Launch BBC News: Studio B

[Steve in Pudsey]

Could the plan be for News Channel to decamp to D once London is in B (and Breakfast from F) while E gets refurbished? Although longer term isn't D in a different firezone so has a broadcast continuity role should there be an issue with the other studios so I imagine they would want to keep it operational at short notice.

The London presenter could be standing at the Tower screen for the handover ,where they wouldn't be in shot on network (other than in the multiviewer screen via another camera in the studio).

London's opening shot could have the network presenter on the catwalk in shot in the background for the "thank you Huw" before turning to the camera to introduce the headlines. Or even be the same camera Huw was on tracking back to include the Tower position to give time for Nations and Regions to opt out.

[Brekkie]

Might E even be decommissioned with the News Channel/World News merging and a (presumably smaller) version of the new set installed in C in time for the merged channel. You'd have thought they'd then keep London in D so that space is a back up for when the service splits, although I think it's inevitable that they start using B for some hours of the news channel, especially times when the World/UK service is still split.

[Steve in Pudsey]

Might they just pre-record BBC London like the ITV equivalent?

This is a possibility, but BBC News have always had a weird attitude to pre-recording this sort of thing.

Although pre recording the headlines is generally seen as fair game

[valley]

I wonder if London might only be used for the weekend bulletins, read by the national presenter - if indeed the weekend bulletins use Studio B.  Just can't see it happening otherwise, especially as they already have to deal with the weather presenter coming in for the final few minutes and now have the shot of all the regional newsreaders too.    Studio B doesn't seem to have been designed in such a manner that it's easy to shift from one show to another in a split second, unlike Studio E where they often have the network newsreader at the desk and the news channel presenter on the catwalk able to take over almost immediately.

I was of the impression that B was only for the weekday 6pm and 10pm, and Sunday 10pm bulletins?

[Steve in Pudsey]

Might E even be decommissioned with the News Channel/World News merging and a (presumably smaller) version of the new set installed in C in time for the merged channel.  You'd have thought they'd then keep London in D so that space is a back up for when the service splits, although I think it's inevitable that they start using B for some hours of the news channel, especially times when the World/UK service is still split.

You'd think some lessons from the last couple of years might have been learned - having the ability to flip-flop between C and E simulcasting was pretty important during The early stages of the pandemic when they were running with minimal staff on-site and keeping those teams separate.

[Brekkie]

This is a possibility, but BBC News have always had a weird attitude to pre-recording this sort of thing.

Although pre recording the headlines is generally seen as fair game

Are the BBC even allowed to pre-record full regional news bulletins.  ITV weren't allowed to until they got approval from OFCOM (which generally involves just asking them), and you would think if the BBC were permitted to record bulletins they may have pre-recorded seperate versions of the shorter bulletins over the last couple of years where covid has forced two services (usually London and the SE) to combine.

Personally although I think pre-recording some of the Breakfast and late night bulletins would be fine giving that can be done within minutes of going to air for the main edition and even the fairly substantial lunchtime edition that shouldn't be permitted.

[JAS84]

N1 Six O'Clock News, 1984-1993: 8 years, 7 months.

I make that nine years, not eight.

[DTV]

N1 Six O'Clock News, 1984-1993: 8 years, 7 months.

I make that nine years, not eight.

The duration between the introduction of the filing cabinet titles on 2nd September 1984 and the final airing of those titles on the 8th April 1993 is 8 years and 7 months.

[Langham]

Katya Adler had a slight mix-up at the touchscreen tonight. She skipped passed a quote from a Government spokesperson, seemingly thinking she was on a different slide, then gestured towards the screen thinking it was showing some supporting information to the report. She handled it without a flinch, but I have to say, I'm getting anxiety over potential double-touching since it seems such a sensitive display, and non-registered touches each time they go to the screen (This sounds very strange out of context).

[Stanley Matravers]

I'm getting anxiety over potential double-touching

Have you alerted Operation Yewtree?

[Markymark]

Are we absolutely sure it really is a touch screen ?

Also, interesting from a presentational consistency perspective that the weather presenter doesn't tap the screen to move on their slides ?

Though from a technical perspective, triggering the weather gfx engine from any touch feature of the screen would require some sort of interface code to be written, (and made to work !) so in a strange way perhaps all that confirms it IS actually real touch screen !?

[Steve Williams]

This is a possibility, but BBC News have always had a weird attitude to pre-recording this sort of thing.

I don't see why it's a "weird" attitude, I would think the vast majority of the public expects news bulletins to be live. And I can't imagine it ever happening.

[Steve in Pudsey]

Wouldn't the touchscreen present itself as an overgrown laptop touchpad, so tapping it generates a "left click" event. So just a case of having a kvm style arrangement to route the "mouse" to the weather PC?

[Newsroom]

All this speculation about the future of studios and the talk of decommissioning of studios can surely be ended answered by Tim Davie's remarks when the Press Release was published.

"As the first major refurbishment our news studios have seen in a decade, it is a real blueprint for how we move forward in future-proofing our news output. Tim Davie. 

Source

My takeaway from this is that they'll all follow suit. The very idea that E will be mothballed is ridiculous. It's at the heart of the Newsroom and killing it off after just  a decade just seems fantasy.

[Markymark]

Wouldn't the touchscreen present itself as an overgrown laptop touchpad, so tapping it generates a "left click" event. So just a case of having a kvm style arrangement to route the "mouse" to the weather PC?

Yes, it's a simple enough concept, but often it's the simple concepts that end up with unforeseen complications !