BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - Printable Version

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RE: BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - Kojak - 26-02-2023

(26-02-2023, 06:13 PM)DTV Wrote:  

(26-02-2023, 08:29 AM)LDN Wrote:  *record scratch*

Got to stop you right there. Outside Source is a terrible, terrible name for a news programme. It means absolutely nothing to 99% of those who watch it.

Apologies LDN, you're absolutely right. TV programmes should never be named for innocuous insider phrases that the average viewer will not be particularly familiar with. 

Rather than go for something with a slight bit of thought behind it, everything should just be given the blandest name possible lest anybody be accused of cleverness.

Should we call this programme GMT? No, what if the viewer doesn't get the reference to the fact it's a programme broadcast from London at noon-GMT. On the Record? Line of Duty? The West Wing? This is all just jargon that is utterly meaingless to the average viewer, it would be a mistake to name a programme after it.

Everything would be so much better if we just stuck to utterly descriptive names - because that's what branding is - it doesn't matter if the name is catchy or stands out; what matters is that the viewer has a full etymological understanding of where the name comes from. This is why it would be better if all live programmes were simply just '<time of broadcast> Live'.

Oh, for God's sake. I think there's a bit of a difference between expressions like 'on the record' or '(the) line of duty', which most people will be aware of, and 'outside source', which is pretty meaningless. No need to go into a strop about it.

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RE: BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - ALV - 26-02-2023

(25-02-2023, 10:19 PM)bbctvtechop Wrote:  I'd imagine the same system as currently. World has a dedicated Red Bee suite while Channel uses the NBH network routers to opt in and out. The RB suite already has the ability to show different content to different streams, the domestic version of the core channel will just be another playlist on their system to be triggered during promo breaks. I guess this combined channel means the potential to show different lower thirds and tickers is removed as these are generated manually at NBH. 

Thank you for the technical insight! I really enjoyed the info you shared with all of us~

There's just one more question... If at all possible can you talk a bit more on when will the NC's output be integrated into the current Red Bee suite? Will the NC originate from Red Bee on March 6th at 6AM or the output will be gradually integrated when the merged channel is officially launched? Is the switch as simple as switching the network routers between NBH galleries or are there more sophisticated engineering work behind it? Will there be something like a brief black screen on March 6th at 6AM when the switch occurs?

I assume a technical staff like you would know a bit more on the infrastructure as after the domestic version of the merged channel integrates into Red Bee, your workflow changes and your gallery teams no longer have to run countdowns, trailers and weather right?

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RE: BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - DTV - 26-02-2023

(26-02-2023, 07:03 PM)Kojak Wrote:  Oh, for God's sake. I think there's a bit of a difference between expressions like 'on the record' or '(the) line of duty', which most people will be aware of, and 'outside source', which is pretty meaningless.

But there really isn't. It's a name of a television programme - that's all it is. Some people might not like it, but the objective is to be a bit distinctive and I would say that Outside Source is more distinctive than most other names of news programmes. It doesn't really matter if I entirely get the reference, which is actually reasonably self-explanatory, just as there isn't the need for me to be fully aware of the source material for the literary allusions of the names of hundreds of episodes of TV dramas.

Is Outside Source the right name for a programme that (these days) is primarily based on providing context on the day's news? No. Is The Context really a good name for a programme in which contributors from outside the BBC give opinions on the day's news? No. Are they just actually just names for differently formatted strands on a TV news channel? Yes.

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RE: BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - Jimbo2022 - 26-02-2023

Something just crossed my mind and sorry if it's been asked before but with thus merger will UK feed lose the ticket during documentaries?

Fir some documentaries you just get BBC World News logo in bottom left but in click for example the ticker us present

Thanks

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RE: BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - bakamann - 26-02-2023

(26-02-2023, 06:31 PM)Stuart Wrote:  

(26-02-2023, 04:06 PM)Jimbo2022 Wrote:  It is relevant at present for the nostalgia thank you.

I do hope this doesn't just turn into a 'funeral wake' thread prior to the launch of the combined channel.  In retrospect N24/NC had a good run for 20+ years.

They did an excellent job, but if your income is vastly reduced, then for your evening dinner you have to swap sirloin steak for a handful of chicken nuggets.

It's very sad, but the professionals within the organisation will continue to provide a service, and we shouldn't forget that.

25 years is quite a long time nowadays, especially with all the TV channels closing with most pivoting to digital platforms. I really hope that things will get better in the future, because for me, it just absolutely sucks that people in power are using money to make the BBC their hostage.

(26-02-2023, 05:33 PM)Kojak Wrote:  Do we know if the five-note World motif is going to be kept in the countdowns for the new channel? It has more than two decades of history on World, so it would be a shame to see it go.

Same thoughts, I absolutely like the violins and electronic mixes of BBCWN countdown.

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RE: BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - bbctvtechop - 26-02-2023

(26-02-2023, 07:11 PM)ALV Wrote:  

(25-02-2023, 10:19 PM)bbctvtechop Wrote:  I'd imagine the same system as currently. World has a dedicated Red Bee suite while Channel uses the NBH network routers to opt in and out. The RB suite already has the ability to show different content to different streams, the domestic version of the core channel will just be another playlist on their system to be triggered during promo breaks. I guess this combined channel means the potential to show different lower thirds and tickers is removed as these are generated manually at NBH. 

Thank you for the technical insight! I really enjoyed the info you shared with all of us~

There's just one more question... If at all possible can you talk a bit more on when will the NC's output be integrated into the current Red Bee suite? Will the NC originate from Red Bee on March 6th at 6AM or the output will be gradually integrated when the merged channel is officially launched? Is the switch as simple as switching the network routers between NBH galleries or are there more sophisticated engineering work behind it? Will there be something like a brief black screen on March 6th at 6AM when the switch occurs?

I assume a technical staff like you would know a bit more on the infrastructure as after the domestic version of the merged channel integrates into Red Bee, your workflow changes and your gallery teams no longer have to run countdowns, trailers and weather right?

Afraid the switching/network arrangement for the new core channel and UK opts is outside my area of expertise, but I can tell you what happens now. 

Red Bee look after the whole of the World News feed, including the different versions of trailers and playouts etc which go to different regions. All the gallery has to do is provide the news programmes themselves, starting with the headline vamp and finishing with the goodbye sequence. Everything else is inserted by Red Bee. Exactly the same process with Arabic and Persian TV. 

News Channel look after their own switching - you always see and hear a brief glitch in the picture and sound when there is a network router change - and all their content comes from the active gallery, including trailers and TOTH countdowns.

In scenarios where the output is joint, Red Bee still look after the World feed, but the same gallery is routed to the Channel network too. For a World opt out, the presenter says "you're watching BBC News, Red Bee opt away, and the presenter then carries on after a few seconds for Channel audiences only.

The workflow of News Channel switching is:

- Content producing gallery selects a spare downstream Viz engine, and informs it which gallery it should look at
- Downstream Viz engine should then accept instructions from that gallery's MosArt machine (to display lower thirds, live locators, etc) 
- Downstream Viz engine overlays the graphical elements over the top of gallery's clean output
- Gallery staff then route the chosen graphics engine to a chosen TX Path, for example TX8. Nominally each channel has its own network path they use every day but this is flexible - any channel can use any graphics engine which can be fed on any TX path. 
- MCR then route the correct TX path out to the transmitters and satellites on the correct frequencies.

The whole system also allows for different MosArt instructions to be sent to different downstream Viz engines, so for example you could have "Chancellor of the Exchequer" on the Channel but "UK Finance Minister" on the World version of the lower third. Or for the national bulletins, a ticker on the Channel TX but no ticker on the TX going to BBC1 Pres. Signing also goes via the downstream Viz engine.

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RE: BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - Spencer - 26-02-2023

(26-02-2023, 05:33 PM)Kojak Wrote:  Do we know if the five-note World motif is going to be kept in the countdowns for the new channel? It has more than two decades of history on World, so it would be a shame to see it go.

It has much more history than that. The distinctive BBC World hook is based on Lillibulero, the Purcell March used as the BBC World Service signature tune from 1955 until some time in the 00s.

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RE: BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - Radio_man - 27-02-2023

(23-02-2023, 11:52 PM)bbctvtechop Wrote:  The output will be fully joined from March 6th with a full launch date of April 3rd. During this transition period, there will be no planned facility for breaking UK news.

Will BBC World News also lose its branding from 6 March, just to be known as BBC News from this date? Or will that happen from 3 April?

I guess the on-screen BBC World News branding could still stay for another month, but presenters will only be able to name check BBC WN on air when the UK opts out for Breakfast and the 1, 6 & 10.

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RE: BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - oscillon - 27-02-2023

(27-02-2023, 12:33 AM)Radio_man Wrote:  Will BBC World News also lose its branding from 6 March, just to be known as BBC News from this date? Or will that happen from 3 April?

I guess the on-screen BBC World News branding could still stay for another month, but presenters will only be able to name check BBC WN on air when the UK opts out for Breakfast and the 1, 6 & 10.

Not so sure that it will stay: BBC website still does not have any schedules for "BBC World News" starting from 6 March.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9j/2023/03/06?utcoffset=%2B03%3A00 
For "BBC News" or other channels like BBC One or Two, however, schedules for 6 March are already there for some time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl6n/2023/03/06 
Might be something, might be nothing.

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RE: BBC News Channel/BBC World News Merger - chrisherald - 27-02-2023

Forgive if it's been covered (I did hastily search), will the worldwide feed still have regional variants (North America/Europe/Asia Pacific/etc), and still from Red Bee? Will distribution agreements be changing globally (is it all really a "new channel")? I don't want to suddenly lose access due to distribution changes during a major evolution of BBC output that I'm somewhat unprepared for. As was just stated, the schedules do seem to drop off a cliff on the 6th, which is concerning. Further, with Global/Impact/etc gone, how does this affect the commercial sales side? Were those programs sold in the same manner as Outside Source/The Context? What "partners" will now be carrying Focus on Africa (so, assuming, it's no longer on any regional/Red Bee playlisted WN output)?

It will be interesting to see how the changing profile of the world-facing output (dealing with the problems this domestic change will bring) affects the commercial viability of the entire news operation.

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