The Newsroom

BBC National/News Channel from New Broadcasting House

(March 2013)

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IT
itsrobert Founding member
Not sure I agree. The BBC shouldn't dumb down to meet some viewers' low intelligence. If someone has worked hard to become a meteorologist they should be credited as such. It also enhances their credibility in the eyes of those viewers who do understand the term.
BA
bilky asko
Not sure I agree. The BBC shouldn't dumb down to meet some viewers' low intelligence. If someone has worked hard to become a meteorologist they should be credited as such. It also enhances their credibility in the eyes of those viewers who do understand the term.

It isn't stupidity more than ignorance of a distinction that isn't that well-known to the general public; to most viewers he is first and foremost a weather presenter. I would argue that the intelligent viewers would work out that the BBC was using a person with meteorological expertise to comment on a news story.

In any case, isn't it the BBC's duty to make the news understandable for all viewers? Unnecessary jargon doesn't help that. If they really felt it necessary to explain how he is qualified (which isn't usually necessary for their journalists), then explanation of it would have been made in the introduction.
HO
House
On the other hand, there's nothing to say all the presenters have the same job titles, terms or seniority. Wasn't Jay one of those 'moved aside' a couple of years ago?
SP
Steve in Pudsey
I don't know if Jay is a full Met Office forecaster, or a presenter.


Forecaster, according to his biog http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/about/newsid_7844000/7844382.stm
IS
Inspector Sands
Yes. The BBC national on-screen "weather presenters" include both fully qualified meteorologists (with met degrees or similar who are also full Met Office forecasters) and less-academically qualified (though still Met Office trained) presenters. They all work for the Met Office rather than the BBC. I don't know if Jay is a full Met Office forecaster, or a presenter.

Historically all the Met Office weather presenters on the BBC were full forecasters, but this changed when News 24 launched I believe (back in 1997)

What about the regional forecasters? I know the one in the South West is ex national so is a full forecaster but presumably they go through a short Met Office course?
NG
noggin Founding member
Yes. The BBC national on-screen "weather presenters" include both fully qualified meteorologists (with met degrees or similar who are also full Met Office forecasters) and less-academically qualified (though still Met Office trained) presenters. They all work for the Met Office rather than the BBC. I don't know if Jay is a full Met Office forecaster, or a presenter.

Historically all the Met Office weather presenters on the BBC were full forecasters, but this changed when News 24 launched I believe (back in 1997)

What about the regional forecasters? I know the one in the South West is ex national so is a full forecaster but presumably they go through a short Met Office course?


I think the regional presenters are a bit of a mix. Some are fully qualified forecasters who have been given some TV training (or are ex-national forecasters who presented), others are presenters who have been hired for their presentation abilities but gone through some Met Office or similar weather training so that they know what they are talking about (but don't have full Met training and qualifications to forecast) In the "old days" (early-to-mid 90s and before) many regional weather presenters did the TV bits it in addition to working as forecasters at the local Met Officer regional operation. That's certainly how Look East used to work.

Pete Gibbs would fax (how quaint) his charts over from the Norwich Weather Centre to the newsroom where graphics would then make them up. Pete would then turn up just before transmission to check them before presenting the bulletin on Look East.
WO
Worzel
Didn't really know where to post this, but happened to stumble across a selection of videos on BBC News on screen presentation, conducted by Maxine Mawhinney. Gives you an interesting insight into how they train upcoming news (channel) presenters.

SW
Sam Walker
Slight technical issues on the Six O'Clock News tonight. No opening music or pan to the studio, just a few jaunty cameras and straight to Fiona.
BA
bazinga
Slight technical issues on the Six O'Clock News tonight. No opening music or pan to the studio, just a few jaunty cameras and straight to Fiona.

It was a few different camera shots, looked strange.
DA
Davidjb Founding member
Slight technical issues on the Six O'Clock News tonight. No opening music or pan to the studio, just a few jaunty cameras and straight to Fiona.


Seems like for whatever reason the opening titles failed to play.
DK
DanielK
I played the title music over the images, and it all fitted. So it looks like they couldn't that the '6' titles so held onto the Sport VT, then that looks like it messed Mosart's trigger of the camera moves.
BA
Bail Moderator
For anyone who's missed it there are some superb images of NBH on the eternal dreams site that so wonderfully documented TVC.

http://www.eternaldreams.co.uk/bbc-broadcasting-house

http://files.site-fusion.co.uk/webfusion4451/image/1396849_10202310467543550_678960731_o.jpg

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