Launch BBC News: Studio B

[mdta]

Just me that’s never been a fan of studio E then? I’ve always thought it to be a bit small and dingy.

It was a novelty compared to the dark and washed out box of a studio before.  A nice view of the newsroom, and a feeling of activity.

But as guests came in, it started to feel cramped.  I think I preferred the Westminster Politics Live studio when getting people together - and Studio B at launch was nice with Newsnight and Victoria Derbyshire.

E now feels claustrophobic if not for the view behind, but its inflexibility is showing.  Moving away from one newsreader, sat at a desk, reading the autocue will be welcome.  Hopefully changes to the studio and set will enable that.  More discussions with groups of guests.  More explainers in the style of Ros Aitkin's roundups.  This will freshen up the day to day news coverage, and offer something extra to just regurgitating content you could read online.

[all new Phil]

If I had one (minor) grumble about the new set, it’s that I think it’s still very ploddy and safe how they’re using it. It still feels very BBC. Piers Morgan has some similar elements in his set but the way they shoot and light it feels a lot more dynamic. Maybe I was just hoping, after years of the same pre-programmed camera angles and movements in E, that they might let loose a bit more. Maybe that’ll come next year.

[Keith]

How much of the News Channel is in E now anyway - is it 9-5, 6.30-7, 8-9 and 10.30-11, then most of the weekend?

10.30-11 is in Studio C for The Papers.

On that basis it wouldn't be too hard to imagine the News Channel decamping to D for most of the day. Whilst they probably could use B I get the impression some of the tech is different, which may or may not be an issue if staff are more used to working in C-E.

[Newsroom]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but the UK have never seen anything like E in action.

I visited ITN when they broadcasted from the newsroom floor on all three fits. I also went to the BBC when they first introduced the newsroom set in the 80’s for summaries, 9 and weekend.

I also worked at Sky in the 90’s and hand on heart - nothing comes close to what the BBC did with Studio E. Sky news had a small window into the newsroom, nothing like the openness of studio E.

I just can’t fathom how anyone could be unimpressed with Studio E - either when it launched or now.

[Brekkie]

Studio E is about route one news studio as you can get - to say we've never seen the likes of it is a bit ridiculous. Virtually all national and many regional shows have at some point had a newsroom backdrop and I would say Sky News Centre in 2005 is the most in the heart of the newsroom we've ever seen from a UK broadcaster.

It's the same with Studio B - it's all very nice and no doubt technologically it's probably the most advanced studio we've seen, but it's not reinventing the wheel at all.

[Stuart]

I just can’t fathom how anyone could be unimpressed with Studio E - either when it launched or now.

Perhaps many people just aren't impressed to see a background view of people sat at desks after a whole day of seeing it for real at work.

[DTV]

Some real Debbie Downers here. Of course none of these news studios are reinventing the wheel, they're bloody news studios - there's only so many components you can actually choose from. Every news studio in the last 25 years is some combination of desk, backdrop, screens, etc. There aren't really many new ideas you can bring without being ridiculous or insanely gimmicky. It's all about how you put them together.

And Stuart, in the last few weeks I've seen you complain about both newsroom views and skyline views - pretty much the two main options for news studio backgrounds. Other than a blank cyc, what is your suggestion?

[scottishtv]

Maybe I was just hoping, after years of the same pre-programmed camera angles and movements in E, that they might let loose a bit more. Maybe that’ll come next year.

 
I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure all the fast movement etc. you get on Morgan's show, GMB and US networks like CNN is because they have a steadicam operator running around the studio.  The BBC's approach to automation suggests they want to save money utilising robot cameras and have no in-studio camera operators (except maybe for special occasions?).

I just can’t fathom how anyone could be unimpressed with Studio E - either when it launched or now.

Indeed... and the good thing (for now at least) is that we get to see both B and E on-screen! Something for everyone, surely?

[headliner101]

[Stuart]

And Stuart, in the last few weeks I've seen you complain about both newsroom views and skyline views - pretty much the two main options for news studio backgrounds. Other than a blank cyc, what is your suggestion?

I've always quite liked the skyline graphic in Studio C, especially the nightime one. It may be rather 'London specific' for a global channel if people recognise the landmarks, but not really an issue.  They could create an amalgam of various cities if necessary.

I stated the other day I actually liked the 'real view' out of 54D, simply because it wasn't a focus of the set and you couldn't see people wandering about at street level.  At night, the camera movements simply demonstrate reality without the need for VR.

You seem rather restrictive on the options you think are available for news studios. It's not just an 'office' or a 'blank cyc'. Neither are interesting.

[Dylan2001]

I really like the place names and cats cradle oh the LED video walls. When Wales Today launched their new set in April 2013, they had the same.

[JK1985]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but the UK have never seen anything like E in action.

I visited ITN when they broadcasted from the newsroom floor on all three fits. I also went to the BBC when they first introduced the newsroom set in the 80’s for summaries, 9 and weekend.

I also worked at Sky in the 90’s and hand on heart - nothing comes close to what the BBC did with Studio E. Sky news had a small window into the newsroom, nothing like the openness of studio E.

I just can’t fathom how anyone could be unimpressed with Studio E - either when it launched or now.

ITN's newsroom looked excellent when they first used it back around 1992, I always liked the look, especially when News at Ten was placed there from 1992 to 1994, with the zoom shot moving in over the newsroom towards the News at Ten set - before they chose to move it to the basement studio in 1994. 

BBC News in their original newsroom from 1986 was interesting. They specially built a daytime news summary set into the newsroom, which in 1988 was re-jigged and extended to make the 9pm/weekend news set.  However the one thing I always noticed was how good it looked on screen, and how crappy it actually looked when you visited it.

[Spencer]

BBC News in their original newsroom from 1986 was interesting. They specially built a daytime news summary set into the newsroom, which in 1988 was re-jigged and extended to make the 9pm/weekend news set.  However the one thing I always noticed was how good it looked on screen, and how crappy it actually looked when you visited it.

I think that was often the case with TV studio sets. I went to a few shows at YTV in the 90s, and was amazed how tatty sets such as Countdown looked. I guess nowadays HD is much less forgiving, and so they can't get away with quite as much.

[Newsroom]

Studio E is about route one news studio as you can get - to say we've never seen the likes of it is a bit ridiculous.  Virtually all national and many regional shows have at some point had a newsroom backdrop and I would say Sky News Centre in 2005 is the most in the heart of the newsroom we've ever seen from a UK broadcaster.

It's the same with Studio B - it's all very nice and no doubt technologically it's probably the most advanced studio we've seen, but it's not reinventing the wheel at all.

I don't believe we have ever seen such a live newsroom studio. It's got a hell of a lot to do with the newsroom itself - the biggest in Europe and indeed the architecture. it's still as stunning as it was when NBH opened. So no, I don't think it's 'ridiculous' at all.

Sky's was groundbreaking at its time of launch. Since then - a mess and and all over the place, in my opinion of course.The NHB Newsroom, which spans many floors still knocks the socks off of anything we get fed daily.

[Markymark]

BBC News in their original newsroom from 1986 was interesting. They specially built a daytime news summary set into the newsroom, which in 1988 was re-jigged and extended to make the 9pm/weekend news set.  However the one thing I always noticed was how good it looked on screen, and how crappy it actually looked when you visited it.

I think that was often the case with TV studio sets. I went to a few shows at YTV in the 90s, and was amazed how tatty sets such as Countdown looked. I guess nowadays HD is much less forgiving, and so they can't get away with quite as much.

Back in the 80s, the NewsNight set had what looked like two traces of a coffee spill on it, just behind the presenter. It was like that until the set was refreshed.