BBC News Channel General Discussion

What exactly is being upgraded?

Not sure of the exact upgrades but its just to the newsroom workstations and nothing on screen.

The decamp is because the works probably won't be as aesthetically pleasing as a recorded newsroom background

Basically, people are moving desks. Which means technology, screens, wiring all have to be moved too.

The move to Studio D over the weekend is to cover up the fact the newsroom will be in a bit of a mess whilst the move takes place! That's all.

Interesting that they've decided to use studio D and not A for news channel and network bulletins. Is D's gallery the same as A, C & E? Also in D is it a manual jib with the cameras operated in the same fashion as A?

I can't see a long term future for any rolling news channel when you can get news when and where you want it. the website and app both offer news in various forms when you want it, if they utilise the iPlayer more you could easily see a time when a rolling news channel seems obsolete.

The challenge for the BBC is how you capitalise on technology and allow people access to BBC News 24/7 without having an actual channel which is expensive to run.

My prediction is that after the licence fee settlement they'll close the channel but do more news on BBC Two in the style of Victoria Derbyshire ie in depth and with unique reports and interviews that'll also be available online (therefore pushing the online world as the first port of call for BBC News).

It's interesting that Newsnight and doing more online throughout the day and I'd imagine that's a direction for travel for all BBC News ie they'll break more news online when they ready rather than having to wait for specific programmes.

The other advantage of not having a news channel which you need to fill with lives etc us that you allow journalists to be journalists rather than hanging around to do a live interview every couple of hours. If you allow them the freedom to report directly online you make for a much more dynamic news organisation.

I wonder if that's part of the reason Newsnight had been reportedly going over-budget according to Private Eye, in addition to reports of up to 1 in 5 stories being spiked after filmed.

For me, the BBC News Channel is good, but i think it should have some schedule changes and drop simulcast of VD.

Not sure if it was to do with the license fee, but DR in Denmark did something similar a few years ago - closing their news channel DR Update and putting more news programming onto DR2 (Their equivalent of BBC Two).

The BBC wouldn't do this like in Denmark. The BBC NC rates better then other news channels in the UK.

I've always thought that the major part of the BBC News budget was spent on gathering the information through their various bureaux and network of reporters, rather than the actual broadcasting of it. I wouldn't think that closing the NC would save very much. Don't they share many resources with WN anyway?

I often learn of breaking news first via Twitter et al, but when there's a big unfolding story like the events in Paris earlier this year I still think broadcast TV is the most effective medium.

Sky is going to come under a lot of commercial pressure in the coming years, so I wouldn't assume that Sky News won't be immune from cuts.

I think B is the only studio with a jib? I guess A might have one.

I think D has the same cameras as A (ie not on a track) and the same Mosart based automation as the other studios.

Have they used D for network or News Channel stuff before? Maybe a HardTalk?