NG
A bureau is a BBC office. It would normally include some form of computer and network connection, and some form of basic radio equipment to allow for a live contribution or a pre-recorded feed. This could be anything from a regular phone line, to ISDN, to an IP circuit depending on the facilities available in the location.
Bigger bureaux will also include TV facilities either for live video contributions, or for editing and filing. These could be via IP or conventional fibre or satellite broadcast circuits. The live video contribution could have a dedicated camera, in some cases a dedicated single-camera studio space (and in Washington, New York, Singapore etc. a multi-camera studio), but in others they may require a field camera to be set-up for video contributions, and there may not be a studio, and instead a corner of the office is used (sometimes with a simple printed backdrop if CSO/Chromakey or a suitable window isn't feasible)
Important to remember that the BBC Is a large radio broadcaster as well as TV, so it is entirely possible for a bureau to have radio facilities but not TV.
noggin
Founding member
Normally what would exactly be considered a "bureau" in BBC terms? Do they refer to BBC offices located in a foreign country with a broadcast (possibly studio-like) facility ready to give live telecast back to London?
A bureau is a BBC office. It would normally include some form of computer and network connection, and some form of basic radio equipment to allow for a live contribution or a pre-recorded feed. This could be anything from a regular phone line, to ISDN, to an IP circuit depending on the facilities available in the location.
Bigger bureaux will also include TV facilities either for live video contributions, or for editing and filing. These could be via IP or conventional fibre or satellite broadcast circuits. The live video contribution could have a dedicated camera, in some cases a dedicated single-camera studio space (and in Washington, New York, Singapore etc. a multi-camera studio), but in others they may require a field camera to be set-up for video contributions, and there may not be a studio, and instead a corner of the office is used (sometimes with a simple printed backdrop if CSO/Chromakey or a suitable window isn't feasible)
Important to remember that the BBC Is a large radio broadcaster as well as TV, so it is entirely possible for a bureau to have radio facilities but not TV.
DK
A bureau is a BBC office. It would normally include some form of computer and network connection, and some form of basic radio equipment to allow for a live contribution or a pre-recorded feed. This could be anything from a regular phone line, to ISDN, to an IP circuit depending on the facilities available in the location.
Bigger bureaux will also include TV facilities either for live video contributions, or for editing and filing. These could be via IP or conventional fibre or satellite broadcast circuits. The live video contribution could have a dedicated camera, in some cases a dedicated single-camera studio space (and in Washington, New York, Singapore etc. a multi-camera studio), but in others they may require a field camera to be set-up for video contributions, and there may not be a studio, and instead a corner of the office is used (sometimes with a simple printed backdrop if CSO/Chromakey or a suitable window isn't feasible)
Important to remember that the BBC Is a large radio broadcaster as well as TV, so it is entirely possible for a bureau to have radio facilities but not TV.
NY has a multi camera studio??
Normally what would exactly be considered a "bureau" in BBC terms? Do they refer to BBC offices located in a foreign country with a broadcast (possibly studio-like) facility ready to give live telecast back to London?
A bureau is a BBC office. It would normally include some form of computer and network connection, and some form of basic radio equipment to allow for a live contribution or a pre-recorded feed. This could be anything from a regular phone line, to ISDN, to an IP circuit depending on the facilities available in the location.
Bigger bureaux will also include TV facilities either for live video contributions, or for editing and filing. These could be via IP or conventional fibre or satellite broadcast circuits. The live video contribution could have a dedicated camera, in some cases a dedicated single-camera studio space (and in Washington, New York, Singapore etc. a multi-camera studio), but in others they may require a field camera to be set-up for video contributions, and there may not be a studio, and instead a corner of the office is used (sometimes with a simple printed backdrop if CSO/Chromakey or a suitable window isn't feasible)
Important to remember that the BBC Is a large radio broadcaster as well as TV, so it is entirely possible for a bureau to have radio facilities but not TV.
NY has a multi camera studio??
NG
NY has a multi camera studio??
It used to. The BBC took over the small studio at the PBS station the bureau was sited in. It had a BBC News set and a projector backdrop fed by an HD camera on the roof (though the studio itself was SD - and 4:3 I think).
There was also a 'cupboard' down-the-line studio with a CSO/Chromakey backdrop derived from the same HD camera feed.
Haven't seen it on-air for a while - so it could be the relationship between the BBC and the PBS station it was based in has changed. I think they were at one point the co-ordinating partner for BBC World News on PBS, but things soured a bit when the BBC America World News America stuff kicked off.
noggin
Founding member
NY has a multi camera studio??
It used to. The BBC took over the small studio at the PBS station the bureau was sited in. It had a BBC News set and a projector backdrop fed by an HD camera on the roof (though the studio itself was SD - and 4:3 I think).
There was also a 'cupboard' down-the-line studio with a CSO/Chromakey backdrop derived from the same HD camera feed.
Haven't seen it on-air for a while - so it could be the relationship between the BBC and the PBS station it was based in has changed. I think they were at one point the co-ordinating partner for BBC World News on PBS, but things soured a bit when the BBC America World News America stuff kicked off.
RK
There was also a 'cupboard' down-the-line studio with a CSO/Chromakey backdrop derived from the same HD camera feed.
Haven't seen it on-air for a while - so it could be the relationship between the BBC and the PBS station it was based in has changed. I think they were at one point the co-ordinating partner for BBC World News on PBS, but things soured a bit when the BBC America World News America stuff kicked off.
They're still at the NYC PBS affiliate WNET. I think they have an outdoor standup location and then the insert studio. I was kind of surprised that they're not co located with ABC News. As far as I know ITN has offices with Reuters in NY (Not surprising given their ownership) but has offices in DC at NBC's West Capital Hill bureau (which two decent size studios with real backdrops of the capital dome and a few insert studios).
I'm curious which bureau churns out the most content or is bigger staff wise NY or DC?
I don't know anything about their prior arrangements but I'm sure the working relationship soured when the BBC chose KCET to distribute WNA rather than WNET.
Darn. I wish I would have caught that. An NFL game ran over and I decided to watch the local 11 PM news at 12:05.
There was also a 'cupboard' down-the-line studio with a CSO/Chromakey backdrop derived from the same HD camera feed.
Haven't seen it on-air for a while - so it could be the relationship between the BBC and the PBS station it was based in has changed. I think they were at one point the co-ordinating partner for BBC World News on PBS, but things soured a bit when the BBC America World News America stuff kicked off.
They're still at the NYC PBS affiliate WNET. I think they have an outdoor standup location and then the insert studio. I was kind of surprised that they're not co located with ABC News. As far as I know ITN has offices with Reuters in NY (Not surprising given their ownership) but has offices in DC at NBC's West Capital Hill bureau (which two decent size studios with real backdrops of the capital dome and a few insert studios).
I'm curious which bureau churns out the most content or is bigger staff wise NY or DC?
I don't know anything about their prior arrangements but I'm sure the working relationship soured when the BBC chose KCET to distribute WNA rather than WNET.
Something's not right. They were showing World News America on the LCDs at the beginning of WBR. 
Darn. I wish I would have caught that. An NFL game ran over and I decided to watch the local 11 PM news at 12:05.
Last edited by Rkolsen on 21 September 2015 11:19pm - 2 times in total
NG
There was also a 'cupboard' down-the-line studio with a CSO/Chromakey backdrop derived from the same HD camera feed.
Haven't seen it on-air for a while - so it could be the relationship between the BBC and the PBS station it was based in has changed. I think they were at one point the co-ordinating partner for BBC World News on PBS, but things soured a bit when the BBC America World News America stuff kicked off.
They're still at the NYC PBS affiliate WNET. I think they have an outdoor standup location and then the insert studio. I was kind of surprised that they're not co located with ABC News.
Well historically the BBC NY bureau was based at 30 Rock as NBC were their previous US Newsgathering partners. The BBC, NBC and Reuters were all co-owners of Visnews. However this changed in the early 90s.
The BBC then had a small studio in an operation in Broadway, which was still operational in the late 90s and provided a small studio for the New York editions of "USA Direct" - which was pre-recorded nightly in New York, or broadcast live from Washington (with London playing inserts). To be honest the NY studio was a broom cupboard with a rear-projection monitor with a pretty ropey New York skyline. Far from impressive. The NY Broadway studio was closed, and the BBC then used a Times Square studio - with a much better view (hired as required from Reuters I think) Then the BBC NY Bureau was just radio and office space I think - with possibly a DTL studio.
AIUI the decision to move locations and to have a small studio operation (which was used for World Business Report) happened when the PBS station in NY handled BBC World News in the US. The BBC were looking to relocate their NY operation, so moving into a partner space made sense.
Whilst the BBC and ABC are partners, they don't historically share premises. ABC weren't based at a BBC building, and the BBC aren't based at an ABC building. They share footage and reporters (in a complex agreement), but aren't totally enmeshed.
noggin
Founding member
There was also a 'cupboard' down-the-line studio with a CSO/Chromakey backdrop derived from the same HD camera feed.
Haven't seen it on-air for a while - so it could be the relationship between the BBC and the PBS station it was based in has changed. I think they were at one point the co-ordinating partner for BBC World News on PBS, but things soured a bit when the BBC America World News America stuff kicked off.
They're still at the NYC PBS affiliate WNET. I think they have an outdoor standup location and then the insert studio. I was kind of surprised that they're not co located with ABC News.
Well historically the BBC NY bureau was based at 30 Rock as NBC were their previous US Newsgathering partners. The BBC, NBC and Reuters were all co-owners of Visnews. However this changed in the early 90s.
The BBC then had a small studio in an operation in Broadway, which was still operational in the late 90s and provided a small studio for the New York editions of "USA Direct" - which was pre-recorded nightly in New York, or broadcast live from Washington (with London playing inserts). To be honest the NY studio was a broom cupboard with a rear-projection monitor with a pretty ropey New York skyline. Far from impressive. The NY Broadway studio was closed, and the BBC then used a Times Square studio - with a much better view (hired as required from Reuters I think) Then the BBC NY Bureau was just radio and office space I think - with possibly a DTL studio.
AIUI the decision to move locations and to have a small studio operation (which was used for World Business Report) happened when the PBS station in NY handled BBC World News in the US. The BBC were looking to relocate their NY operation, so moving into a partner space made sense.
Whilst the BBC and ABC are partners, they don't historically share premises. ABC weren't based at a BBC building, and the BBC aren't based at an ABC building. They share footage and reporters (in a complex agreement), but aren't totally enmeshed.
DE
A bureau is a BBC office. It would normally include some form of computer and network connection, and some form of basic radio equipment to allow for a live contribution or a pre-recorded feed. This could be anything from a regular phone line, to ISDN, to an IP circuit depending on the facilities available in the location.
Bigger bureaux will also include TV facilities either for live video contributions, or for editing and filing. These could be via IP or conventional fibre or satellite broadcast circuits. The live video contribution could have a dedicated camera, in some cases a dedicated single-camera studio space (and in Washington, New York, Singapore etc. a multi-camera studio), but in others they may require a field camera to be set-up for video contributions, and there may not be a studio, and instead a corner of the office is used (sometimes with a simple printed backdrop if CSO/Chromakey or a suitable window isn't feasible)
Important to remember that the BBC Is a large radio broadcaster as well as TV, so it is entirely possible for a bureau to have radio facilities but not TV.
Only multi-camera studios I can think of are Washington, Singapore and Cairo. I hear the WS Kabul office has one too, but I can't confirm that. NY is a single camera. There's about 10 times as many people in DC as in the News NY bureau (there's a Worldwide office in NY too)
Almost all BBC bureaus have TV contribution feeds, ranging from multiple channels on ATM circuits like Washington, to Vyvx connected bureaus like Rio, to NTTs or OBEs over MPLS (Gaza) or the internet (Rome), to Quicklink over a Bgan (Myanmar) or LiveU on 4G (Taipei). Some bureaus the camera is in the corner of the newsroom (Jakarta springs to mind), but the camera is usually left in situ so the journalist or guest can walk in, turn on and be on air in 2 minutes. Most bureaus have a dedicated room of some sort, often shared with the radio equipment. Some buraus have multiple TV facilities - Gaza, Ramallah, Jerusalem and Cairo can feed 2 streams at a time, as can Singapore. Washington can do 3, Brussels only streams 1 feed, but there's 2 sources. Increasingly liveU is used from outside places (Washington on the white house lawn for example).
The number of non-IP circuits from BBC bureaus, I believe, is 3. The majority of vision circuits are over the internet, and have been for the best part of 5 years.
Very few chromakeys left, Berlin, LA, maybe Moscow, and I believe Sao Paulo too, possibly Khatmandu. Bangkok doesn't have any background, just a live balcony position, and is fairly unique in that it needs to be set up for each hit. I can't think of any still backgrounds - Geneva was a still for a while, but it was a JPEG on a USB stick rather than a print. Rome moved to a TV background about a year ago.
A bureau is a BBC office. It would normally include some form of computer and network connection, and some form of basic radio equipment to allow for a live contribution or a pre-recorded feed. This could be anything from a regular phone line, to ISDN, to an IP circuit depending on the facilities available in the location.
Bigger bureaux will also include TV facilities either for live video contributions, or for editing and filing. These could be via IP or conventional fibre or satellite broadcast circuits. The live video contribution could have a dedicated camera, in some cases a dedicated single-camera studio space (and in Washington, New York, Singapore etc. a multi-camera studio), but in others they may require a field camera to be set-up for video contributions, and there may not be a studio, and instead a corner of the office is used (sometimes with a simple printed backdrop if CSO/Chromakey or a suitable window isn't feasible)
Important to remember that the BBC Is a large radio broadcaster as well as TV, so it is entirely possible for a bureau to have radio facilities but not TV.
Only multi-camera studios I can think of are Washington, Singapore and Cairo. I hear the WS Kabul office has one too, but I can't confirm that. NY is a single camera. There's about 10 times as many people in DC as in the News NY bureau (there's a Worldwide office in NY too)
Almost all BBC bureaus have TV contribution feeds, ranging from multiple channels on ATM circuits like Washington, to Vyvx connected bureaus like Rio, to NTTs or OBEs over MPLS (Gaza) or the internet (Rome), to Quicklink over a Bgan (Myanmar) or LiveU on 4G (Taipei). Some bureaus the camera is in the corner of the newsroom (Jakarta springs to mind), but the camera is usually left in situ so the journalist or guest can walk in, turn on and be on air in 2 minutes. Most bureaus have a dedicated room of some sort, often shared with the radio equipment. Some buraus have multiple TV facilities - Gaza, Ramallah, Jerusalem and Cairo can feed 2 streams at a time, as can Singapore. Washington can do 3, Brussels only streams 1 feed, but there's 2 sources. Increasingly liveU is used from outside places (Washington on the white house lawn for example).
The number of non-IP circuits from BBC bureaus, I believe, is 3. The majority of vision circuits are over the internet, and have been for the best part of 5 years.
Very few chromakeys left, Berlin, LA, maybe Moscow, and I believe Sao Paulo too, possibly Khatmandu. Bangkok doesn't have any background, just a live balcony position, and is fairly unique in that it needs to be set up for each hit. I can't think of any still backgrounds - Geneva was a still for a while, but it was a JPEG on a USB stick rather than a print. Rome moved to a TV background about a year ago.