[qwerty123]

I agree. If we look at who they’ve appointed recently, then Ben will probably replace Maryam as a general “across the schedule” fill-in anchor, as Maryam moves to her new programme. But he won’t be able to appear as often as Maryam did in the role because he will also be doing some News at One shifts. So there is sort of at least half a job unfilled there. Meanwhile Annita will probably return to mornings, as she did before, filling the time somewhere between Sally Bundock’s shift and Lucy Hockings. But there are two shifts unfilled in mornings, so maybe Geeta will take the other one (perhaps the earlier mostly global-feed one, as she was historically more often a WN presenter).

So there is probably another presenter needed as fill-in cover for holidays and illness, and also cover for weekends which currently have no fixed presenters. It’s probably sensible to allocate two or three weekend presenters on a permanent basis and then use the “presenter-reporters” for the rest. This would easily give a job for everyone currently facing an uncertain future and the BBC could avoid the bad press and ill feeling in the newsroom. Given that so many people have already left the organisation, there really aren’t too many people for roles.

At this point there really isn’t any work in the channel for the remaining displaced presenters as even assuming that both Ben and Geeta are being used to cover days off it only leaves 13 slots per week for what may well be 6-8 reporter presenters (I would suspect that Ben Thompson, Sarah Campbell and Lucy Grey at the very least on top of those whose names have been leaked).
People like Frankie McCamley and Luxmy Gopal who are clearly ambitious in their careers are also likely to be more important to the BBC in the longer term than the off air presenters so the BBC need to be careful not to restrict the younger presenters opportunities to an extent that sees them looking for work elsewhere.
The remaining displaced presenters would be better served with being offered redundancy or being reallocated to other vacant roles within BBC News (for example to replace Alex Lovell in Bristol or to finally give some consistency to South tonight or to boost the BBC One team in order to remove the need for Maryam, Katya and Tina to be covering semi-regularly).

[Spencer]

Surely it’s not just me that thinks this looks absolutely terrible?

You’ll be telling us the emperor has no clothes next.

I’m inclined to agree though. The stick-on logo on the set looks like something from an 80s regional news programme. And why does it look totally different to every other BBC News set? I mean, they might be using the new logo, but that’s as on-brand as it gets.

[interestednovice]

The ship has long, long sailed on that one - I hear the mood there is miserable, many of those who haven’t already got out want to and the fact Sally feels emboldened enough to (justifiably) publicly slag off the handling of this latest announcement tells you everything you need to know.

Oh I know the ship has sailed now, but why didn’t the BBC realise at the start that the way they were conducting this process was completely unacceptable? The story Joanna Gosling wrote in the paper about going into work on the train, seeing a headline which named her as an “at risk” presenter and then, on the same journey, getting a casual text from her boss asking her to “drop by” their office when she got in to work comes to mind. I mean, come on - this is no way for any employer, especially one as large as the BBC, to behave.

At this point there really isn’t any work in the channel for the remaining displaced presenters as even assuming that both Ben and Geeta are being used to cover days off it only leaves 13 slots per week for what may well be 6-8 reporter presenters (I would suspect that Ben Thompson, Sarah Campbell and Lucy Grey at the very least on top of those whose names have been leaked).
People like Frankie McCamley and Luxmy Gopal who are clearly ambitious in their careers are also likely to be more important to the BBC in the longer term than the off air presenters so the BBC need to be careful not to restrict the younger presenters opportunities to an extent that sees them looking for work elsewhere.
The remaining displaced presenters would be better served with being offered redundancy or being reallocated to other vacant roles within BBC News (for example to replace Alex Lovell in Bristol or to finally give some consistency to South tonight or to boost the BBC One team in order to remove the need for Maryam, Katya and Tina to be covering semi-regularly).

My assumption is more that presenter-reporters will be, primarily, reporters and only presenters probably occasionally on weekends (also possibly the “secondary presenter” on location sometimes).

What you seem to be advocating, deliberately prioritising the hiring of younger presenters and firing older presenters to “make room”, would be a shockingly ageist policy and, in this context, arguably illegal.

I also think that the idea that we’d suddenly see Martine presenting Points West, for example, is a pretty remote prospect.

why does it look totally different to every other BBC News set? I mean, they might be using the new logo, but that’s as on-brand as it gets.

I think it’s because Clickspring Design did the set and modelled it more on other American networks and a modular approach, rather than anything from NBH. I imagine they were deliberately given an open brief rather than instructions around a specific brand, it’s supposed to look different so it doesn’t have to be refreshed at the same time as London in the future.

[Spencer]

I think it’s because Clickspring Design did the set and modelled it more on other American networks and a modular approach, rather than anything from NBH. I imagine they were deliberately given an open brief rather than instructions around a specific brand, it’s supposed to look different so it doesn’t have to be refreshed at the same time as London in the future.

I don’t doubt Clickspring followed their brief. But why were they apparently given carte blanche to go completely rogue?

The notion that it was so they didn’t have to refresh when London next does so could be applied to every other BBC studio outside London. You might as well allow every English region, Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff to come up with their own totally random set design on that premise.

[Brekkie]

Worth remembering the US revamp came before any changes in the UK - at that time it wouldn't have been worth redoing it in the previous style so they probably had free range to do what they wanted. It perhaps acted as a pilot for what the BBC could do in London moving forward, but then they opted not to go down that route.

For what it's worth I thought the studio looked excellent when it debuted, but feel over the last couple of years it's been tinkered with a bit in terms of the backdrops they use and it doesn't seem to be used as well now - although admittedly I only ever really see it in caps on here.

[Former Member 237]

So now there is confirmation that Sally is a proper Chief Presenter (well deserved too, I’d say)!

Very odd that she was not mentioned, given that even the Washington & Singapore presenters got a mention.

Out of sight out of mind I’m afraid for those that work non standard hours. Common with a lot of places sadly.

[Rolling News]

Orla Guerin has just been introduced as Chief International Correspondent just now on the news. Is this no longer Lyse's role? TBH I haven't seen her reporting for ages but she did appear on The Context the other week in the studio with Christian Fraser.

[steve]

Unless some very recent change, a mistake. Orla was Senior International Correspondent.

---

Although, she was aston’d as that too so maybe there has been a change!

[bai4943]

She was introduced with that title on the late news last night as well.

[harryb]

The logo is updated, probably when they introduced the new WNA opening and changed the studio camera shots.
 
postimg.cc 
postimg.cc 

I've just looked back through some videos from last year and the logo was updated when the Washington overnights began in April 2023.
www.youtube.com