The new NEW Central West and BBC Midlands thread

I lost track of how many times Central News West was revamped... 82-88, 88-89, 89-90, 90-94, 94-97, 97-99 not including mini-revamps?!

97-98, 98-2000, 01-03, 03-04 (then into the ITV plc times).

Definitely an identity crisis, and when they finally get a decent style it lasts all of 6 months and is replaced with the Carlton cheaper version!

Balvinder missed the cue on today’s 7.10 GMB update.

She was off shot chatting to the director until she looked at the monitor and exclaimed “is that us?!” before she sidled in and started the bulletin.

They managed to finish on time too.

Whoops!

She handled it very well though, calmly walked on and just got in with it without seemingly being thrown by it.

How predictable are the opt outs? They lost a live in the news but that wouldn't have made it that much earlier

I don't know why I was but I was watching Midlands Today tonight (via the online stream) and noticed Midlands Today are suffering from the same issues as Network, the headlines go on and on and aren't short and sharp as they were even 5 years ago. Starting to think they'd be better off keeping the bed running throughout the programme!

Pan regional Saturday bulletin for Central leading on the England win story. Including an odd occurrence that todays date was stuck on screen for the first ten seconds.

The 2001-2003 look was fantastic. Never cared much for the one before.

I totally agree, there was something wonderful about that theme tune and dynamic opening that highlighted the main presenters and the area so well. The set whilst possibly in a smaller area than current (across from CITV's) was warm and inviting whilst also being news focussed. The sofa allowed guests and fellow presenters to join them without being shoehorned in to the space, they had just the one large screen in a podium that could be used for location reporting or standing introductions, the background resembled the titles and put across the area without feeling dark and having large areas of black, and the desk was not too large but was adequate to have a glass top and monitors beneath for the presenters, something that the current desk appears to have but yet they still rely on laptops.

Never really thought much of this voiceover though


Always will be my favourite, so upbeat, great spacious set still opposite CITV - the design wasn't the best, very 90s but the music, the 'cake', the future looked bright when they first moved to Gas Street, then the rot set in!


Awesome music

Oh yes, showing how the cake could have evolved into a modern presentation era. That music is still great.

That voiceover was’weak’, was it just a bloke in the newsroom?

It’s amazing how if you consider all three versions, Central News was getting a new look every couple of months in one part or another.

Frazer Shepherd (Producer) did the 2002 version. Jonathan Ray (Presenter/Reporter) did the earlier version with the Carlton reference.