BBC Local News

Yes, South Today's programme felt like 5 minutes of actual content, packed into 15.
Disappointing

Lunchtime Look North today consisted of 2 reports, 2 more stories read over library pictures and then the weather with Kay. Very rushed and not very comprehensive as expected.

I can see a pattern forming for BBC South's late news, local OB padded out to 4 mins, national/internaional story dressed up as a local one, another 4 mins of airtime filled, and an extended weather forecast, with overlapping detail covered straight afterwards on the national forecast.

Case of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' I think !

The new late is only 13 mins not 15, so I'm sure there has been a net loss overall.

The late bulletin looks to be twice as long from the listings, but now seems to start later and finishes early meaning there is time for the weather before the next programme, not running over like it always used to do.

It's interesting that some regions are treating the late bulletin much more like the main 6:30 programme now, when previously the 15 minute 1:30 bulletin was still treated like a short bulletin. Looking on iPlayer almost all regions have a headline sequence for the late bulletin now, with South East Today even having the weather presenter plugging the forecast 'later in the programme', and lots of regions have relit their sets in blue to match the newsroom at Broadcasting House.

BBC South get the prize for most contrived use of an OB to report a story.

Last night's lead story was a man who'd had suffered heart attacks on holiday in France,
and has been having problems with his health insurance paying up.

The story was presented as an OB from Southampton Docks because, 'it's where many
people start their holidays abroad'

The report only warranted about 30 seconds of air time, not 4 mins !!

FFS

Edit: Just watched it back on iplayer, a colleague in our office brought it up this morning, it's total lunacy pure unadulterated padding, lazy cynical journalism is the consensus

BBC CI News opted back into Spotlight 7 mins in.

This was my observation from Points West region. If we'd missed the 6.30 for whatever reason - the 10.30 would usually cover the main stuff but you'd always felt there was an "interest" story or suchlike that could well get missed, even the weather was only a short one covering the following day.

10.30 now seems to be a decent alternative to 6.30

You're lucky then. Here in the south, the 10:30 is nothing more than the short version, p-a-d-d-e-d out
with a totally pointless and irrelevant OB, fluff about Facebook, and a padded out weather forecast.

Last night's pointless OB was from a rural railway station, about a local mental hospital Go figure, presumably
the hospital wasn't illuminated, so the next best thing to go and stand outside of was the railway station ?

What a waste of (OUR) money

BBC London had a 3-4 min padded out live and a pre-rec forecast from Philip Avery which was done in the studio. You could tell as the map was all blurry. Not their finest hour.

You should definitely drop them a line at BBC South expressing your views. A lot of dinosaurs at Havelock Road.

I think I will, and copy it to the BBC Trust too