Sky News thread

I've often thought about the ticker - perhaps they'll follow the lead of CNN International - ot even CNN US and really go for animation - such as making it flash on screen with a burst of light at the top of the hour instead of just fading on? Although, how advanced is the ticker system they're using? I assume they're using a different system to the main graphics...or at least it's run seperately.

The ticker is an interesting one for Sky News - they've threatened to introduce a full time ticker since about 1998 (along with plans for SkyNews.com TV !!) and they've had the periods of putting a ticker up for the benefit of viewers because they're covering something major. I suppose what they have now is pretty much a half way house - and they didn't make a big hoohah about putting it on for the majority of the day. Let's face it - the only reason it isn't running 24 hours a day is because they can't keep it up to date with the reduced staff in the evening and overnight.

I am still a fan of the election ticker - it was a bit different and the graphics fitted around it perfectly. In fact, as has been said before, the election graphics really were superb - a 3D version of those would have been rather nice. But still, the graphics they have now really work I think - just they're very boring.

I read somewhere that Sky uses the same system as CNN and CNN International use - viz|ticker from vizrt, so their is no real reason preventing them from going for it on the animation front, just effort really I guess.

I used to think it should be intergrated with the slug somehow but of course they'd have to leave that up with the ticker as well.

Something like this (apologies for general crapness of this):

http://www.nktp.freeserve.co.uk/skynews.jpg

Point being that the ticker text ends up going behind the slug. I suppose you could just slap the slug on top of the ticker so it goes behind it in the software setup though. Either that or have the slug on all day with the ticker...

Have been meaning to mention this for a while, but keep forgetting:

Interesting to see how they have totally abanonded the Sky News Awards this year. Not sure what the point of them was, to be honest. They could've made it a little more impressive had they perhaps done some sort of live ceremony on New Year's Eve, but no.

Neil: one of my pet hates are stock tickers and weather bugs covering up parts of tickers - I just think they look ugly.

My main expectation for the graphics is that the red slug (if it remains) will be more versatile. I think the concept is very good, but the slug does two things: fade in, fade out. They may be able to engineer it to, for instance, stretch across the top of the main strap when that flies in, and return to its regular position when that flies out.

Well, I know what I mean!

I know what you mean too. I expect there will be a lof of clever stretching and moving around of the graphics. The current set are great, everything normally lines up, but as has been said by most people, they look ugly.

The concept is right, they just need to look more er.. 'snazzy'.

Who's presenting with Viv this afternoon? I don't recognise him. At the TOTH, we got the generic "This is Sky News" only.

EDIT: Just realised it's Greg Milam.

Didn't he used to be on Anglia News? I know I've seen him somewhere before!

He's a Sky reporter - just not usually a presenter.

edit: you're right, he is ex-Anglia.

I'd completely forgotten that they did those last year, until you mentioned it. Suppose that shows how much of an impact they had!

Ah, I didn't think I was going totally mad!

I think Sky News should get some different faces in afternoon off-peak slots more often, if in the studio isn't Greg's normal environment, he was certainly doing very well.... much better than some of the dodgy overnight presenters they have on from time to time.

Tis Greg Milam - he did an audition shift on Friday morning from 02:00 to 05:30.

Fair enough but I was trying to suggest more integration with the slug and the ticker. Perhaps I didn't explain it properly.

As thing stand, the graphics sit "on top" of or above the ticker as we see it in 2D mode. My proposal as I did in the hashed-up mock I made above was to just make the slug its original size so it sits literally on top of the ticker so the text goes behind it when the slug is onscreen, otherwise it'd go all the way across as it does now. It's not as if the slug's on for hours on end is it usually? But then I think the slug looks squashed at present when used with the ticker. Obviously the entire lot would have to be removed for sponsors and weather and so on...

Just a thought. I can see my pitfalls though, I just think it would look slightly neater as seen in my mock above. Oh well