BBC Four & CBBC to close

[Keith]

...Consolidating the news channel and BBC World News (though preserving the ability for the UK to opt out) is hardly a surprise...

Cue weekly "BBC pays journalists and technicians MILLIONS to SIT AROUND DOING NOTHING WAITING FOR BREAKING NEWS" stories. To have the true ability to opt out any time, you still need a presenter, producer, entire gallery and studio crew, makeup artists, etc etc etc - as well as a maintained, functioning, turned on studio - on standby. You may as well utilise those resources to, err, broadcast a separate channel. Unless there will be UK focused opt outs at specific, regular times of the day - which still requires scheduled crews, talent and studios to be paid for, and reduces you ability to cover the news outside of those scheduled hours. 

How do BBC World News handle the programmes that are currently shown in the back half hours during weekday daytime? It's possible that some of the UK opt-outs could happen during this time, whereby we get 30 minutes of UK news instead of a pre-recorded programme (e.g. at 9.30am instead of HARDtalk, based on today's schedule). For these opt-outs then potentially the same presenter and crew could be utilised that provided the first half hour of 'world' news. Currently 6am to 9am is a simulcast with BBC One with signing, and I wouldn't be surprised if that stays and also counts towards the UK opt-outs.