BBC South Today, South East Today & ITV Meridian

[Alex]

There’s an excellent video on behind-the-scenes of ITV Meridian during Corona if anyone would like to give it a look. One very empty newsroom!

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=481884113170400

[DeMarkay]

Something odd just happened...

I live in London, but during the weather on This Morning, I received the Meridian output.

[Meridian MR]

That's happened a couple of times before apparently, during TM and GMB. It seems that London defaults to Meridian (South/T.Valley variant) when there is a technical or other issue with not being able to get London on air.

[London Lite]

Just to add for the BBC in London, South East Today is the back-up if London can't get on-air. It used to be South Today (Hannington) in the past.

[Alex]

I still don’t like the fact that Meridian uses Henley-on-Thames as the backdrop when it isn’t even in the Meridian region. Is there a reason why they use it and not a local landmark?

[Stanley Matravers]

I still don’t like the fact that Meridian uses Henley-on-Thames as the backdrop when it isn’t even in the Meridian region. Is there a reason why they use it and not a local landmark?

If I were in charge, I would reinstate new versions of the former Maidstone (SE), Portsmouth (S), and Reading (TV) backdrops, plus Winchester (S+TV pan-regional).

Maybe even have a Brighton backdrop on standby, for any rare occasions that the programme becomes S+SE+TV pan-regional. Similarly, I would have all regions film a pan-regional outdoor backdrop to use in preference to the crappy CGI gallery (e.g. Taunton for West Country, Leicester for Central, etc).

Fat chance of any of this ever happening, of course.

[Meridian MR]

I still don’t like the fact that Meridian uses Henley-on-Thames as the backdrop when it isn’t even in the Meridian region. Is there a reason why they use it and not a local landmark?

Maybe even have a Brighton backdrop on standby, for any rare occasions that the programme becomes S+SE+TV pan-regional.

Why would viewers in Banbury, Weymouth and many other areas of the region find Brighton any more relatable than the Henley one that is already used? :?

At least the Henley one is somewhat generic in appearance and probably not even recognised as Henley by many or most viewers.

[Stanley Matravers]

Are you sure viewers in Banbury, Weymouth and other areas of the region would find that any more relatable than the Henley one that is already used?

At least the Henley one is somewhat generic in appearance and probably not even recognised as Henley by many or most viewers.

Fair points, well made.

My other idea for a Meridian macro-regional backdrop (and any other regions that don't lend themselves to a reasonably neutral pan-regional location backdrop) would be something like CGI venetian blinds ("ITV News" branded, of course). This would at least be consistent with the "window" conceit.

[Meridian MR]

It's difficult because our region is so ridiculously big to be considered particularly 'local' to anyone.

I think they are better to stick with the backdrop of somewhere like Henley, that isn't a really well known view with recognisable landmarks.

They don't seem able or willing to use different backdrop locations for each sub-region anymore. So using an easily recognisable view of a city, like Portsmouth or Southampton, would alienate the majority of viewers, who will be nowhere near that place. It would also draw viewers' attention to the fact that their regional news isn't particularly local and comes from miles and miles away.
They already have to deal with trying to play down the huge size of the region in news coverage during S/TV joint bulletins - usually by making reports as generic as possible.

Central is different. Their West MIdlands region is still big, but it is well known that Birmingham is the 'capital' of the region and where Central is based. It is easier to unite the West MIdlands and East Midlands regions, as the places in those regions have more in common with each other than those in Meridian have. For example, here in Southampton on Meridian you could hear news from Dorchester, Aylesbury, Brighton and Banbury in the same (S/TV) bulletin!

[London Lite]

Sadly the solution Meridian use which is to split Thames Valley and the old South sub-opt at the start of the main bulletin is the best effective way at the moment, alas the generic backdrop of Henley is used on all sub-regions.

In an ideal world, Thames Valley would be spun off back into their own region with their own presenters, but that isn't going to happen.

[Meridian MR]

A new interesting interview with Fred Dinenage about presenting ITV News.

He talks about the pre-recording of bulletins (approx. 06:15 into the video) and answers the ever popular question of why Henley on Thames is the chosen backdrop! (approx. 17:00 into the video)

https://youtu.be/TEiNj3mYuI0

[Markymark]

A new interesting interview with Fred Dinenage about presenting ITV News.

He talks about the pre-recording of bulletins (approx. 06:15 into the video) and answers the ever popular question of why Henley on Thames is the chosen backdrop! (approx. 17:00 into the video)

https://youtu.be/TEiNj3mYuI0

The connection with Anne Nightingale was something I didn't know. Interesting stuff

[Meridian MR]

https://twitter.com/sangeetaitv/status/1...74477?s=21

[Rob]

Sound problems on the Thames Valley edition of ITV News Meridian...

https://twitter.com/itvmeridian/status/1...8565120000

[Meridian MR]

Sound problems on the Thames Valley edition of ITV News Meridian...

https://twitter.com/itvmeridian/status/1...8565120000

AFAIK The South/T. Valley edition was the pre-recorded one this evening.
The sound was fixed for their coming together at 6.10.
South sound was fine for the whole bulletin.