[Newsroom]

Viewers who live in the UK won't be able to recognize the status of the channel from days gone by once that happens. It could give off a very emotional response from the viewers once the cutbacks are over.

And it is not the fault of the BBC that sees it as necessary. It is the government of the day that is the main instigator of the NC's eventual demise.

It is being used as their so-called gift to destroy British democracy once and for all. And it is their thrust of power that makes this eventuality even more sickening by the day until it eventually takes place.

That is all that I will say for now.

Regarding your first point - I think you’re hugely overstating the ‘affection’ for the channel, which probably doesn’t extend much beyond this forum. 

As for your second point regarding the government - it isn’t the government who says what gets spent where. Almost every government department and private business is in a situation where there isn’t as much money coming in to pay for everything they would love to do in an ideal world. Those of us who live and work in the real world know full well that the BBC isn’t unique in this respect. You can point the finger at the government as much as you’d like but I can guarantee you this - no major party will be going into the next election during a time of huge cost of living pressures with a plan to increase the license fee. 

I find it absolutely unpalatable that the BBC continues to cut services whilst maintaining huge salaries for its presenters. That is a choice that they have made.

Of course there is affection for the BBC News Channel and to suggest it probably doesn't extend beyond this forum is quite frankly absurd. It remains the most watched channel in the UK - albeit for not much longer and it will be missed by many. 

The spend on talent over programming is entirely absurd and especially when it comes to the likes of Amol Rajan's alleged salary. A total waste of money.

[DTV]

Why do you want to see Politics Live axed?

Because, to be blunt, it is a terrible programme with a bad format executed badly. It doesn't fulfil any public service journalism functions and doesn't inform, educate or entertain the general audience. The panel is routinely filled with those on the pundit talking head circuit who hold predictable, deliberately 'controversial' opinions, rather than anybody who has anything actually insightful to say. It is deliberately designed to engineer clips for social media (this isn't cynical supposition, it explicitly says so in the launch press release) and so prioritises 'edgy' mud-slinging debate over considered discussion. The moderation policy also often seems more to about 'getting the clip' than about fact-checking.

It doesn't offer any serious analysis, either from the BBC's own politics team or actual experts. It makes no meaningful attempt to actually engage with questions of policy. There are genuinely serious questions to be asked about the way it presents particular 'think tanks', that are well known within Westminster for being front groups for particular lobbying interests, as 'clean' opinions. Of course, many of these are also complaints against the Daily Politics before and certain other BBC politics output, but Politics Live is probably the greatest distillation of all these faults into a single show, whilst having no redeeming features whatsoever.

The depressing thing is that the same team make Politics UK - a programme that has a real public service function and does it well, so they clearly are capable of producing a much better programme. Personally, I think that the BBC's daily political programme should be offering that level of expert analysis to policy and politics every single day, rather than chasing cheap social media clicks through unedifying and uninformative 'debate'.

[Moz]

Well the BBC have successfully put me off the News Channel.

Firstly by taking it off Freeview HD so if I want to watch in HD I have to go via iPlayer which takes too long (I just can’t bear watching in SD on a UHD capable telly).

Secondly by the constant simulcasting of World programmes and it’s annoying “British lawmakers” and “welcome to viewers here in the UK and around the world”.

Thirdly, oddly, by the huge improvements to the Six and Ten which I now go to for my news instead since it moved into B.

The halcyon days of Matthew and Jane in N8 are a distant memory.

[harshy]

Well the BBC have successfully put me off the News Channel.

Firstly by taking it off Freeview HD so if I want to watch in HD I have to go via iPlayer which takes too long (I just can’t bear watching in SD on a UHD capable telly).

Secondly by the constant simulcasting of World programmes and it’s annoying “British lawmakers” and “welcome to viewers here in the UK and around the world”.

Thirdly, oddly, by the huge improvements to the Six and Ten which I now go to for my news instead since it moved into B.

The halcyon days of Matthew and Jane in N8 are a distant memory.

Yeah it’s unfortunate really it dosent benefit the Uk based audience but it’s not making any money whilst the global channel is making money and visually looks the business as well with its programme based studio setups it just looks so much better and makes you want to tune in.

[UTVLifer]

I do hope that after the merger, the new channel is made available in HD on Freeview as similarly to @Moz , trying to watch the current NC in SD on my UHD capable TV

[Worzel]

I do hope that after the merger, the new channel is made available in HD on Freeview as similarly to @Moz , trying to watch the current NC in SD on my UHD capable TV

That will only happen when CBBC HD closes as there's not enough capacity on the Mux.

A better interim solution would be when the prompt comes up saying 'Watch this programme from the start on iPlayer' it simply takes you to the live stream, or gives you the option to choose it. This was something I suggested a few months back when Com7 closed, but the BBC doesn't seem in a hurry to do.

[Steve in Pudsey]

[quote pid="4331" dateline="1665493573"]

Yeah it’s unfortunate really it dosent benefit the Uk based audience but it’s not making any money whilst the global channel is making money and visually looks the business as well with its programme based studio setups it just looks so much better and makes you want to tune in.

[/quote]


That's a slippery slope. The whole justification of the license fee is that it exists to provide PSB programming that the commercial sector couldn't.

A news service is surely the epitome of PSB?  I'll grant you that the existence of Sky News muddies the water here, but I wonder if their service - run as a loss-leader - would continue in the same vein without it's main competition?

[all new phil]

But the commercial sector provides loads of news channels to a decent standard. The PSB stuff the BBC does is elsewhere.

[Radio_man]

Has any money actually been saved by extending Outside Source to 2 hours and cutting the 8 - 9pm News Channel broadcast? Presumably the evening NC team still has to come in to produce the 2 x 15 minute paper reviews at 22:30 and 23:30? If you're on the Monday - Thursday NC evening shift now, it must feel so pointless.

[Newsroom]

Has any money actually been saved by extending Outside Source to 2 hours and cutting the 8 - 9pm News Channel broadcast? Presumably the evening NC team still has to come in to produce the 2 x 15 minute paper reviews at 22:30 and 23:30? If you're on the Monday - Thursday NC evening shift now, it must feel so pointless.

Very good point! Probably none at all. I mean what is the point of that shift if this is the way forward?