New BBC Region in Central England

But MK (where I used to live) is not at the centre of this region or of Sandy Heath's coverage area, it is at the western edge. Would you call Cambridge, Stevenage or Luton "central"?

They can't legitimately call the programme South Midlands Today. The exisiting programme is called Look East so I don't see why the new programme from the new region can't be called Look East as it has always been part of the East of England region (note: NOT East Anglia which is really Cambs/Norfolk & Suffolk).

Any other suggestions/opinions?

Hull's not at the centre of my region either - it's thirty miles north of its main transmitter. And I Don't think Plymouth can be called the centre of the Spotlight region either.....

Yep - this article must refer to the proposed new BBC Region being spun out of the BBC Cambridge Sandy Heath sub-opt (in the same way that Hull is splitting fully from Leeds after initially being a sub-opt, and similarly Nottingham split from Birmingham even longer ago!)

The proposal is to relocate the TV operation from Radio Cambridgeshire to a new building in Milton Keynes, co-siting with 3CR there. The existing Radio Cambridgeshire building is pretty stretched to support the existing sub-opt service - the existing Cambs studio is in the space formerly occupied by the R. Cambs. newsroom. The combined TV and Radio Newsroom had to be located in a nearby building - as there wasn't space in the existing R.Cambs. operation - and has since moved again I believe.

If the full region were to be based in Cambridge (which is quite a long way from the middle of the new proposed patch - though made sense as a Western outpost of the combined Norwich/Cambridge Look East operation) it would need a new building - and this is not going to be easy to find as city centre (the Beeb policy is for regional operations to be central and accessible) property in Cambridge is rare and VERY expensive.

I think that describing the new region - which will include most of Cambs, and much of Northants, and varying sized bits of Beds, Bucks, Herts, Suffolk and Essex (and possibly a teeny bit of the NW of Norfolk) - is going to be one of the biggest difficulties. AIUI there are no plans to change the coverage area of the regions (though a few relays may be switched) Therefore all the viewers who watch the new service will previously have been watching Look East - though may not have considered themselves East Anglian...

Viewers in the NW of the patch will probably think of themselves as being Midlands/East Midlands based (Northants and Peterborough). Viewers in the Newmarket and Cambridge areas will be more likely to consider themselves East Anglian, whilst the Beds/Bucks/Herts viewers are more likely to consider themselves South East / Home Counties types.

Most of the region is 'shire counties (excluding the bits of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex who point at Sandy) - whereas the remaining Look East (East) patch will not be. So it could be the BBC Eastern Shires region - but this is hardly a great name.

Personally I like Look East West!

Possibly - most of the people that live round this area have their house aerials in a split Waltham/Sandy Heath configuration....

Perhaps:
- Home Counties Today
- Look East (!)
- East Central Today
- Midway Today
- Newsroom Three Counties
- Three Counties Today
- South East Midlands Today
- West Anglia Today (not enirely accurate, but sounds fine)

I definately pity the person charged with determining the name to use!

What about something REALLY odd; how about the name being 'Barry'?

Look East and West Anglia Today/Tonight are my favourites. I think West Anglia Tonight has quite a nice ring - though West Anglia isn't really used to describe anywhere is it?

You can't really use the Three Counties branding as it covers at least 5 and bits of a few more!

I think using Midlands, Central etc. would alienate a large part of the region - at least they are used to "East" from Look East. Certainly people in Luton and MK won't consider themselves Central or Midlands based - and neither would those in Cambridge for that matter.

It would be interesting to see a population spread map of the region - my gut feeling is that more people live in the south of the patch than the north - so if the naming is tweaked this may play a part.

My feeling is that - like Hull - they will stick with the well-known brand of Look East - after all it has been around for years and has quite a high degree of recognition.

The disadvantage of using the "Anglia" word is that it will confuse viewers with Anglia News / Anglia Today / Anglia Tonight - the ITV1 regional news programme which is already split fully across the patch. (The new BBC region will only be replicating the Anglia West coverage area...)

Any talk of there being a "South Midlands Today" one day , refers to the current South Today (Oxford sub-opt) area, not the Look East (West) area!

Thank you for being so polite! I don't remember being a "****" when I got 11 O Levels, an AO Level, 3 A Levels and my degree!

Other people described this region as being in central England and so if you follow this logically the name of the programme would be South Midlands Today.

Personally I don't like it and think that Look East would be the best name of a bad lot. Afterall, there are now 3 editions of Look North, so why not?

Yep - I agree that Look East makes the most sense - after all it is what the viewers are watching currently - so the brand familiarity is pretty high. (Any use of the word "Anglia" would invite confusion with the ITV1 opposition)

I think any use of the words "Midlands" would be best avoided - it would put backs up all around the South and East of the patch (there is no way a resident of Cambridge or Newmarket, Luton, Bedford or Milton Keynes, would consider themselves to be in "The Midlands". Central have cleverly sidestepped this by using the more neutral "Central" tag - which works nicely for the Central South region - which is further to the West of the new "Look East - West" proposed region)

No, it wouldn't! Seeing as the likes of Oxfordshire, and even places as far west as Herefordshire are arguably in the "South Midlands", that means that if the Look East (West) area is in "central England" at all, then it's specifically the "South East Midlands"!

boring_user_name has suggested South East Midlands Today as a possible title for the Look East (West) area, but, I say again, the title South Midlands Today is purely a South Today (Oxford sub-opt)-associated suggestion.



Those qualifications don't make your thinking re: the geographical description of the Look East (West) area any less illogical!

I've got only eight GCSEs (and some of them are below C grade), and nothing higher (e.g. A Levels etc), but I'm obviously a lot more logical than you are!

All "academic", and no "common sense"!

If the world was full of nothing but "intellectuals", nothing practical would get done, and therefore everything would come to halt.

Ah yes, but if the world was full of nothing but women, EVERYTHING would get done, and nothing would come to a halt!