BBC News and BBC World to merge

[Mr Q]

That was the point of my comparison with ITV, SVT, NRK etc.: it is perfectly possible to cover domestic breaking news without a rolling news channel dedicated to the task. When significant news breaks, you cut in with a special broadcast. The principle works just as well for opting out of a global news channel as it does for breaking into regular programming on a general TV channel.

But, as bbctvtechop pointed out, for them to be able to opt-out for non-planned breaking news, they will have to have multiple teams on stand-by for that event - at which point you might as well just make the opt permanent. My understand of what has been announced is that the only time there will be two gallery teams in the building is during the evening, with the second team there for the Six and Ten. ITV, by comparison, do have a national gallery and presenting team ready all day. The only way that a semi-regular opt could reasonably work is if you seperate the One from the News Channel - they could also serve as a standby-team for the late-mornings and early afternoons - but that would be contrary to what has been announced.

I'm sorry that I can't see your optimism about the new channel, I just feel this is all leading to an unappealing fudge that doesn't really work for either audience.

To go back to what I said earlier, my point was that you could draw on the resources already used for the regular bulletins (including Breakfast). There are news teams and studios across the UK that could play a role. Moreover, an urgent opt-out could - until more resources are called in - be a cross to Five Live with fixed cameras set up in the radio studios. But I still think we're talking about a relatively rare set of circumstances where that would be necessary:
- for things that are known or foreseeable (eg. major political events), additional resourcing for a planned opt-out could be arranged
- for relatively minor UK-specific "breaking news" (eg. politician says X), run a live blog on the BBC News website - TV coverage can wait until the flagship bulletins (that audience is well-served anyway by other UK news channels)
- for significant and unexpected breaking news (eg. a terror attack), it wouldn't be out of place for the (global) news channel to cover the story - at least until additional resources are called in for domestic coverage.

The residual is significant/unexpected breaking news that is only of interest to a UK audience, with zero relevance for international viewers. Maybe I lack imagination, but I can't see there being that many events that fit that category.

I am clearly more optimistic than many here about the BBC's ability to continue to deliver a relevant, high-quality public service to the UK with a model that better matches audience needs in the 2020's rather than the 1990's.

[gottago]

I may well be barking up the wrong tree (and this may well have been covered on here) but I wonder if what we could eventually see is a shift away from global news coverage and more UK news aired internationally, much like CNN International does across its schedule with US news. Essentially monetising globally a license fee funded, UK focused service. 

A lot of the current shared UK and World News bulletins can be really frustrating to watch when there's a big domestic story and I can't see it being accepted that there could be more of that on a license fee funded channel.

I may be wrong but IIRC BBC World News was normally a loss making service. There's this article from before the pandemic that says BBC Global News had its most profitable year but even then it only made a modest profit of £8m and chances are much of that came from BBC.com rather than the channel. If the shift is to more online news then I feel like they may be more comfortable focusing on Britain rather than trying to wedge in awkward hybrids with this merged service.

[Radio_man]

A timeline for when this new merged World & UK BBC News TV channel will launch wasn't announced yesterday was it? 
Considering it's going to be a new service, it's not something that I envisage launching this year.

[Worzel]

I may well be barking up the wrong tree (and this may well have been covered on here) but I wonder if what we could eventually see is a shift away from global news coverage and more UK news aired internationally, much like CNN International does across its schedule with US news. Essentially monetising globally a license fee funded, UK focused service. 

A lot of the current shared UK and World News bulletins can be really frustrating to watch when there's a big domestic story and I can't see it being accepted that there could be more of that on a license fee funded channel.

I may be wrong but IIRC BBC World News was normally a loss making service. There's this article from before the pandemic that says BBC Global News had its most profitable year but even then it only made a modest profit of £8m and chances are much of that came from BBC.com rather than the channel. If the shift is to more online news then I feel like they may be more comfortable focusing on Britain rather than trying to wedge in awkward hybrids with this merged service.

Well Sky News, being a UK based news channel is still broadcast internationally and they manage to get the mix about right.

[all new Phil]

I do find it funny how people find it so difficult to imagine anything other than the status quo.

The new merged channel will inevitably be BBC World News in all but name. Yes there’ll be a bit more of a UK focus for international viewers, but I’m not sure that a UK channel having a UK slant should be that much of a surprise for viewers.

In reality though the UK focus gets covered via Breakfast, network bulletins and regional news. The structure, when you think about it, fits quite well - a news channel with an international focus, network bulletins with more of a domestic slant, and regional / nations news close to where you are. The political stuff gets coverage through Politics Live, which could be extended if needed. The news channel doesn’t have to be all things to all men.

[mdta]

I'm imagining BBC News on the hour, then the half hours will be branded programmes for International streams, and UK content domestically.

Weekends will be more International content for these half hours.

[Chud]

I can’t see this happening at all. Think it’s just a scare story and by the time it comes to actually going through with it, they would have found some magic money or public demand or whatever they will come up with to save both channels.

[all new Phil]

I can’t see this happening at all. Think it’s just a scare story and by the time it comes to actually going through with it, they would have found some magic money or public demand or whatever they will come up with to save both channels.

Is there public demand though? Nobody is going to be out with their placards protesting the replacement of the BBC News channel with one that’s a little bit different.

[mdta]

I think its possibly the majority of the public, have no idea BBC World News exists, or how it's schedule is set out, and how much of BBC News is simulcast.

The only obvious part is when you get the pauses where one channel opts out to a sting, and in the UK, it looks a little awkward.

[Newshound47]

The main times it be criticised is times when Sky and/or GB News are covering something domestic live and the BBC are not mentioning it.  Particularly if it’s something weather related or non London based.

[all new Phil]

The main times it be criticised is times when Sky and/or GB News are covering something domestic live and the BBC are not mentioning it.  Particularly if it’s something weather related or non London based.

Great news then that Sky and GB News have that covered. No point the BBC just covering what everyone else is covering.

[Newshound47]

The main times it be criticised is times when Sky and/or GB News are covering something domestic live and the BBC are not mentioning it.  Particularly if it’s something weather related or non London based.

Great news then that Sky and GB News have that covered. No point the BBC just covering what everyone else is covering.

The problem is the license fee gives a sense of feeling important British stories should be covered before international stories.

[Brekkie]

I do find it funny how people find it so difficult to imagine anything other than the status quo.

The new merged channel will inevitably be BBC World News in all but name. Yes there’ll be a bit more of a UK focus for international viewers, but I’m not sure that a UK channel having a UK slant should be that much of a surprise for viewers.

In reality though the UK focus gets covered via Breakfast, network bulletins and regional news. The structure, when you think about it, fits quite well - a news channel with an international focus, network bulletins with more of a domestic slant, and regional / nations news close to where you are. The political stuff gets coverage through Politics Live, which could be extended if needed. The news channel doesn’t have to be all things to all men.

Yes, I've never understood the idea that people expect a BBC global service to somewhat overlook UK news.   I tend to gravitate towards CNN for US News, France 24 in the event of a big French story, Al Jazerra for the Middle East etc. so it's fair to assume they'll be a British slant to a BBC channel.    Big UK stories become  international stories anyway, and big international stories become British stories.

If it's done right they might get away with it.  If it's done badly they won't.    As for Politics Live - how that isn't already simulcast on the News Channel I don't understand, especially as by taking the 12.15-13.00 slot out of the schedule you could probably cut out one morning shift.   It can then continue to air there when BBC2 has live sport taking precedence.  


One way they could do some kind of opt outs without additional presenters is by keeping dedicated sports bulletins for UK and world, airing at different points in the hour.   When the World version airs we get some UK news in brief for a few minutes, and vice versa for World.    (Indeed thinking about it at a time of cuts a separate sports presenter in their own studio from Breakfast through to the evening is very much a luxury)

[cityprod]

I find it strange that some of us here are in favour of this, when we have been criticising CNN for doing this exact same thing.

[Mateus Honrado]

The main times it be criticised is times when Sky and/or GB News are covering something domestic live and the BBC are not mentioning it.  Particularly if it’s something weather related or non London based.

Great news then that Sky and GB News have that covered. No point the BBC just covering what everyone else is covering.

What about TalkTV?