BBC News nostalgia, including BBC World

It's the same on the News Channel. I found the channel as boring as hell about 10 years ago, not just because of Studio N6 but because each and every hour was just plainly "BBC News". Nowadays i feel it's swung too far in the opposite direction. Whilst I adore Afternoon Live, I can't stand Victoria Derbyshire, Outside Source or Beyond 100 Days. Whilst coronavirus is horrific for many reasons, there's been a real sense of nostalgia having nearly every hour branded "BBC News" again. There's also been more consistency in presenter rotas.

The more individual brands are used, the less they have any values. I do think a news channel should have key hours where they do something a bit more specific, but on the whole "BBC News" is stronger than any indivual brand. Personally I'd stick with that during daytime and weekends and just have BBC News at 5 then something like World News Today in primetime. However if there does end up being a need to simulcast BBC World more during the day doing so under a brand like Global or Impact works to somewhat disguise it.

Bbc world was magnificent when I first got my satellite setup back in 2000, it was just so good it literally made bbc news 24 look poor in comparison, presentation was strong it made the best use of those bridge China red titles, that globe spun so fast for World Sport , you never saw that on domestic bbc news

They managed to make the newsroom look a lot bigger and the business presenter had a red backing (was it literally just a wall there), of course the magnificent breakfiller, pole to pole with Michael Palin in fantastic 4:3 ratio, world weather had titles as well, it really was wonderful my only regret was I missed the flags era from what I seen on various websites was even more magnificent

Totally echo what others have said here. For me, the news is at its best when it's just a simple solid newscast with authority and without unnecessary bells and whistles and where the news is the star and not the presenter/programme. Proper news delivered in a professional but warm style and with room for lighter moments is what you want really

The ITN News At 10 90s branding was much loved and it wasn't anything groundbreaking but just a concept very well executed that had authority and gravitas.
Too much of schedules these days on most channels are shows which have funky names and graphics but are essentially the same content done in very similar ways and the whole thing feels half-baked. On BBC World, I assume Live, Impact, Global, Beyond 100 Days in theory are all meant to focus on different regions but are in reality the same news. Similarly, I'd struggle to tell you the actual content differences on CNN between Your World Today, Connect The World and Hala Gorani Tonight.
And having too many flagship, branded shows waters things down - if every bulletin is special, none are really.

On CNNI for example one of the best new shows is the Brief which is noticably different in how it structures a bulletin to other CNNI hours.
You don''t want necessarily the old BBC News 2008-13 style where the presentation is uninspiring and every hour is the exact same and it's the same presentation day-in day-out hour after hour. But you don't want the opposite extreme either a la Sky News 2005 where you had people running across the studio, desks rotating etc and the actual content is a bit of an afterthought.

I think Al Jazeera probably comes closest to the old World style. A simple but beautiful presentation style fronted by great presenters with a mix of interesting taped programmes. No-nonsense stuff.
Similarly I thought the 'The Brief'/'Your World Today' block CNNI had was quite good and had a feel of 'proper news' but what let it down was too many sports bulletins and the fact you rarely actually got a full week of it as it would be pre-empted for U.S programming a lot so YWT in particular was never able to build up much momentum of its own.

All these posts are bringing back memories. I concur entirely that BBC World was very strong in that period, and a lot of that was down to consistency. Consistently solid newsreaders, a consistent roster, consistent presentation, and a consistent focus on global news reporting which tapped into the correspondents and bureaux around the globe. You could turn on BBC World at any hour knowing you’d receive a high quality overview of world news. That model suits on-demand, ad-hoc viewing habits. Now, while I’m still a fan, especially compared to the alternatives, the abundance of branded and differentiated programming removes that consistency and certainty. This model is perhaps better suited to extended viewing habits.



Here is the sport ident you mention (apologies for the audio cut at the start):



And here is the business equivalent:

^^^ How good was that ''return from break sting''? A slow zoom into the globe and the music taking you back in a hypnotic way. Just perfect.

Also, even though every hour was pretty much the same, at the beginning TWT had its unique headline bed and opening music, with the distinctive sound that was like an alarm clock. It was a sign of early mornings for me.



Rest of the day, from 09.00 CET used the main, the faster, more explosive opening theme.



Later on, of course, the TWT music and sound was used for all day long. Not sure why they did that though.

Even though now we can see from behind the scenes photos how small the studio and newsroom were, back than, on screen, it really looked grand. I remember seeing BBC World set for the first time during 9/11 coverage, it was such a shock after all the traditional CNN and US sets I was watching and Sky News as well. BBC World's set looked so different - futuristic and modern, with a touch of tradition in that wooden desk. Like a space ship, with that plasma screen hanging on the side.

Jamie Robertson hasn't changed much in seventeen years!

The one that sticks in my head from those days is "My name's Mike Embley" - which I always presumed was because the Ms would run together if he said "I'm Mike".

Having an actual newsroom was a definite plus - I never got on with News 24's glassed-off background that never seemed to have anyone in it.

Mike continues to start bulletins in that way, and its not irregular for those covering him to do the same.

^^ Speaking of that News 24 studio. Was that really a ''newsroom'' behind? It looked like part of the set imitating a newsroom look where no one actually could work.

I remember being confused why is BBC World so strange after 0200 cet.

As you can see in this video, it was a set built within the newsroom. So, I guess it was both a set and a newsroom?!

This last page or two is making me seriously nostalgic. I honestly loved that red & cream look the BBC had in the early Noughties and they got rid of it far too quickly. It only lasted 3 or 4 years and should have lasted far longer.

The presentation still stands up well today - the music, presentation and all round look all gives off a sense of gravitas and the presenters back then were all hard as nails but also had a real warmth too and their own little presentational quirks. To me that BBC World period in the early Noughties is still the gold standard and really what news channels these days should be looking to match. A high-quality news service where you knew whenever you tuned in you'd get a comprehensive newscast presented by a high calibre journalist. Back in that era of World, when the news started back you sat up and took notice.