[Rolling News]

From what I can tell they currently have 2 presenters a day on the U.K. opt out service on weekdays. Presenter 1 does the 0700-0900 World feed and then the U.K. opt up to 2pm. Presenter 2 does 0900-1200 on the World feed and then the U.K. opt out between 2 and 6pm (junior reporters fill in otherwise). If this is going to be a full service between 9-6 weekdays (excluding simulcasts of the One and possibly Politics Live as Keith suggested) I guess this rota set up won’t continue and more presenters will be needed.

[ginnyfan]

E should be the main studio for the main channel. Local opt-outs can be done from the balcony.

[DTV]

This is one of those things that is not really that unexpected - I think many assumed this is where we'd end up and, as with Keith, I suspect its temporary nature will turn out to be one of those things that gets quietly extended to cover the first few months of the new government, etc. Part of me has long wondered whether the bare bones approach of the last year was an attempt to see how much a minimal version would cost in practice, allowing them to see what they had room to reintroduce afterwards. Ultimately, the actual cost of eight hours of studio output is fairly cheap, it's the reporting that's expensive.

I'm sure there are many members delighted with this, but given the UK programme will almost certainly be overstuffed with pundit interviews, panel debates and live feeds - i.e., Politics Live 24 - I think I'll be giving it a swerve.

[Leigh Spence]

Weren’t the “temporary election plans” in the latest Private Eye out last week (No. 1618, page 18)? The Telegraph have only added that “it opens the door to a permanent reversal”. The Eye article mentions Deborah Turness using the buzzword “Winning the Weekend”.

[Stockland Hillman]

This is one of those things that is not really that unexpected - I think many assumed this is where we'd end up and, as with Keith, I suspect its temporary nature will turn out to be one of those things that gets quietly extended to cover the first few months of the new government, etc. Part of me has long wondered whether the bare bones approach of the last year was an attempt to see how much a minimal version would cost in practice, allowing them to see what they had room to reintroduce afterwards. Ultimately, the actual cost of eight hours of studio output is fairly cheap, it's the reporting that's expensive.

.....

The argument put forward by the News channel presenters before the merger was particularly accurate: Experienced presenters doing DTL inrerviews and in studio explainer with reporters generates a significant amount of low cost, decent quality content.

For example a presenter interviewing a reporter with simple on set graphic bullet points is quicker and more effective than a reporter trying to shoe-horn background into a package, or do a new explainer piece, scripting for both the setup questions and the answers in one reporter read piece- its often clunkier to tell the story that way.

All the new service need is careful selection of presenters capable of delivering accurate and incisive hosting, and producers with stong news led skills, and high degree of professionalism. Preferably without a pathetic obsession with making clips for viral social media.

[Tardisrotor]

Its' a reassuring step. BBC News and BBC World are two entirely different kinds of stations. If it means more focused UK news in the run up to the election whenever it is then I'm all for it

[i.h]

Good to see sanity begin to prevail. It was getting tedious having to hear the explanations of what the "UK chancellor" is or references to "the UK's opposition Labour Party" - obviously necessary for international viewers but downright patronising to the home market.

Presumably this is also the "solution" for the benched presenters then.

[James2001]

I remember World viewers being baffled by all the coverage of Steve Wright's death too. Obviously a major story in the UK that couldn't not be covered, but just going to be a "who is he" to most of the rest of the world who'll want to know about other stories.

[Andrew]

I remember World viewers being baffled by all the coverage of Steve Wright's death too. Obviously a major story in the UK that couldn't not be covered, but just going to be a "who is he" to most of the rest of the world who'll want to know about other stories.

Not to mention the extensive Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby and Gary Lineker coverage

[James2001]

Not to mention the extensive Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby and Gary Lineker coverage

Yep, there's been so many stories like this over the last year that a UK audience will want a fair bit of coverage of, but international audiences will eye roll if it's even covered briefly. The sort of thing that shows why merging the two channels was never going to work.

And the UK opts we did have which were just a presenter in a cupboard reporting on one story, and nothing else, have been generally dreadful. A proper UK based service is clearly needed.