New Meridian, BBC South & South East Thread

Don't let's decend to this low level...I am talking about things like personality frendiness, warmth, charisma and confidence. Parkin had none of this, Holly has all of this. obviously it helps to see someone even a little good looking and sounds nice, The only minus point is she talks too quickly sometimes....

Since September 2013, the "East" edition has become entirely separate for the full duration of every bulletin (with perhaps rare ad-hoc exceptions).

The "West" edition (stretching from Banbury to the Isle of Wight) is usually pan-regional for most bulletins. There is however a partial sub-regional split on weeknights only, covering the first 10 minutes of the main 6pm programme and the full 10:30pm bulletin (the "Thames Valley" variant covering the Oxford and Hannington transmitters). Irrespective of which iteration of the 6pm programme will be the genuinely live edition, this works out as requiring 40-minutes' worth of pre-recorded sub-opts in all cases.

All iterations of the programme use the Maidstone bridge backdrop at all times. Given that the nature of the view depicted is hardly as iconic/recognisable as e.g. the Clifton Suspension Bridge or Carlisle Castle, I doubt that many/any "average viewers" in the Meridian West area have any idea that the backdrop is of a location well outside of their patch.

Very similar bridge-over-river views can be found all over the UK, and viewers might easily assume that the view must be somewhere in e.g. Hampshire or Oxfordshire. In fact, at first glance, it's barely distinguishable from the Bedford backdrop previously used by Anglia West! Its vagueness therefore gets around the problems of the West programme (A) being partly pan-regional and partly sub-regional, and (B) the fact that the total scope of the Meridian West area is too big for any choice of recognisable/iconic view to seem "right" to all viewers.

A recognisable Reading or Oxford backdrop might seem acceptable to viewers in Banbury and Basingstoke. A recognisable Southampton or Portsmouth backdrop might seem acceptable to viewers in Weymouth and Brighton. Winchester is arguably the most "neutral" potential backdrop option (in terms of where the two sub-regions meet/overlap). But it is geographically too far south to really seem relevant to a Banbury viewer, and so relatively near to Southampton/Portsmouth that it'd seem a weirdly "2nd rate" choice as far as a South Coast viewer is concerned ("Why have Winchester Cathedral, when you can have the Spinnaker Tower?" etc)

The Meridian backdrop, as of the new set in 2015, is now Henley-on-Thames.

Brilliant ! A town served by an ITV London relay !

Well, that shows what I know!

I honestly thought that it was the same Maidstone bridge used on their previous projection screen "window"! Which rather proves my point about how nondescript and "identical" (effectively) to countless other views around Britain it is!

I've just done a quick Google Images search for Maidstone's and Henley-on-Thames' bridges, and now appreciate the difference.



Indeed. The one little corner of Oxfordshire that isn't reached by any of Meridian's transmitter signals whatsoever providing the backdrop for the entire Meridian patch!

Hmm seems to be a misture of HD and SD reporting on MT...about time it was 100% HD by now. Watching Aussie TV I see all reports are fully HD...

Enjoying the chats with Fred and Holly, just like old times

ITV Meridian had a fail just now on the weather. The west version just got Westcountry east weather and east version got London’s weather.

BBC South Today have just shown some archive footage of the 1987 Great Storm, captioned 'South Today Oct 16th 1987'

In fact South Today never made it to air that evening. The studio had power, but Rowridge didn't, so for the
benefit of Hannington viewers on RBS from Crystal Palace, Bruce Parker presented a five minute report within Newsroom SE

I must say Holly has a great articulate way of describing things tonight.

You must admit that she is far more listenable than Parkin! Our cats definitely acting oddly today..very earie feeling with the yellowish skies here i

Sally Taylor celebrated 30 years at South Today yesterday evening. They shown a special report of her best bits and even had some special messages from Harry Gration and Fred Dineage. This also got a brief mention on News Nationwide on the News Channel this evening.

I am afraid she's another one I've never taken to, cold no warmth thinks a lot of herself etc. About time she left also !

She's nothing but complimentary about you. Thinks you're wonderful. Can't sing your praises highly enough.