[Deejay]

It’s a joint decision between the editor, presenter and director as to which part of the studio is used for which sequence. Decisions are best on where the best place is to tell the story. This is dependent on what the sequence is (chat between presenter and correspondent, correspondent graphics sequence, presenter graphics sequence etc) and what shape the best pictures are for the graphics. The catwalk looks great on panoramas, the towers work better on other images, the touchscreen is the only 16:9 screen within the set. There are also a few logistical challenges in terms of what can be done before and after other sequences (the touchscreen shares the same camera as the foreground tower for instance).

[Andrew]

Surely the decision on how the studio is used during a bulletin lies with the director rather than presenter though.

Huw used to walk around in vision, and then the next night when Reeta was hosting, she’d always be in position at the start of every sequence. This suggests the presenter has some say in the matter.

[steve]

On the subject of the future of E…

x.com 

[Spencer]

Just a minor observation, but they seem to have sorted out the frame rate issues in the BBC Verify position on the newsroom balcony. It’s the first time I’ve seen it on screen for a while today, and thankfully it no longer has that slight ‘filmic’ look.

[cityprod]

Paul Royall has been appointed Executive News Editor for the BBC News Channel.

x.com 

[Chud]

Paul Royall has been appointed Executive News Editor for the BBC News Channel.

x.com 

If his head moved over it would have covered up the broken section in the loop.

Now he’s officially appointed, he might have the desire to smarten the presentation up a bit.

[Keith]

On the subject of the future of E…

x.com 

Presumably replacing some of the plasmas and other screens, which have reached end of life.

If it's a relatively small set of changes then I'm guessing that the overall layout of the set will remain roughly the same.

I wonder if that also means the existing cameras and tracks will remain, as I thought the ones in B were originally meant to be rolled out to other studios. I dare say that budget cuts and uncertainty over the UK election date may be a factor.

[Spencer]

Now he’s officially appointed, he might have the desire to smarten the presentation up a bit.

I wish I shared your optimism. Keeping the man who led the channel through the relaunch in position doesn’t fill me with hope that radical changes and improvements are imminent.

[Radio_man]

I wish I shared your optimism. Keeping the man who led the channel through the relaunch in position doesn’t fill me with hope that radical changes and improvements are imminent.

Agreed. This is the person who described simulcasts for UK viewers of existing BBC News programmes from BBC 1 & 2, and Nicky Campbell's phone-in, as "premium UK programming" to make up for the fact there was no longer a dedicated UK News Channel.
Yes it was spin, but I'm not optimistic.

[House]

Presumably replacing some of the plasmas and other screens, which have reached end of life.

If it's a relatively small set of changes then I'm guessing that the overall layout of the set will remain roughly the same.

If they are replacing the screens, surely they’ll take the opportunity to replace the catwalk with something more akin to Studio B and the Breakfast/Sport set? I wonder too if they might keep the same camera system but make changes to the layout/position of the ‘tracks’?

That said, it’s not entirely clear why they’re renewing/renovating Studio E given current levels of usage requirements. I can see the possibility of Newsnight moving to Studio C or E post-cuts, if they want to move to a fully automated camera system and utilise a smaller studio. Likewise, maybe they move the News Channel to E and mothball C, or move a World Service channel into C. Otherwise, is there actually a need to bring the studio back online?