The Newsroom

New Meridian, BBC South & South East Thread

(July 2006)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
LL
London Lite Founding member
Ballyboy posted:
i think the SE Logo is the Dartford Crossing


Not in the Meridian region, just like the Henley backdrop!
CO
Cold Open
London Lite posted:
I would have thought the 10 min segment on Meridian Thames Valley is always recorded, it's just easier to either have West or East live, which allows Thames Valley to opt into Meridian West via a bumper.


Macalolo posted:
The opt is decided on a daily basis based on the news agenda. Recording timings as suggested above are pretty much right.


I highly doubt that the Thames Valley opt (or any one particular iteration of the programme) is *always* pre-recorded. There's just as much chance of a developing news story that informs which edition of the programme should be live at 6pm happening in the Thames Valley as anywhere else.

On days when the SE version will be one of the pre-recorded editions, I anticipate that both the South and Thames Valley 10-minute opts get their fair share of turns at being live/pre-recorded. The live edition at 6pm would then variously be either South- or Thames Valley-focused for its first 10 minutes, before becoming pan-"West".
CO
Cold Open
London Lite posted:
Ballyboy posted:
i think the SE Logo is the Dartford Crossing


Not in the Meridian region, just like the Henley backdrop!


Having now made a quick Google Images check, I can see that it is indeed the Dartford Crossing.

Ridiculous choice, when there are things like Brighton Pier, the white cliffs of Dover, and Canterbury Cathedral to choose from which are comfortably inside the region.

If I were in charge, I would make the logo collage image be the oast houses in e.g. Maidstone or Tonbridge.

Also, the Needles image is too far south a locality for pan-West bulletins. Totally unrelatable to viewers in places like Banbury and Aylesbury.
MA
Meridian AM
Cold Open posted:
London Lite posted:
Ballyboy posted:
i think the SE Logo is the Dartford Crossing


Not in the Meridian region, just like the Henley backdrop!


Also, the Needles image is too far south a locality for pan-West bulletins. Totally unrelatable to viewers in places like Banbury and Aylesbury.


Same as the actual news content on such bulletins too! Far too big a region.
London Lite and Cold Open gave kudos
MA
Meridian AM
South not live again!! The whole week! Tipping Point playing behind the presenters and no 'live' acknowledgement on lower thirds graphics.
RO
rob Founding member
Meridian AM posted:
South not live again!! The whole week! Tipping Point playing behind the presenters and no 'live' acknowledgement on lower thirds graphics.


Please don't turn this into a rota-style thread...
MA
Macalolo
Meridian AM posted:
South not live again!! The whole week! Tipping Point playing behind the presenters and no 'live' acknowledgement on lower thirds graphics.


Meridian AM posted:
South not live again!! The whole week! Tipping Point playing behind the presenters and no 'live' acknowledgement on lower thirds graphics.


The South/Thames Valley segment after the opt was live
MA
Meridian AM
Macalolo posted:
Meridian AM posted:
South not live again!! The whole week! Tipping Point playing behind the presenters and no 'live' acknowledgement on lower thirds graphics.


Meridian AM posted:
South not live again!! The whole week! Tipping Point playing behind the presenters and no 'live' acknowledgement on lower thirds graphics.


The South/Thames Valley segment after the opt was live


Got it, thanks. South first 10 mins wasn't but at least most of it was!
MA
Meridian AM
Markymark posted:
London Lite posted:
Meridian AM posted:
Was it a Meridian or London reporter?
Sometimes a reporter will file a report that is shown in two regions, or appear live on both.
Gravesend isn't officially in the Meridian region, but they could get away with it, as they cover most of Kent and viewers probably wouldn't know. It's not that far from places that are officially in the region.


Meridian reporter.

Incidentally just before the last lockdown, ITV London sent a reporter to Grays which is on the north side of the Thames to Gravesend when Thurrock stayed in a lower tier compared to the rest of Essex. Meridian have been known to go across to the Essex side to report.


BBC South last week suddenly decided to report about Slough, it happens once or twice a year. This time it was because Slough is the only area in the region in Tier 3


Another live report from Slough on South Today just now. 🙄 People having the vaccine...
MA
Markymark
Meridian AM posted:
Markymark posted:
London Lite posted:

Meridian reporter.

Incidentally just before the last lockdown, ITV London sent a reporter to Grays which is on the north side of the Thames to Gravesend when Thurrock stayed in a lower tier compared to the rest of Essex. Meridian have been known to go across to the Essex side to report.


BBC South last week suddenly decided to report about Slough, it happens once or twice a year. This time it was because Slough is the only area in the region in Tier 3


Another live report from Slough on South Today just now. 🙄 People having the vaccine...


Looks like they've taken regional stretching beyond the elastic limit.

https://www.britannica.com/science/elastic-limit
MA
Meridian AM
It will all be to do with cost saving. Cheaper to use a London reporter to do a live report while she is already there doing one for London. It's one of those places they can get away with covering from a casual viewer's perspective. I guess they also have less staff these days to make fresh reports!

10 days later

IJ
IanJRedman
There were technical issues on South Today's late bulletin last night (17 December). One of the reports failed to play out (froze on the first frame) so it was skipped - but this meant the rest of the bulletin was running early. Despite some filler from Tom Hepworth later on (with a 'Contact Us' slide on-screen), they still hadn't closed the gap by the time the programme ended. I reckon the weather ended around 50-60 seconds too early. The end of the weather froze on-screen for ages, and then The Papers on the News Channel appeared for about 30 seconds before network BBC One came back. Is the NC used as a sustaining feed underneath the regional opts?

The programme is still on the iPlayer until tonight: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000qg2l/south-today-late-news-17122020

Newer posts