[southern_boy]

If Plymouth is getting the uniform look, are NWT and London also being done?

[IanJRedman]

If Plymouth is getting the uniform look, are NWT and London also being done?

My understanding is yes, and no. (London has Studio B)

[South]

LED wall is expensive. High resolution with long intended life even more so.

Clearly the powers that be are trying to make a more uniform look across the regions (something that has been demanded on this forum and it's predecessors for many years). If this standard size is good enough in Leeds or Norwich, why should Plymouth and Southampton get significantly more money spent on their sets to make the same programme?

It's not just about the size of the screens but also all of the studios graphics templates. Having two templates nationwide makes any graphics change cheaper and easier to role out than having 12 different templates to role out.

[chris]

I noticed that the South East Today night backdrop is static - or at least it was in the YouTube video I watched.

Seem bananas when you have such great screens. It looks really bad in the close ups.

[AaronLancs]

It's not just about the size of the screens but also all of the studios graphics templates. Having two templates nationwide makes any graphics change cheaper and easier to role out than having 12 different templates to role out.

Indeed.

Also one thing that most haven't thought of is the actual set build themselves. With a standardised set across all regions when the next over all refresh occurs for BBC News as a whole there wouldn't have to be the problem of having to jerry rig any new look into the already existing set designs and that having to take months to do. Especially when new set builds are to be factored into it.

Let's imagine September 2025 is when BBC News does its next overhaul / refresh. Instead of spending a year or so building new regional sets they can already apply the new look to them by sending the assets to the relevant programmes - in this threads case BBC South Today, in my own regions case BBC North West Today - and bish bash bosh, job is done. All regions sets have been updated on the first day of a new look and no delays were needed at all.

[DTV]

All regions sets have been updated on the first day of a new look and no delays were needed at all.

This isn't without precedent, though. The September 2002 new look for BBC English regions (excluding London and South East) took place on one day, and that included repaints and new carpets for all. In April 2008, many regions similarly adapted their existing sets to match the new colour scheme for launch on 21st April (the biggest single-day relaunch of BBC News ever). LED videowalls do make things easier in this respect (and cheaper), but we're only talking partially new looks (as per 2002) at best.

[TMD_24]

Deleted as posted in the wrong thread.

[Stuart]

If this standard size is good enough in Leeds or Norwich, why should Plymouth and Southampton get significantly more money spent on their sets to make the same programme?

Because we're special   (joke)

[Stockland Hillman]

LED wall is expensive. High resolution with long intended life even more so.

Clearly the powers that be are trying to make a more uniform look across the regions (something that has been demanded on this forum and it's predecessors for many years). If this standard size is good enough in Leeds or Norwich, why should Plymouth and Southampton get significantly more money spent on their sets to make the same programme?

Plymouth is a different issue to the rest of England. Its already HD and automated,  with Mosart (like the nationals, Wales and Manchester) 

Most if not all the workflow savings by using  standard set graphics, a studio shot/direction standard,and eventually Ross Overdrive automation (using shared templates and config) can't be gained in Plymouth.

A change to the setup in Plymouth will be for corporate vanity rather than as part of legitimate workflow improvement.

[IanJRedman]

Noone has suggested the gallery in Plymouth will be replaced, have they - only the set?