[ginnyfan]

I can't imagine CNN US leading with a story about Kelly Rippa leaving Live or something like that. Yes , it would be mentioned but it would NEVER be their top headline story, especially during simulcasts.

[DTV]

Well one thing's for sure this Merged Channel surely cannot (and will not) last the year (and i'm talking about 2023, not the financial year)-if they want output from Singapore and the US, put that on a separate stream and leave those of us who want UK News output 24 hours a day in peace

Leaving your continued fantasies of a wholesale reversal aside, this is probably the most nonsensical of all your suggestions yet - what possible justification could there be for replacing the US and Singapore overnight hours with UK-only news content? That's not just when the channel's audience is at its lowest, but is when it is so low that they couldn't even justify separate overnights after four months of News 24 back in 1998 - when the channel was nearly all bespoke UK-only and non-simulcast content.

[News76]

Well one thing's for sure this Merged Channel surely cannot (and will not) last the year (and i'm talking about 2023, not the financial year)-if they want output from Singapore and the US, put that on a separate stream and leave those of us who want UK News output 24 hours a day in peace

Leaving your continued fantasies of a wholesale reversal aside, this is probably the most nonsensical of all your suggestions yet - what possible justification could there be for replacing the US and Singapore overnight hours with UK-only news content? That's not just when the channel's audience is at its lowest, but is when it is so low that they couldn't even justify separate overnights after four months of News 24 back in 1998 - when the channel was nearly all bespoke UK-only and non-simulcast content.

Well let me say now that i won't be the first to break if they do demerge because this whole merger is nonsensical full stop-There is every justification not to have US and Singapore output on the channel, you're just not prepared to listen which is fine but don't say you weren't all warned if the channel closes completely a few years down the line.

[Roger Darthwell]

Well one thing's for sure this Merged Channel surely cannot (and will not) last the year (and i'm talking about 2023, not the financial year)-if they want output from Singapore and the US, put that on a separate stream and leave those of us who want UK News output 24 hours a day in peace

Leaving your continued fantasies of a wholesale reversal aside, this is probably the most nonsensical of all your suggestions yet - what possible justification could there be for replacing the US and Singapore overnight hours with UK-only news content? That's not just when the channel's audience is at its lowest, but is when it is so low that they couldn't even justify separate overnights after four months of News 24 back in 1998 - when the channel was nearly all bespoke UK-only and non-simulcast content.

I'm sorry if I ask this but......the 2 channels actually had separate overnights back in 1998? I didn't know that!

[Stuart]

Leaving your continued fantasies of a wholesale reversal aside, this is probably the most nonsensical of all your suggestions yet - what possible justification could there be for replacing the US and Singapore overnight hours with UK-only news content? That's not just when the channel's audience is at its lowest, but is when it is so low that they couldn't even justify separate overnights after four months of News 24 back in 1998 - when the channel was nearly all bespoke UK-only and non-simulcast content.

I always admire your comments, DTV, but I don't think this is what people are suggesting.

I think the BBC should just come clean and admit that it's really an international news operation mainly funded commercially and operate it in that way (sans adverts in UK). There is scope within any schedule to insert local content without needlessly telling the rest of the World about it.

I'm not suggesting any sort of reversal. The merger has happened, but they need to sort out how it is played out in the UK and internationally as it appears to be something of a mangled mess at the moment.

[DTV]

I always admire your comments, DTV, but I don't think this is what people are suggesting.

I think the BBC should just come clean and admit that it's really an international news operation mainly funded commercially and operate it in that way (sans adverts in UK). There is scope within any schedule to insert local content without needlessly telling the rest of the World about it.

I'm not suggesting any sort of reversal. The merger has happened, but they need to sort out how it is played out in the UK and internationally as it appears to be something of a mangled mess at the moment.

Just to clear up confusion, I wasn't saying that was what people were suggesting, merely that it was what News76 was (and has repeatedly been) suggesting, with seemingly increasing detachment from practicality and financial reality.

More broadly, I do agree that they should be more open (and arguably proud) about the more international nature of the channel, but do feel that they generally have got the UK-World balance broadly right so far during shared programming - it's just really been at weekends when there have been these particularly odd editorial decisions.

[strollfan]

Leaving your continued fantasies of a wholesale reversal aside, this is probably the most nonsensical of all your suggestions yet - what possible justification could there be for replacing the US and Singapore overnight hours with UK-only news content? That's not just when the channel's audience is at its lowest, but is when it is so low that they couldn't even justify separate overnights after four months of News 24 back in 1998 - when the channel was nearly all bespoke UK-only and non-simulcast content.

Well let me say now that i won't be the first to break if they do demerge because this whole merger is nonsensical full stop-There is every justification not to have US and Singapore output on the channel, you're just not prepared to listen which is fine but don't say you weren't all warned if the channel closes completely a few years down the line.

Are you labouring under the illusion that there was no Singapore/US content on the UK channel whatsoever before the merger in April?

[DTV]

I'm sorry if I ask this but......the 2 channels actually had separate overnights back in 1998? I didn't know that!

Yes, BBC News 24 produced its own overnight news programming to begin with - though BBC World did contribute World News segments at xx:15 during some hours. This was quickly deemed unnecessary and they merged 01:00-06:00 into the single BBC News overnight service from March 1998 (though with different back-half programming). Even during Europe Direct, which was the only simulcast programming at launch, World and News 24 opted-out for separate news bulletins.

Well let me say now that i won't be the first to break if they do demerge because this whole merger is nonsensical full stop-There is every justification not to have US and Singapore output on the channel, you're just not prepared to listen which is fine but don't say you weren't all warned if the channel closes completely a few years down the line.

You say I'm not prepared to listen, but I am - you just haven't actually given a justification for having no US or Singapore originated output on the channel. Similarly, you have not actually given a reason that a demerger is inevitable - you just keep saying that it is going to happen, but I just don't see where this pressure is coming from to force such a drastic reversal.

[Roger Darthwell]

Well let me say now that i won't be the first to break if they do demerge because this whole merger is nonsensical full stop-There is every justification not to have US and Singapore output on the channel, you're just not prepared to listen which is fine but don't say you weren't all warned if the channel closes completely a few years down the line.

Are you labouring under the illusion that there was no Singapore/US content on the UK channel whatsoever before the merger in April?

By Singapore/US content before the merger, you mean Newsday and World News America?

[strollfan]

Are you labouring under the illusion that there was no Singapore/US content on the UK channel whatsoever before the merger in April?

By Singapore/US content before the merger, you mean Newsday and World News America?

Yes - and it's my understanding (although I'm not awake to watch it anymore) that the output from Singapore and the US are largely unchanged materially beyond timing alterations and the death of the Newsday name, although I'm more than happy to be corrected by somebody who does actually watch it.