BBC News Channel General Discussion

They should have stuck with World but I guess many are expecting their News at Ten with a familiar newsreader. edit: back to World, 10 on bbc1

Does anyone know what the News Channel is doing tonight? After Fiona Bruce's introduction it's now jumped back to World News America...

Clearly trying to give live coverage of the French attacks - News at Ten was opening with it - now back to the rolling coverage on BBC World News.

A very confused TOTH there. They handed over to Washington at 10pm, although maybe not World News America itself, because the normal schedule seems to have been abandoned, and there was no mention of WNA in the handover. A few seconds later we cut into the News at 10 headlines, and a few minutes later we were back in Studio C with World News.

Washington had some very nice 'breaking news' graphics for the brief time they were on air, they also said 'welcome back' and didn't acknowledge a handover from London to DC. Surely they had nobody to welcome back as they weren't broadcasting already?

When did the News Channel last take WNA (or at least some form of it)? I've never seen anything like this before

I recall seeing World News America broadcast Live on NC during the 2008 US presidential elections, but IIRC it aired later back then. Not sure if it was 11pm or midnight?

At the end of October 2012 we had several days of WNA at 9:30pm (the week when there's only a four hour time difference between the UK and US East Coast), following the latest news surrounding Hurricane Sandy. It was also part of the Chilean Miner's rescue coverage on the News Channel.

No WNA branding actually being used, Tim in London and Jane O'Brien in Washington presenting from 10pm and Martine took over the simulcasting at 10:30.

I don't know how the BBC can get any presenters/reporters parachuted into Paris as there is a state of emergency in place with the borders shut. I'm sure though they will make good use of the two correspondents on the ground already.

Three actually - David Chazan is also reporting on radio.

Thanks! I'm sure he'll appear on TV soon. Chris Morris tweeted he's crossed the border successfully.

The borders weren't shut, they were closed. That isn't the same thing.

France normally operates under Schengen, which means that borders with other Schengen countries are 'open borders' (i.e. no passport controls). Border controls are only normally enforced on people coming into France from non-Schengen countries (like the US, UK etc.) The idea is that the border controls for any Schengen state are deemed good enough for all Schengen states, so there should only be checks on people arriving from non-Schengen countries. Once you are in the "Schengen zone" you are in. (NB Not all EU countries are in Schengen, and not all countries in Schengen are in the EU)

This is also what has happened in some other Schengen countries as a reaction to the migration issues of recent months.

France is described as having 'open borders' when Schengen is being enforced (i.e. free travel between Schengen countries). However they have suspended Schengen, so full border controls have been reinstated at borders which would otherwise be Schengen. This is what is described as having a 'closed border'.

Practically this means passport controls being introduced on the borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland etc. where normally there would be none. (It may also mean a change to how international rail travel works in Europe)

However I believe the border controls were going to be re-introduced in advance of the Climate Change conference due to take place at the end of the month?

I doubt there will be any major issues getting UK reporters into Paris - as they would always have had to pass through the border controls now introduced as the UK isn't in Schengen.