DF
Who took the lead role today, Ben or Fiona? Ben did it yesterday, I'm just wondering if Fiona was sat on the left side of the desk today (or the right side if you look at it from the presenters' point of view).
And yes, I like the sound of 'Biona'. Rolls nicely off the tongue, that does.
Fiona never takes the lead seat from what I've seen, the only time she does so is the rare time when she is on the 6:30pm shift or she's on her own. Julia Somerville and Sue Thearle do the same thing. It appears to be personal choice, as most presenters swap around day-by-day.
Also - must we really name every pairing of BBC News presenters we see?
On the News channel today we have 'Biona' - Ben Brown and Fiona Armstrong. 
Who took the lead role today, Ben or Fiona? Ben did it yesterday, I'm just wondering if Fiona was sat on the left side of the desk today (or the right side if you look at it from the presenters' point of view).
And yes, I like the sound of 'Biona'. Rolls nicely off the tongue, that does.
Fiona never takes the lead seat from what I've seen, the only time she does so is the rare time when she is on the 6:30pm shift or she's on her own. Julia Somerville and Sue Thearle do the same thing. It appears to be personal choice, as most presenters swap around day-by-day.
Also - must we really name every pairing of BBC News presenters we see?
DS
Dan S
Also - must we really name every pairing of BBC News presenters we see?
No, we'll stop now - until Suelian makes another appearance.
DF
Not for this particular thread, but I feel that World could do with a big, solid daily newscast which is an hour long, in depth and double headed. Having the likes of Nik Gowing and Lyse Doucet presenting side by side would make it a show to be reckoned with, IMO. Not commercially viable, I would imagine.
I agree, James. Didn't they do something similar a few years back? If memory serves it was David Eades and Lucy Hockings in the morning.
Was it something like this (2 mins, 53 secs in)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdRISaJNfTM
Yes David Eades would do 8-11 and Lucy Hockings would do 10-12 and another bulletin either 1300 or 1500.
Not sure when they started doing it, but it ceased in January 2010 when they rebranded all the World News Todays as GMT/Impact/The Hub. However Lucy Hocking was gone for quite a few months around then so It may have stopped before that.
I must say, I prefer the normal BBC World News branded bulletins to the way they do GMT, Impact and The Hub et cetera. All three seem far out of line with the BBC News branding, and GMT/Impact/Newsday don't fit properly into studio N8, with the newsroom backdrop all being red.
It all seems a bit gimmicky to me. The Hub is mostly based around Nik Gowing standing in front of the newswall at a podium but otherwise it's just normal, and Newsday is BBC News with a eye-searing yellow backdrop and some Singapore presentation.
Personally, I'd sooner just see the presenter behind the desk, acknowledge the majority of the audience by doing the usual, it's "00:00 here in London, and 01:00 in xxx" - and a familiar face presenting.
I'd keep the nice new camera work though
Not for this particular thread, but I feel that World could do with a big, solid daily newscast which is an hour long, in depth and double headed. Having the likes of Nik Gowing and Lyse Doucet presenting side by side would make it a show to be reckoned with, IMO. Not commercially viable, I would imagine.
I agree, James. Didn't they do something similar a few years back? If memory serves it was David Eades and Lucy Hockings in the morning.
Was it something like this (2 mins, 53 secs in)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdRISaJNfTM
Yes David Eades would do 8-11 and Lucy Hockings would do 10-12 and another bulletin either 1300 or 1500.
Not sure when they started doing it, but it ceased in January 2010 when they rebranded all the World News Todays as GMT/Impact/The Hub. However Lucy Hocking was gone for quite a few months around then so It may have stopped before that.
I must say, I prefer the normal BBC World News branded bulletins to the way they do GMT, Impact and The Hub et cetera. All three seem far out of line with the BBC News branding, and GMT/Impact/Newsday don't fit properly into studio N8, with the newsroom backdrop all being red.
It all seems a bit gimmicky to me. The Hub is mostly based around Nik Gowing standing in front of the newswall at a podium but otherwise it's just normal, and Newsday is BBC News with a eye-searing yellow backdrop and some Singapore presentation.
Personally, I'd sooner just see the presenter behind the desk, acknowledge the majority of the audience by doing the usual, it's "00:00 here in London, and 01:00 in xxx" - and a familiar face presenting.
I'd keep the nice new camera work though
IT
I must say, I prefer the normal BBC World News branded bulletins to the way they do GMT, Impact and The Hub et cetera. All three seem far out of line with the BBC News branding, and GMT/Impact/Newsday don't fit properly into studio N8, with the newsroom backdrop all being red.
It all seems a bit gimmicky to me. The Hub is mostly based around Nik Gowing standing in front of the newswall at a podium but otherwise it's just normal, and Newsday is BBC News with a eye-searing yellow backdrop and some Singapore presentation.
Personally, I'd sooner just see the presenter behind the desk, acknowledge the majority of the audience by doing the usual, it's "00:00 here in London, and 01:00 in xxx" - and a familiar face presenting.
I'd keep the nice new camera work though
I agree, Drew. I think BBC World should be commended for strengthening its news output, but I don't really like GMT/Impact/The Hub/WNT/Newsday. Like you say, there's nothing different about them aside from minor presentational gimmicks and a trendy name. Personally, I think it was the BBC's reaction to CNN's various programmes, e.g. BackStory, iDesk, World Report, Your World Today, Quest Means Business, Prism etc.
It's interesting how BBC World's schedules have been cyclical over time. From 1991-1994 each hour was - as far as I can gather - essentially BBC World Service News. Then in 1994/5 they launched various strands, including The World Today, Newsday, Newsdesk, The World Report etc., much in the same way as we have now in 2012. These gradually disappeared over the next few years, with only The World Today left by 1999. In 2000 every hour was BBC News - nothing else. Then we got The World Today back in 2001, followed by World News Today in 2007 and then the rest in 2010.
I predict that these strand programmes will remain for another couple of years before someone decides that the schedules are too fragmented and BBC World will return to bog standard news bulletins every hour. I must say I preferred it that way - the 2000-2001 period was probably the most consistent news schedule, even if back half hours were filled with things like Holiday and Top Gear. Overall, I think BBC World in 2012 is a better news channel than it was 10 years ago. But I think I preferred the method of delivery back then.
itsrobert
Founding member
I must say, I prefer the normal BBC World News branded bulletins to the way they do GMT, Impact and The Hub et cetera. All three seem far out of line with the BBC News branding, and GMT/Impact/Newsday don't fit properly into studio N8, with the newsroom backdrop all being red.
It all seems a bit gimmicky to me. The Hub is mostly based around Nik Gowing standing in front of the newswall at a podium but otherwise it's just normal, and Newsday is BBC News with a eye-searing yellow backdrop and some Singapore presentation.
Personally, I'd sooner just see the presenter behind the desk, acknowledge the majority of the audience by doing the usual, it's "00:00 here in London, and 01:00 in xxx" - and a familiar face presenting.
I'd keep the nice new camera work though
I agree, Drew. I think BBC World should be commended for strengthening its news output, but I don't really like GMT/Impact/The Hub/WNT/Newsday. Like you say, there's nothing different about them aside from minor presentational gimmicks and a trendy name. Personally, I think it was the BBC's reaction to CNN's various programmes, e.g. BackStory, iDesk, World Report, Your World Today, Quest Means Business, Prism etc.
It's interesting how BBC World's schedules have been cyclical over time. From 1991-1994 each hour was - as far as I can gather - essentially BBC World Service News. Then in 1994/5 they launched various strands, including The World Today, Newsday, Newsdesk, The World Report etc., much in the same way as we have now in 2012. These gradually disappeared over the next few years, with only The World Today left by 1999. In 2000 every hour was BBC News - nothing else. Then we got The World Today back in 2001, followed by World News Today in 2007 and then the rest in 2010.
I predict that these strand programmes will remain for another couple of years before someone decides that the schedules are too fragmented and BBC World will return to bog standard news bulletins every hour. I must say I preferred it that way - the 2000-2001 period was probably the most consistent news schedule, even if back half hours were filled with things like Holiday and Top Gear. Overall, I think BBC World in 2012 is a better news channel than it was 10 years ago. But I think I preferred the method of delivery back then.
JW
I somewhat agree with you both. (Although, we're probably hijacking the wrong thread).
Good, solid, sturdy news programming is what's essentially required and - I feel - is what the international viewer expects. It's impossible to cater to every regional international taste. You would end up with a different bias every hour, catering to different audiences across the globe. As you point out, Rob, we did have occasions where branded programmes were aired, and carried titles such as The World Today (Donald and Nici), Newshour Asia Pacific (Stephen Cole and Nisha Pillai) and Newsdesk/Newsday (Tim Sebastian/Philip Hayton).
In the same sequence, those regional biases are still catered for in today's programming, albeit with different brand names: World News Today (Zeinab), Impact (Mishal Husain/Lyse Doucet) and GMT/The Hub (Alagiah/Gowing).
Interestingly, in the "old days", Nik Gowing was considered as the channel's main presenter, yet he didn't initially specialize in a themed programme, instead appearing mainly in the generic BBC World News bulletins.
I felt that the years of only World News was a little bit bland, yet today's schedules of multiple brands is a bit over the top. I would consider that only three main flagship programmes would be enough, and the CNN-esque current branding is a bit too much.
The World Today, GMT and World News Today would be more than enough to break up the blandness of hours on end of standard bulletins, although those three wouldn't necessarily require to retain the same names that they currently have.
Since we're in presenters and rotas, it's also prudent to point out that more double-headed presentation would be welcomed, in my opinion, and probably for the three flagships that Im refering to. Everything else could be solo anchored.
For me, by far the most enjoyable outing presently is the current The World Today slot with newspaper review. It's lively and energetic, yet gives a reasonably in depth digest of the news. The current batch of anchors involved in that slot also make it worth watching. They are rotated sufficiently to keep it interesting.
And, it's workable because it's also an hour long!
Good, solid, sturdy news programming is what's essentially required and - I feel - is what the international viewer expects. It's impossible to cater to every regional international taste. You would end up with a different bias every hour, catering to different audiences across the globe. As you point out, Rob, we did have occasions where branded programmes were aired, and carried titles such as The World Today (Donald and Nici), Newshour Asia Pacific (Stephen Cole and Nisha Pillai) and Newsdesk/Newsday (Tim Sebastian/Philip Hayton).
In the same sequence, those regional biases are still catered for in today's programming, albeit with different brand names: World News Today (Zeinab), Impact (Mishal Husain/Lyse Doucet) and GMT/The Hub (Alagiah/Gowing).
Interestingly, in the "old days", Nik Gowing was considered as the channel's main presenter, yet he didn't initially specialize in a themed programme, instead appearing mainly in the generic BBC World News bulletins.
I felt that the years of only World News was a little bit bland, yet today's schedules of multiple brands is a bit over the top. I would consider that only three main flagship programmes would be enough, and the CNN-esque current branding is a bit too much.
The World Today, GMT and World News Today would be more than enough to break up the blandness of hours on end of standard bulletins, although those three wouldn't necessarily require to retain the same names that they currently have.
Since we're in presenters and rotas, it's also prudent to point out that more double-headed presentation would be welcomed, in my opinion, and probably for the three flagships that Im refering to. Everything else could be solo anchored.
For me, by far the most enjoyable outing presently is the current The World Today slot with newspaper review. It's lively and energetic, yet gives a reasonably in depth digest of the news. The current batch of anchors involved in that slot also make it worth watching. They are rotated sufficiently to keep it interesting.
And, it's workable because it's also an hour long!
IT
itsrobert
Founding member
You make some good points there, James. I agree that 3 flagship programmes would be enough spread throughout the day. Those programmes definitely ought to be an hour of original material, not just 30 minutes of reports repeated again, and co-presented, like you suggest. That would give the channel an injection of the kind of energy seen on News 24. Moreover, I would make those flagship programmes focus more on in depth interviews and investigative, agenda-setting reporting, leaving the news bulletins to be more focused summaries of the news. That would give viewers a reason to tune in to the flagship programmes and would mean they are more than merely the same news presented in a slightly different way. Kind of what BBC4 News was when it launched in 2002.
JW
Who is the lady currently presenting on World at the moment? Have never, ever, ever seen her before.
DF
Can't quite believe it, but it is Dani Sinha of BBC South Today.
Who is the lady currently presenting on World at the moment? Have never, ever, ever seen her before.
Can't quite believe it, but it is Dani Sinha of BBC South Today.
JW
Yes, Drew. Just googled her foto. You're right.
The Mike Embley and Gwennan Edwards tradition continues......................I.e. regional presenters doing the weekends on World.
The Mike Embley and Gwennan Edwards tradition continues......................I.e. regional presenters doing the weekends on World.
