New Meridian, BBC South & South East Thread

That's certainly one way of putting it!

I agree with some of your calls for a new set, it doesn't look right and just seems to show how small the studio is.

I think the current set works much better in the space than the previous set did. The old one certainly made it look small.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/content/images/2006/08/21/geri_210806_420x284.jpg
http://hub.tv-ark.org.uk/images/bbc_oxford/bbcoxford_images/bbc_oxford_2009d-small.jpg

It's a much better use of the limited space available but it is now at odds with every other region design-wise.

I went on a tour of the BBC Oxford building a few years back, so have seen for myself just how small the studio is without the help of wide-angle camera lenses.

The boards with the printed image of a fake newsroom are literally right on the walls of the studio (like hung paintings would be), rather than having "maintenance access space" (or whatever) behind the set.

The room is so small, that maximising usage of literally the entire space in this way is the only sensible option.

That earlier set you've posted a pic of seems shockingly wasteful of the already limited studio space they have, and barely an improvement on the foyer/reception-based set that preceded it.

Yes, the wooden flat with the four screens in it was hinged to allow access to the area behind the projector screen (on the left of that pic) and the plasma. There was an enormous angled mirror assembly behind the projector, the projector itself being on the floor firing up vertically onto the mirror and reflected onto that screen. It was always woefully dim compared to the plasma. Behind the plasma we kept all mannar of stuff

What (roughly) are the dimensions of the studio out of interest?

Last night’s late South Today bulletin (pan-regional from Southampton) was presented by main Oxford sub-opt anchor Geraldine Peers. Viewers in Berkshire-and-southwards must have wondered who the heck she is?!

It felt really weird (but good) seeing Geraldine sat at a proper desk rather than a "breakfast bar", and with “current” style surroundings. For me, it further emphasised just how rubbish it is that the Oxford set *still* has the now-hideously-out-of-date previous look.

Given that seemingly all ST bulletins during the festive/new year season are Southampton pan-regionals, thus creating an extended period of non-use of the Oxford studio, this would be a perfect opportunity to at least refresh the Oxford set. Even if they don’t have a proper 100% change of set, but just “repaint” the existing one to at least make elements of it a bit more “current”, that would better than nothing.

I’ve been hoping and wishing that the national news’ imminent NBH move will give those regions current lagging behind (e.g. Oxford, Nottingham, Tunbridge Wells) a boot-up-the-backside to finally drag their studios/sets into the current era, as the new-look nationals will surely even further accentuate just how out-of-date those regions’ sets now look.

Given that ITV are simultaneously launching new-look, erm, *everything* (all channels + national & regional news) in early 2013 - which makes it surely the most momentous “relaunch day”, that I can recall, of any UK broadcaster in my lifetime - I think that it would be a very poor show by the Beeb to enter the NBH era with certain things *still* being hotchpotch and mismatched.

But I’ll not be holding my breath...

She's appeared south of the Ridgeway before I think ?

I suspect there's more bemusement of the sudden and new series of weather presenters !!

I went for a nosey at the Abingdon newsgathering centre this afternoon.

All the "ITV Meridian" signage that was around the building when I was there in December has now gone, and it was a totally signage-free zone today. This is true of both "proper" signage on exterior walls etc, and "transfers" in the foyer windows. All gone.

So, even the new logo signage is waiting until launch day (or maybe even overnight tonight?), it seems.

As an aside... all Highways Agency roadsigns leading towards the facility are still labelled "Central TV". However, the private signage on the business park itself (listing all the companies thereupon) list it as "ITV Meridian".

When I was there a few years ago, all non-Highways Agency signage was of course branded/labelled "ITV Thames Valley", and there was a "Thames Valley Tonight"-branded satellite van in the car park.

ITV News Meridian open and close, lunchtime bulletin, with images at TV Live

They just gave out their new email address, itvnewsmeridian@itv.com, which is a bit of a mouthful. I expect other regions have got similar email addresses.

Meridian have "Meridian Reports" on their sat truck:

https://twitter.com/FredianiITV/status/290951197500776449/photo/1/large

On this evenings ITV News Meridian (still feels odd calling it that) they showed a preview of a feature on Monday's programme about the new ITV series 'Broadchurch'. There was a Meridian reporter & they stated the new drama was filmed in the Meridian region, however upon checking (as it looked like West Dorset) it was largely filmed in West Bay near Bridport!? This clearly is not in the Meridian region! It is bad enough when they do these showbiz fluff type stories, but at least they are normally actually within the region...