moving around, things changed a lot with covid, but my understanding was that previously several of the interviews took place at the shared Westminster studios for TV, usually followed by a trip to Broadcasting House for Today, and then a visit to LBC. Doesn't seem to be the case now.

Was quite surprised to see Javid apparently standing outside on a street for GMB on Tuesday, complete with a lorry reversing quite noisily in the background. Helen Whately's interviews were conducted with her in her home (standing on, as far as I could tell, a landing part way up her stairs!).

Opposition shadow ministers quite often appear on multiple outlets in the same morning.

A minister appearing on Sky News, BBC Breakfast then GMB might not necessarily even leave 4 Millbank - they can be in person in Sky's Westminster studio (or the DTL studio for a presenter in Osterley), then the BBC's DTL studio for Breakfast, then ITV's DTL studio for GMB. Whateley's interviews the other day were actually being done on the stairwell inside 4 Millbank I believe...

valley post_id=26785 time= user_id=971 Wrote:Whateley's interviews the other day were actually being done on the stairwell inside 4 Millbank I believe...

Oh right! I had been thinking she had a very nice house :lol: , I guess Millbank has quite a grand entrance hall and stairs then!

Meteor post_id=26866 time= user_id=1780 Wrote:

valley post_id=26785 time= user_id=971 Wrote:Whateley's interviews the other day were actually being done on the stairwell inside 4 Millbank I believe...

Oh right! I had been thinking she had a very nice house :lol: , I guess Millbank has quite a grand entrance hall and stairs then!

Very much so!

Recently the duty minister hasn't been on the Today programme at 8.10, they've been on after 8.30.

Is there a particular outlet getting the minister at 8.10 regularly now?

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/

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.

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.